I was fortunate enough to see the band a few times with Sun Ra leading it.
Each time was very memorable.
I now have several of the Saturn L.P.’s with plastic covered cardboard sleeves, decorated with markers by hand. I most recently saw the band twice, led by Knoel Scott. They were wonderful both times.
I originally thought Sun Ra was "too out there". You convinced me over the years that most of it is quite accessible. The music he and his Arkestra created is quirky, humorous, unique. and an important part of jazz. He was a serious and committed artist with his own vision. And, maybe some of it is "too out there", but that is the art.
I love when you write about Sun Ra and your experience with his music. I saw Sun Ra throughout the 70s, pretty much anytime he played NYC from 1974 through 1980. I agree, there was nothing like a Sun Ra concert.
Btw, I have his birthday listed as May 22. I’ll have to do more research.
thank you for your heartfelt, personal, deep and moving tribute. Sun Ra's music has been life-changing for me since I first heard it in the 70s and was able to help promote his concerts in Pisa and Florence. Now waiting ofr my copy of Omniverse Sun Ra III edition. I already own the first two, as well as a lot of Afro-futurism literature. And your Ellison quote - despite his musical tastes, his observations about music are enlightening and in The Fire Next Time he described free music.
In 1991 I read a couple of music reviews that referenced Sun Ra. I didn't know anything about him. Then I saw several of the Evidence CDs reviewed in Rolling Stone. I bought Visits Planet Earth / Interstellar Low Ways & was addicted immediately. I have several LPs (not the Saturn LPs), quite a few CDs & a large amount of digital. You can't have too much Sun Ra. Have a great weekend.
Media Dreams is the Italian studio where the 1978 small ensemble rehearsed for their gigs. I bought the Saturn release of Disco 3000 from Recommended in 1980, the year I first saw Sun Ra live. Of course there was no info on it other than track listings so I didn't realize at the time that it was only a four piece, Luqman Ali on drums, Gilmore, tenor sax and drums, Michael Ray, trumpet. All the rest was Sun Ra with the prototype keyboard, Crumar Mainman, which allowed him to add beats and bass lines in real time. He uses it on Media Dreams featuring the same lineup, and Disco 3000 and nowhere else. Disco 3000 was recorded in January '78 in Milan, with Media Dreams likely from there as well. Art Yard issued the entire Disco 3000 concert in 2005 as a double CD.
In 2014, I think, Michael D. Anderson began transferring tapes from his archive to digital, and Irwin Chusid would master them for iTunes though I tended to buy lossless downloads of them from Qobuz. Most all of them were from better sources than Evidence had accessed for their reissue series. Many were digital only, while others were issued on physical media. The Magic City, which had been recorded in stereo but only issued in mono was finally released in stereo. I remember being surprised that there was a My Brother the Wind, Vol, 1 as I had thought the Evidence CD being called Vol. 2 was one of Sun Ra's little jokes.
Gill was one of the truly great music journalists,a Sheffield lad and a Sheffield Wednesday fan.What's not to like? His opinion of Sun Ra was shared by many, though as with many niche/cult bands, there remains to this day, a fiercely loyal following for the man from Saturn.
I'm not sure I was ever critical of Gill, was I? I sincerely wondered what he thought about those two later Sun Ra albums, which were much more accessible than the ones he reviewed in 1986.
Wonderful article! I love hearing about your circuitous pathway to discovering Ra's unknown worlds.
Thanks for this piece on Sun Ra.
I was fortunate enough to see the band a few times with Sun Ra leading it.
Each time was very memorable.
I now have several of the Saturn L.P.’s with plastic covered cardboard sleeves, decorated with markers by hand. I most recently saw the band twice, led by Knoel Scott. They were wonderful both times.
Keep up the good work!
David Beckett
Thanks for walking with us, David.
I originally thought Sun Ra was "too out there". You convinced me over the years that most of it is quite accessible. The music he and his Arkestra created is quirky, humorous, unique. and an important part of jazz. He was a serious and committed artist with his own vision. And, maybe some of it is "too out there", but that is the art.
Well put, Steve.
I love when you write about Sun Ra and your experience with his music. I saw Sun Ra throughout the 70s, pretty much anytime he played NYC from 1974 through 1980. I agree, there was nothing like a Sun Ra concert.
Btw, I have his birthday listed as May 22. I’ll have to do more research.
Good catch, C.L. I was not clear that I was acknowledging his Centennial on the day of his death. That is confusing.
Thank you, Tyler. You just saved me a lot of investigative work.
thank you for your heartfelt, personal, deep and moving tribute. Sun Ra's music has been life-changing for me since I first heard it in the 70s and was able to help promote his concerts in Pisa and Florence. Now waiting ofr my copy of Omniverse Sun Ra III edition. I already own the first two, as well as a lot of Afro-futurism literature. And your Ellison quote - despite his musical tastes, his observations about music are enlightening and in The Fire Next Time he described free music.
Thanks for the comments, Francesco. I am also waiting for Omniverse Sun Ra III edition.
In 1991 I read a couple of music reviews that referenced Sun Ra. I didn't know anything about him. Then I saw several of the Evidence CDs reviewed in Rolling Stone. I bought Visits Planet Earth / Interstellar Low Ways & was addicted immediately. I have several LPs (not the Saturn LPs), quite a few CDs & a large amount of digital. You can't have too much Sun Ra. Have a great weekend.
🤘😎🤘
Thanks, you too, and keep Sun Ra on the turntable. Were we at it at about the same time, brother Karloff!
Lovely piece, thanks.
Media Dreams is the Italian studio where the 1978 small ensemble rehearsed for their gigs. I bought the Saturn release of Disco 3000 from Recommended in 1980, the year I first saw Sun Ra live. Of course there was no info on it other than track listings so I didn't realize at the time that it was only a four piece, Luqman Ali on drums, Gilmore, tenor sax and drums, Michael Ray, trumpet. All the rest was Sun Ra with the prototype keyboard, Crumar Mainman, which allowed him to add beats and bass lines in real time. He uses it on Media Dreams featuring the same lineup, and Disco 3000 and nowhere else. Disco 3000 was recorded in January '78 in Milan, with Media Dreams likely from there as well. Art Yard issued the entire Disco 3000 concert in 2005 as a double CD.
In 2014, I think, Michael D. Anderson began transferring tapes from his archive to digital, and Irwin Chusid would master them for iTunes though I tended to buy lossless downloads of them from Qobuz. Most all of them were from better sources than Evidence had accessed for their reissue series. Many were digital only, while others were issued on physical media. The Magic City, which had been recorded in stereo but only issued in mono was finally released in stereo. I remember being surprised that there was a My Brother the Wind, Vol, 1 as I had thought the Evidence CD being called Vol. 2 was one of Sun Ra's little jokes.
Nice intel, Lenny. Thanks. It's time for me to listen to Disco 3000 and Media Dreams again - been a while.
Gill was one of the truly great music journalists,a Sheffield lad and a Sheffield Wednesday fan.What's not to like? His opinion of Sun Ra was shared by many, though as with many niche/cult bands, there remains to this day, a fiercely loyal following for the man from Saturn.
I'm not sure I was ever critical of Gill, was I? I sincerely wondered what he thought about those two later Sun Ra albums, which were much more accessible than the ones he reviewed in 1986.
I have always held Gill in high regard.
and a fiercely loyal following for the fat man of Sheffield apparently
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/andy-gill-dead-music-critic-writer-the-independent-nme-why-i-hate-coldplay-a8956156.html