Compositions by the leader, other members, and even covers of more popular tunes were somehow simultaneously ancient yet disruptively modern, a new aesthetic for concepts stereotypically avant-garde in nature. And the sound the sound was like no other before. Gone were the tuxedos in favor of exotic costumes and headdresses. By this time, the big band concept had been thoroughly explored by artists ranging such as Duke Ellington or Count Basie. Ra first formed the Arkestra as his large ensemble outfit in the mid-1950s. However, two excel in this endeavor: The Sun Ra Arkestra’s Swirling (Strut, 2020) and M’Lumbo and Jane Ira Bloom’s Celestial Mechanics (Ropeadope, 2020). Countless contemporary albums make this influence clear. Although he returned to his home nearly three decades ago, his legacy continues to loom large. As the man himself stated- “Any name that I use other than Ra is a pseudonym.” Although not native to our world’s music, throughout his career, he often echoed it all, from ragtime to swing to untethered expression using the most modern electronics of the era. In reality, he was the first great composer born on another planet to came to earth with the mission of preaching peace. Some historians mistake him for a gifted pianist named Herman Poole “Sonny” Blount, who was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914. Sun Ra was born on the planet Saturn sometime presumably in the early 20th Century.
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