Musicians - Sun Ra

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	Musicians - Sun Ra

Sun Ra (May 22, 1914 - May 30, 1993) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for his "cosmic philosophy" as for his phenomenal musical compositions and performances.

Born Herman Poole Blount, in Birmingham, Alabama, he was nicknamed Sonny from his youth. He later abandoned his birth name and took on the name and persona of Sun Ra (Ra being the name of the ancient Egyptian god of the Sun). He led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing lineup, which also used a variety of names: "The Solar Myth Arkestra," the "Blue Universe Arkestra," "The Jet Set Omniverse Arkestra," and many other permutations.

Claiming that he was of the "Angel Race" and not from Earth, but rather from Saturn, Ra developed a complicated persona of "cosmic" philosophies and lyrical poetry that preached "awareness" and peace above all. Some regarded him as a kook in this regard, but most recognized his immense musical talents.

He eschewed racism (having been a victim of it many times experienced during his touring and booking schedule with the Arkestra) and insisted his musicians avoid drug abuse, though he rarely came out and directly spoke about any controversial subjects.

There is some disagreement as to Sun Ra's date of birth. Sun Ra himself stated that he "arrived on earth" at any number of ancient dates. The date listed above appeared on Sun Ra's passport, but others place his birth anywhere from 1910 to 1918, with most sources supporting a birth year of 1914 or 1915. Incidentally, Sun Ra reported that his astrological sign was Gemini.

Early life

Little is known about his early life; much of it was obscured by Sun Ra himself. He even went so far as to deny his birth name was "Herman Blount."

He demonstrated an early talent for piano, studying both performance and arrangements in his youth. Blount played professionally as early as 1932, touring throughout the southern and midwestern United States with various blues, jazz and R&B performers. Blount joined a musicians' union in 1934, and relocated to Chicago, Illinois at about that time. He was intermittently leading his own groups by the early 1940s.

Sun Ra's piano technique, "ranged across a variety of influences, including blues, Count Basie's bounce, Thelonious Monk's dissonance and a degree of European impressionism." .

Blount was drafted during World War 2 (October, 1942). He filed as a conscientious objector, noting both his religious objections to war, and a chronic hernia. After serving five weeks in jail, Blount was transferred to a Civilian Public Service camp in Pennsylvania. There, in March, 1943 he was declared physically unable to serve due to his hernia . Though he never divulged details, Blount reported he had been treated poorly while in jail.

His early musical career included stints as an arranger and performer with Wynonie Harris and Fletcher Henderson, both about 1946. Sun Ra's arrangements for Henderson initially showed a degree of bebop influence, but the band members resisted the new music, despite Henderson's encouragement.

In 1948, Sun Ra performed briefly in a trio with Coleman Hawkins and Stuff Smith, both preeminent swing-era musicians.

Sun Ra's speech and mannerisms were seen by some as effeminate, and there was speculation that he was homosexual. Others, however, discounted such ideas, noting that Sun Ra seemed to have no interest in any sort of romantic or sexual relationships. When asked directly why he had never married, Sun Ra paraphrased the Gospel of St. Matthew, stating, "They neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels that shine forth like the sun."

Sun Ra's musical development can be loosely divided into three periods: the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s and later.

1950s

Sun Ra's recording career as a bandleader began in Chicago, in the early 1950s.

The first period of the 1950s was when his music evolved from big-band swing into the outer-space-themed "cosmic jazz" for which he was best known. Music critics and jazz historians say some of his best work was recorded during this period. Sun Ra's music in this era was often tightly arranged, and sometimes reminiscent of Duke Ellington's, Count Basie's, or other important swing music ensembles. There were, however, touches of the exotic and hints of the experimentalism that would dominate his later music.

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Musicians - Sun Ra

Early life

1950s

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