The Sun Ra Quilt
The Sun Ra Quilt appears to be a collection of fan submitted images, of the many records, Ra had a hand in over the years. For the record, he released over 125 records over 45 years of making music! While the actual purpose of the quilt still mystifies me, it's definitely worth taking a look at, and a must see for fans of handmade/diy artwork.
Although, i'm just as big a fan of Sun Ra's weirder,spacier, outings, I would suggest that new and old fans alike, seek out his "Sleeping Beauty" album, which was recently reissued (as a very limited edition UK press). Sleeping Beauty is certainly one of Ra's most accessible listens (comparable to Lanquidity), and has more funk and structure than many of his other worldly releases.
Sun Ra - Door of the Cosmos MP3
available for a limited time
"Ra was one of the first jazz leaders to use two basses, to employ the electric bass, to play electronic keyboards, to use extensive percussion and polyrhythms, to explore modal music and to pioneer solo and group freeform improvisations. In addition, he made his mark in the wider cultural context: he proclaimed the African origins of jazz, reaffirmed pride in black history and reasserted the spiritual and mystical dimensions of music (all important factors in the black cultural/political renaissance of the 60s)."
The Sun Ra Quilt
Sun Ra Wikipedia entry
posted by anasarca | 1:20 AM
2 Comments:
Ra was also the first to really incorporate the methods of modern (post-Satie) classical music, and the only musician to ever play with John Cage (technically they alternate), but the real innovations in Ra's career was in avoiding the fly-paper of the Music Biz, remaining true to his convictions holding music as a fundamental human communication (not a commodity to be vended like sodapop and soap) and the astounding achievement of keeping the same core band continuously together and fiercely independent for 40 years.
And those are just his musical achievements. Spiritually, he's the man who could argue with Nation of Islam founders and stop them in their tracks, he out-mystics the Garvey/Rastas, jazz-changes the elite crowley/rosicruians folding their confrontational magick as into an origami crane of galactic peace, he unifies the wesleyans and urantians and doesn't just speak it, he demonstrates everything he says. You can laugh at him, but you cannot discount him. And he smiles, knowingly, at your laughter. As he says in his closing address in the film "Space is the Place":
"You people don't want to talk about the Myth. Well I am The Myth talking to you."
If you ask me, 200 years from now we will have forgotten most of the present day "stars" of jazz, but this angel will remain immortal.
Impressive comment. Thank you for taking the time out to post. If you don't me asking, how did you find the blog? And....Post-satie meaning, post Eric Satie? How so?
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