Happy Sun Ra Arrival Day!
May 22 1914 is the day on which Herman Poole "Sonny" Blount, AKA Le Sony'r Ra, AKA Sun Ra appeared on this planet in Birmingham, Alabama (he preferred to speak of this occasion as his arrival on Earth from outer space, rather than his birth, and who are we to disagree?)

I don't have a lot of time right now to go through the details of Sun Ra's life and work. He was an absolutely unique individual and musician - a great pianist (& electronic keyboard pioneer), composer and arranger who fostered musical innovations that are still being elaborated today. He was a champion of the imagination who spoke of the infinite possibilities achievable by human beings, and black people in particular (despite the degrading treatment they were subject to in the society he inhabited). He refused to be limited by what he was told were the the realities of life on Earth in the 20th century, and offered his music as a challenge, urging us to move beyond the constricted paths of a conformist existence by traveling the spaceways!

Here's a little taste of Sun Ra's music performed by a small group (he normally led a big band):

• When There is No Sun

This track appears on his New Steps album, recorded in Rome in 1978 with John Gilmore (sax), Michael Ray (trumpet), Luqman Ali (drums) and of course Mr. Mystery himself on the Crumar Mainman keyboard.

Sun Ra's legacy is being carried on by the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen. They put on incredible shows and have two nice CDs, so check em out if you get a chance.

Lee Santa has set up an excellent page of photos of Sun Ra and the Arkestra from the 60s & 70s. Check out his pics of Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, Cecil Taylor and others too!

Also, if you want something to read, the good people at the Red Saunders Foundation have just added a fantastic new section to their site detailing the history of Sun Ra's work while he lived in Chicago, from 1948 to 1961. And of course, the first stop on the web for Ra-related stuff is Joe Moudry's great Saturn site.

I'll definitely be playing some Sun Ra on the next Free Kick show, May 26 from 9-11 pm eastern time. So check it out, and sign up with Outer Spaceways Incorporated. Space is the place!

Dave