The Life and Sounds of Sun Ra
Sun Ra is a deeply impactful artist that inspires listeners to dive deeper into his life and
art. Some aspects that shaped his career were his musical talent, his ability to build community,
and the way he pushed sonic exploration through the use of new technology. Building upon a
background in jazz piano, Sun Ra merged traditional music and future technology into a
completely new genre. The Sun Ra Arkestra consisted of a diverse community whose
performance inspired future generations. The mission was to inspire and enlighten people to
think beyond life on Earth, especially during a very oppressive time. Most importantly, his
ability to tap into his experiences and express them through his art is very inspiring to an artist
like myself. This is a trend throughout Afrofuturist artists and something that I strive to bring
into my own life and music.
Watching and listening to Sun Ra perform is an absolute inspiration; he has obviously
spent a fair amount of time at the piano learning and understanding intervallic relationships and
harmony. Without this musical knowledge, it would be more challenging for him to create the
avante-garde work that he did. This extensive knowledge allowed him to write the wild pieces of
free jazz that bend the fabric of reality. While I was aware of this knowledge, it really became
apparent to me while watching the “Sun Ra DOCUMENTARY” on YouTube. John Gilmore is
quoted saying,
"Any of the music he showed me, I could read it pretty well, but I couldn't understand it, I
couldn't hear it. Then one night, I heard it... Then I said, “my gosh this man is more
stretched out than Monk. It’s unbelievable that anyone could write meaner intervals than
Monk."
When I heard this and watched a small excerpt of a practice session, it really became apparent to
me how precise Sun Ra was in creating his vision. This along with his incredible playing really
gave me insight into Sun Ra’s incredible musical mind. “Every song I write tells a story, a story
that humanity needs to know about...” Intentionality was a clear driver of Sun Ra’s
music.
While not only maintaining this inspiring understanding of music, Sun Ra also managed
to stay at the forefront of music technology. He was one of the first artists to adopt Robert
Moog’s first portable synthesizer, the Model D. He actually received one of the prototypes
dubbed the Model B. His use of this instrument has influenced so many artists and genres, with
lasting impacts to modern hip-hop and beyond. It is so amazing to me that he was one of the first
artists to embrace its sound and push it to the extremes that would inspire others to do the same.
In the article “Sun Ra & the Minimoog” Thom Holmes states, "Ra immediately added the instrument to his repertoire of keyboards, later acquired a second, and featured the Minimoog prominently on many of his recordings of the early1 970s. Sun Ra sometimes played two Minimoogs at the same time to achieve a
duophonic synthesizer sound."
This quote not only shows how Sun Ra was one of the early adopters of the Minimoog, he also
influenced the evolution of technology with his use of two synthesizers. By imitating the
duophonic synthesizer sound, one might argue that he inspired Robert Moog to introduce
duophonic capabilities into his synthesizers, for example the modern Moog Sub37 is a popular
duophonic synthesizer. When I first read this quote it amazed me to hear that Sun Ra was
creating a sound that is found in a lot of the modern Moog synthesizers that I have interacted
with, before it had even existed. It is beautiful to think about this synergy between artist and
engineer, both individuals influenced each other's passion and process through the exploration
and experimentation with this new technology.
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Sun Ra had an innate ability to find talented individuals to perform with the Arkestra
throughout the country. In the same YouTube documentary James Jacson states, “Sunny’s got
that ability that leaders have at being able to pick the person that’s gonna fit." In the
same documentary, John Gilmore talks about how the band would consist of about 6 or 7
members that would live and consistently perform together, and there would constantly be a flow
of guests that would play with the Arkestra. It is amazing to learn how Sun Ra was able
to build this large community of talented musicians and forward thinking individuals that came
together and produced Sun Ra’s distinct vision. The Sun Ra Arkestra was more than just a band,
it was a community founded in the shared belief of liberation, freedom and cultural pride.
Seeking to share a “universal language”, Sun Ra recruited the best and brightest artists into the
folds of his Arkestra, and rigorously prepared them for the stage. This talented lineup included
Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and June Tyson, all of whom are iconic jazz musicians that went
on to have successful careers. This focus on exceptional musicality was Sun Ra’s way of
exceeding the limitations that were imposed on him as a Black man in an era of racial
segregation and violence.
Sun Ra was born in Birmingham, Alabama and lived a lot of his life in the Jim Crow era.
While he went through life in a society that perpetuated that he was somehow considered less
than human, he was able to transcend and inform that same society that he was an interplanetary
being sent here to provide spiritual leadership. In the YouTube documentary I referenced earlier,
Sun Ra states: I tried to bypass this planet. Because the people here are not really spiritual, and I am a
spiritual being. So I tried very hard to bypass it. I think I’m going to fail, because I think
some people on this planet are going to wake up to realize that it's the unknown that they
need to know in order to survive.
Sun Ra’s desire to “bypass” reality stems from the oppressive experiences that he had. This
statement is a reminder of his ability to rise above these conditions, while also acknowledging
his own human imperfections. He was distinctly aware of the shortcomings of humanity, and
didn’t want to associate himself with the ordinary mentality that was socially accepted at the
time. Furthermore, the cosmological myth that Sun Ra embodies in his music is a philosophical
rebellion against the rigid systems of humanity and Earth. This can be recognized in the origins
of his moniker, subject matter of his compositions and the unconventional performances he
displayed. His own recognition of his spirituality is reclamation of power and enlightenment,
further distancing himself from these oppressive systems.
In my learning about Sun Ra and other Afrofutrists throughout this quarter, I found that
they all excelled at bringing their life experiences into their art and their process. They were able
to use their environments and resources to create something new, rather than using it as an
excuse to uphold the status quo. As a musical artist, I want to move away from my
comfortability with technology and really try to understand how I can translate my personal
experiences into my art, or use these experiences to inform my creative process. In my opinion,
Sun Ra was clearly an otherworldly genius. The mystery that surrounds him as an individual
would not provide us with such wonder without his exceptional work ethic, dedication to
community and curiosity about the universe. Sun Ra was a visionary of his time, and these
visions still have lasting impacts on the world today.
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Works Cited
Holmes, Thom. “Sun Ra & the Minimoog.” Bob Moog Foundation,
https://moogfoundation.org/sun-ra-the-minimoog-by-historian-thom-holmes/. Accessed 5 December 2021
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Mugge, Robert. “Sun Ra DOCUMENTARY.” YouTube, uploaded by ProjectDystopia, 8 March