By Andy Beta, eMusic ContributorIn most other cultures, the beard is a sign of maturity, wisdom, an indicator of "yang" energy; but in America, the bearded are pushed to the fringe, to the brambled outskirts of a well-groomed, highly… more »
By Jason Diamond, eMusic ContributorSufjan Stevens, The National's Bryce Dessner and composer Nico Muhly collaborating together on a song-cycle based on the planets in our solar system should really appeal to two crowds. 1. The "indie composer" fanbase. Even though it's… more »
By Dylan Hicks, eMusic ContributorSun Ra drew his audience as much from fringe rockers as from jazzers, partly because his brother-from-another-planet shtick made Ziggy Stardust look like Bart Starr, mostly because his carnivalesque blend of blues, swing, bop and… more »
By Michael Shore, eMusic ContributorThe fully restored soundtrack to a jaw-dropping Super Fly-meets-The Seventh Seal Sun Ra movie (a must-see recently released on DVD) is a scintillating cross-section of early '70s Ra, when rock cred via shout-outs by Michigan… more »
By Britt Robson, eMusic ContributorJohn Gilmore may be the most loyal horn player in jazz history. He could have been a star — played with the Jazz Messengers, taught Coltrane, is reputed to be the inspiration for "Chasin 'the… more »
By Andy Beta, eMusic ContributorHow to encapsulate the sonic universe of extraterrestrial jazz pianist and arranger Sun Ra? It's as impossible as to calculate his exact trajectory through this terrestrial life. From polyrhythmic space chants to all out skronk… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic Contributor"Intergalactic music is of the Outer Darkness," Sun Ra once wrote, and on this 1967 classic Saturn's top bandleader explores the ominous lower reaches of his keyboards (electric organ and the brand-new Clavinet) and of… more »
By Michael Shore, eMusic ContributorFrom Evidence's invaluable reclamation of the long-lost Saturn archives, a comprehensive portrait of where Ra was coming from and going to, bookending some of his first (the 1956 Planet Earth) and last (the 1960 Low… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic ContributorThese late '60s septet/octet sides catch Ra's patented space music at the moment of creation: isolated keyboard starbursts and horn clusters explode against stark backdrops. Add heavier funk and you've got Miles '(slightly later) Bitches… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic ContributorMuhal Richard Abrams is likely best known as a driving force behind the hugely influential Chicago co-op the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), but he's also an underappreciated composer. Not unknown by… more »
By Britt Robson, eMusic ContributorSun Ra fanatics are doing cartwheels over the sudden accessibility of this material, which was generally unavailable for over 40 years, or, in the case of the closing 17-minute opus "Flight to Mars," previously unreleased.… more »
By Kevin Whitehead, eMusic ContributorYou say you like — or maybe even hate — Sun Ra? But which Sun Ra? The dean of freaky free jazz? Ringmaster of jazz's greatest stage circus? The disciple of bop arranger Tadd Dameron?… more »
