I came across this rare vid the other day playing the Never Ending Song Game and I've been going back to it regularly like an addiction.

Free jazz may not be your thing, dear orgers, but take the next 8 minutes of your life to see and hear true genius at work; the late, great Herman Blount, AKA Sun Ra.

Like Jimi said, "Are you experienced?" This has got to be at least a part of what he meant.

The very first moment of the video you can feel the intense concentration the band has on Sun and how they snap into action when he clues them in to what song he wants next by playing the melody line on the piano.

Space is the Place... but nothing like the album cut. This version is twice as fast and man, these guys have some crazy swingin' beat going on. It's like some kind of interstellar hornets nest or bee hive just cookin' to the max beneath the horns a skronkin'.

Unbelievable rythym section subtlties are going on here; the more times I listen the more unique flourishes I hear. I only wish the sound recording was clearer.

Around 6 minutes and then out they get into some funky call and response stuff that ties in 50's era r&b, p-funk camp performance, James Brown bandleading, and of course all wrapped up in their own futuristic vibe.

You think they're just vamping and then at 7:30 the dancers all do this little hop thing and you know they are all on the same wavelength.

Man, what a performance!

Thank you so much for mentioning Sun Ra. This man is so underrated in the jazz world and I wish more people would listen and get to know him and his great music. Again , thank you so much.
[Edited 7/12/08 21:31pm]

oops
[Edited 7/12/08 22:35pm]

The Differences
Sometimes in the amazing ignorance
I hear things and see things
I never knew I saw and heard before
Sometimes in the ignorance
I feel the meaning
Invincible invisible wisdom,
And I commune with intuitive instinct
With the force that made life be
And since it made life be
It is greater than life
And since it let extinction be
It is greater than extinction.
I commune with feelings more than
prayer
For there is nothing else to ask for
That companionship is
And it is superior to any other is.
Sometimes in my amazing ignorance
Others see me only as they care to see
I am to them as they think
According the standard I should not be
And that is the difference between I and them
Because I see them as they are to is
And not the seeming isness of the was.
~Sun Ra



Space Is The Place


My musical partner was in The Arkestra for a while.
Gotta get magnificentsynthesizer over here.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Space Is The Place

Space is the Place?

In my collection this photo is on the cover of Blue Delight, perhaps one of the most accessible Sun Ra recordings as all the arrangments stay close to standard big band territory for the most part (well, as close as he's able anyway ).

But Sun Ra has released so many versions of his various albums that anything's possible I guess. Amazon has no less than 7 different Space is the Place discs with different cover art for sale but this pic is the one I've associated with the album:



My musical partner was in The Arkestra for a while.

You talkin' bout your French tumpeter partner in Tribal Disorder? Yeah, I can hear/see that. How much "while" are we talking about? What years?

Maybe I've seen him then. I was fortunate enough to attend 4 Sun Ra concerts before he passed.

The last time I saw him he had to be wheeled to the stage and lifted onto his piano stool but when the hands hit the keyboard there was no noticable diminishment in his playing.

Each time was wonderful but I gotta say that the first time I saw him in Chicago at a big jazz club near Rush & State Streets was the best if only because there can only ever be one first time for anything and having my first Sun Ra experience was a trip in the truest sense of the word.

People called him crazy for saying that he was from Saturn but if you took him on his own terms and opened yourself to his music there's no denying that he took you somewhwere else that was not of this world. Whether it was Saturn or not I cannot say but it was defintiely far out.

That night when they did Space is the Place, during the breakdown they all grabbed percussion instruments and came snaking out through all the the tables and gathered us in with this intense energy, looking us right in the eyes from two feet away and chanting, "You haven't met the Captain of he spaceship yet. You haven't met the Captain of he spaceship yet."

And they meant it too. Although you could say they were a theatrical act, they weren't acting; you could feel their total conviction in their creation. Absolutely uncompromising.

Other Gods Have I Heard Of

For you
I gave up every thing I never had
For all I never had is the "life" I abandoned
I gave up every thing I never had
All my pleasant fancies and dreams
Which concerned only me
All that earth would call a good life
I gave up all this for you
Because my love for you
Is greater than all the worlds
And more immeasurable than the universe
Greater love has no man.
And greater love has no god than I
For I like my greater love
Am immeasurable
And my words are more than life
And more than death
What else am I than the greater
Myth of all Myths
Other gods have I heard of
But they were not as I
Other Gods people have I seen
Accordingly
But they are not as mine.
Other peoples' gods have I heard of
But they are not as the gods I know.
~Sun Ra
[Edited 7/13/08 12:41pm]
[Edited 7/13/08 12:42pm]

theAudience said:[quote
Gotta get magnificentsynthesizer over here.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431[/quote]

YES!!

This is my kind of thread.

