Sun Ra Arkestra: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Sun Ra was a big-band innovator, a pioneer of recording and playing with electronics, a poet, a cosmic philosopher, a bandleader and a keyboard innovator who claimed to be from Saturn. Herman Poole Blount would have turned 100 in 2014 had he not left us more than 20 years ago. But his spirit lives on, and so does his long-running band.

On Halloween 2014, the Sun Ra Arkestra — complete with costumes inspired by Egyptian symbolism and science fiction — performed a rousing, out-of-this-world Tiny Desk Concert. The band was led by 91-year-old alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, who's been with the Arkestra since the early 1950s. All these years later, no one makes soul-stirring, spaced-out jazz quite like the Arkestra.

SET LIST
Along Came Ra/Zoom 0:23
Queer Notions 2:23
Angels And Demons At Play 8:17
Interplanetary Music 15:03

CREDITS
Producers: Bob Boilen, Mito Habe-Evans, Maggie Starbard; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; Videographers: Colin Marshall, Susan Hale Thomas, Maggie Starbard; Assistant Producer: Ryan Kellman

[mikestander]

Happy 100th birthday to Marshall Allen! Love him for keeping the Arkestra afloat. ❤❤❤🎂🎂🎂

[erwincanaya]

mad respect for these people. also they managed to fit behind the desk

[SunnnyDay]

I hope there is a Sun Ra Arkestra around forever.

[Xsplot]

I saw Sun Ra and his Arkestra around 1990 in a church in Victoriaville, Quebec. There was a young child of about 5 years old in front of me. Sun Ra's beat was so infectious the child couldn't help jumping up and down to their music. They had the audience swinging big time. They were great musically and visually.

[megajames]

UNDERSTAND HE BELIEVED HE WAS NOT FROM EARTH, SO HE FELT HIS MUSIC SHOULD SOUND LIKE NOTHING EARTHLY.  

[glen_buxton]

Sun Ra's music and philosophy is truly timeless. Marshall Allen was his #1 guy for decades, and inherited the work when Sun Ra moved on from this planet. I am infinitely grateful to have seen this group live, in a small venue. Even at the crazy (earthly) age of 97, he played some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen live, for a very long set, without needing to sit down once. Pure cosmic beauty. Angels and demons at play. Space is the place.

[abdusluqman]

Bless them for keeping Sun Ra's genius alive.

[campb]

I remember seeing Sun Ra (Arkestra, I presume) at the Detroit International Jazz Fest in 2002 or 2003.  Had just played on an adjacent stage with my high school jazz band, stopped over to see these guys, and couldn't believe my eyes or ears.  I still want one of those hats.

[megajames]

SUN RA WAS A GENIUS. MIXING FREE JAZZ WITH STRAIGHT AHEAD BIG BAND MUSIC AND ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS.

[perrinpartee]

Madlib turned me onto Sun Ra in the early 2000s and I’ve been a Sun Ra head ever since. This man was tuned into the spirit world and the natural way of things. The Tao so to speak. You can hear it in the music. Spiritual Jazz no doubt. Hope to meet Sun Ra on the other side

[darrensample]

The thin line between madness and genius .... brilliant

[GregorasProject]

Sun Ra was arguably the greatest musician in all of the avant-garde. I'm so glad that his legacy lives on through his Arkestra.

[RobinLinn]

I have never experienced it's equal. This spoke to me in ways words never could and the music of Sun Ra takes me places I never imagined I could go. So beautiful. I think he is even better now able to conduct this music.

[striderranger]

Saw Sun Ra almost 50 years ago at Keystone Corner in San Francisco. My solo time seeing them. What a legacy!

[novakafele]

Sun RA ANKHestra is thee most prolific mind blowing ensemble of artists who ever lived. These rhythms ain’t for the weak, or MINDS with ceilings. Love to My Folks keep on doing it! Chaotic Cosmic Be Bop Fusion Play. Where centripetal centrifugal forces bond.

[francesconegri]

They're IN the music, creating and feeling it at the same time, wonderful

[probablynoturdad]

This is about honest feeling and energy, not about presenting archetypical imagery that seeks to please its audience. To those of you who hate on this, but appreciate more contemporary jazz, please listen to Jazz in Silhouette, Supersonic Jazz, or maybe The Bad and the Beautiful before righting off the word of Ra. You can't deny there's some kind of wizardry afoot behind the Arkestra after listening to their more "normal" stuff. It's very organic, alive music. It's not quite the same without Ra's mastery of vibes, but with that said, Farid Barron is probably the only pianist I could imagine playing in for the Sun God, and I've never really heard much of him. That beautiful being needs to release a solo album stat.

[crnkspinnr]

SO I buy this album "Pathways to unknown worlds" in 1977 for 1.99 in the cut-out bin at the local record store. Played it numerous times and came to appreciate it. I have explored many of the recordings of this amazing artist. Glad to see these musicians carrying on the legacy of Sun Ra
Space is the place!

[RobThomasApologist-qn]

I wonder how many people with no previous exposure went onto npr's website when this aired and just thought that these were normal guys simply taking Halloween too seriously

[Babasunship]

For all the naysayers... Sun Ra, his Arkestra, and his compositional approach to music is already soundly a part of Jazz's creative legacy worldwide, and let's not forget, that one of his original members, tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, once played with Art Blakey and became an inspirational favorite to John Coltrane.  Music historically, has not been merely an entertainment activity and most of the ethnic music played for millenniums in diverse places throughout the world would be just as aversive to the modern American music consumer's ear as what is being rejected in this video.   Americans listeners and audiences especially, have always been decades behind culturally. for even traditional Jazz musicians can barely work here and are starved into submission, obscurity, or in too many cases, exile.