The work of Sun Ra was once reserved for those with an enlightened ear. His Arkestra was a fluttering of experimental sounds that evoked elements of ancient Africa and pre-historic Egypt. Today he is more of a known quantity appearing in many blogs, and other modern fodder. Usually championed by those who do not truly understand Sun Ra or his work. He was perhaps one of the only artists to to draw inspiration from both science fiction (of the times) as well as the daunting spirituality of the sacred text known as the Metu Neter. Most casual listeners of today tend to only drag through Space Is The Place and some of the more recent reissues that have appeared over the course of the last five years. Cool...
Sun Ra was one of the first artists to create his own record label (Saturn) with the intent of self release. In addition to this he was also one of the first artists to design his own album artwork (often by hand), and present limited pressings of his projects (often only available at performances). These are things we take for granted today, as vinyl has become strictly a collector's market in its own right, and most of the world seems lost when it comes to jazz and its history/importance to the current construct of music. Either way, enjoy the peaceful other worldly tunes of 1966's Other Planes of There on this Sunday morning wherever you are...
