Hapi earth day Sun Ra, Space is the Place

Entering a deep meditative state in 1937, Sun Ra had an out of body experience in which he traveled to another planet and was given a divine message conveyed through his music. With the Formation of his "Arkestra" in the 1960s he would perform to great acclaim though his sound was beyond category.  On the date of his birth Jazz on the Tube honors the far out contributions of Sun Ra. 











 Marvin X and Sun Ra,  his mentor and associate at X's Black Educational Theatre, San Francisco, 1972. Gemini Twins! Marvin X is May 29, 1944. Yes, two crazy motherfuckas! Or is it twenty? Marvin says he travels with ten people at all times. How many did Sun Ra travel with, aside from his Arkestra? "Stop teaching' yo actors freedom, Marvin, don't you see how wild and free they act--teach them discipline."

Black Mass is Baraka's  interpretation of the Muslim myth of Yacub, the big headed scientist who genetically engineered the white man. Sun Ra arranged the music. Sun Ra also arranged the music to Marvin X's play Flowers for the Trashman, renamed as the musical Take Care of Business. It was performed at Marvin's Black Educational Theatre in San Francisco's Fillmore, while both Sun Ra and Marvin X were lecturing in the Black Studies Department at University of California, Berkeley. Take Care of Business was performed at San Francisco's Harding Theatre on Divisadero St. It was a five hour concert without intermission, with a cast of fifty, including Sun Ra's Arkestra, Marvin's actors and the dancers of choreographers Raymond Sawyer and Ellendar Barnes, a BAM dancer/actress.




 Francisco Mora Catlett, also mentored and performed with Sun Ra. Marvin X and the Black Arts Movement Poets Choir & Arkestra plan to connect with Francisco's Afro Horn band when we hit New York City! Get ready Francisco! Henry Grimes, Craig Harris, and all you other BAM poets and musicians. Let's do the damn thang!


 Earl Davis, a Sun Ra Arkestra member; also a member of Marvin X's Black Arts West Theatre, San Francisco, 1966; Earl is with the Black Arts Movement 27 City Tour


 Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X inspired the Black Arts Movemt, including Sun Ra who came out of Chicago.





On the date of his birth Jazz on the Tube
honors the far-out contributions of Sun Ra.

Video:

http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/7773.html 

- Lester Perkins
Jazz on the Tube

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