12 Jun 2015

Sun Ra (2) The Ra Ship Has Landed

From Sound Lounge, 7:00 pm on 12 June 2015

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

Episode

In the mid 1950s Sun Ra formed the Arkestra, the cosmic big band that would become his vehicle for musical exploration for the rest of his life. In contrast to the strip club bands he'd been working with, the Arkestra was set up to "create music for the creator".

In this episode we meet some of the Arkestra's key members including John Gilmore, talk to Marshall Allen about the Arkestra's legendary rehearsal regime, and listen to the group's first recordings from Chicago as they trace a path from big band swing to space age jazz.