Unfortunately, threads on Sun Ra usually bomb around these parts.

i'm envious you got the chance to see him 4 times before he passed! that's just too cool! what years did you see him perform?

i caught him in 89/90 and 92/93. truly mesmerizing shows! Ra had more vibe than any of my favorite performers, yes, even more than Prince. seeing him live was like being part of something like an invocation or witnessing a true sorceror or warlock at work. this man indeed traveled the spaceways! and to have the core members of your band with you for over 30 years really says a lot!

if you haven't seen A Joyful Noise or Mr. Mystery go check them out!

damn. the video is gone

unkemptpueblo said:

You've got learn to save these things post haste.


Here's a few more...



...Space Is The Place (short clip from the movie)




...Face The Music




...Retrospect (from the Night Music series)




...Calling Planet Earth




...Somewhere Else (Sun Ra All-Stars w/Philly Joe Jones and Don Cherry)






tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I bought this CD a year or so ago...it is not your typical Sun Ra, but fun nonetheless....it is also recorded live so it is a bit rough....

unkemptpueblo said:

It's back.



...A monologue from that performance.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

cubic61052 said:

I remember listening to that.
Great theatre.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Space Is The Place is also a great film in general, this is my favorite scene

http://www.youtube.com/wa...SNvdLpLx-0

People sometimes cite Sun Ra as an inspiration for P-funk, at least in terms of the imagery and mythology. Here's an example where the music itself actually resembles P-funk quite a deal. granted this is a performance from 1990 and could actually represent p-funk's reciprocal influence on Sun Ra

http://www.youtube.com/wa...fbk4QAjgXo

jacktheimprovident said:

You had it right the first time Jack...




...Sun Ra had this look and vibe going on since the 50s.


If anything, Sun Ra begat P-Funk, not the other way around.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

I just meant that since that particular song was released for the first time (as far as I know) in 1990 it could have been a response to p-funk. It's much more "jazzy" (of course) and that sax soloing is much more "free" and atonal than anything P-funk ever would do, but perhaps Sun saw P-funk as worthy disciples and did an homage.

I do know that George Clinton once said "Sun Ra is out to lunch....same place I eat"

magnificentsynthesizer said:

Magnificentsynth said:

"Unfortunately, threads on Sun Ra usually bomb around these parts."

Well, admittedly, Sun Ra's appeal is going to be limited to only the more muiscally adventurous among us.

I basically decided to post the thread as a history lesson of sorts, mostly for the younger members of the Org who maybe did not know of Sun Ra or had never heard him.

Within that context, whether someone "likes" his music or not doesn't matter as much as just acknowleding his unique place in the pantheon of musical legends past.

I think anyone would have to admit that that performance was remarkable in terms of compositon, musicianship and performance.

(And by the way, the video is still up for whoever it was that says they missed it).

"I'm envious you got the chance to see him 4 times before he passed! that's just too cool! what years did you see him perform?"

The first time was in Chicago around '76, I think. Then twice in a week in '81 in Berkeley and San Francisco (completely different shows too!) and the last time was in Fairfax, CA in '92. Kinda sad to see him so frail.

"I caught him in 89/90 and 92/93. truly mesmerizing shows! Ra had more vibe than any of my favorite performers, yes, even more than Prince. seeing him live was like being part of something like an invocation or witnessing a true sorceror or warlock at work. This man indeed traveled the spaceways! And to have the core members of your band with you for over 30 years really says a lot!"

Amen to that; being at a Sun Ra show was always far more than simple entertainment. I'd put it more on a par with a psychedelic drug trip.
[Edited 7/15/08 10:35am]

Ditto to the above....an excellent description of a live Sun Ra show....to describe him as a sorcerer is directly on point...and, at times, he even dressed the part.

And, at the time, a lot of those in his audiences were on mind-altering drugs (present company excluded), and the shows were psychedelic to be exact.....

Sun Ra was true to his art, unabashedly true to his music, and far, far ahead of his time...

And he had the most piercing stare of ANYONE I have ever met in my life....amazing, amazing eyes....they were like looking into a crystal ball...

Yes, P-Funk is the spawn of Sun Ra...not the other way around.

I would enjoy a nice, informative, and healthy discussion on a Sun Ra thread....let's give it a go...hmmmm?

jacktheimprovident said:

Gotcha.

Great Clinton quote.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

DakutiusMaximus said:

Yes (he's not French, just a French based name).

He was in and out of The Arkestra during the years 79,80,82 & 86 I believe.
At certain points he played trumpet along side Michael Ray.
During the 80s Michael Ray did a stint with Kool & The Gang and also fronted his own band, Michael Ray & The Cosmic Krewe.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

...

Since Sun Ra's Disney takes were brought up, I grabbed his version of "Pink Elephants on Parade" from the Hal Wilner Disney Project ( "Stay Awake" ). Someone on Youtube synched Ra's version up with the original Disney footage,








...

paligap said:

Excellent

Stashed

Thanks


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

That's fun...thanks, pali...
Well worth 'stashing'....

...

NP!

BTW, just in case some folks didn't have it, that Sun Ra version is from this 1988 Hal Wilner disc:





...

I think I need to have that....