Sound Lounge for Friday 19 June 2015

7.00 Strange Celestial Road - a journey into music and myths of Sun Ra

For the 79 years he was on planet Earth, Sun Ra forged his own unique pathway through modern history, from an era of steam trains, early jazz and player pianos, to a world of spaceships, synthesizers and abstract noise. Ra claimed that he was an angel, sent from Saturn to rescue the people of Earth through music. He talked in rhymes and parables, creating his own character set in an intricately constructed world, taking in aspects of ancient Egypt, religions, esoteric knowledge and outer space. Through this series Dan Beban looks into the vast recorded archive of Sun Ra’s music, and plots a course through the myths and legends of his life.

(3) Politics, Abstraction and Noise