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There’s a recent book compiling much of the original cover art. Recommended.
Sun Ra: Art on Saturn: The Album Cover Art of Sun Ra's Saturn Label https://a.co/d/7h3J9II
The Sun Ra Arkestra is _still touring_ -- https://www.sunraarkestra.com I've seen them three times, the last just six months ago. They're the best live band I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of music. Marshall Allen is nearly 100 years old, and he still melts faces when he stands up with his sax. They are the tightest, freest, clearest, most incomprehensible band I've ever seen. One moment they're doing a jazz stan…
Sun Ra is one of those artists who I remember listening to for the first time and thinking, "this is what music could be ," instead of "this is what music is ." It's a dear experience, to feel your mental territory of music, or books, or art, expand outward in that moment. It leaves a lasting impression - or at least for me it does.
Yep, same here. I didn't get into jazz until late in life and toured all the popular and deep cuts. Miles, Coltrane, Coleman, Monk, etc. I loved it all, but then I heard Sun Ra Arkestra's "Springtime Again" and I was absolutely floored. It opened up so many possibilities in my brain, almost like what I would expect a psychotropic drug experience would be like (I have never tried). Anyways, I did a deep dive on Sun Ra…
On a sidenote, i hope the trend of popularizing hard drugs will fade and people will focus again on other means to achieve different state of mind through artistic activities, like live music.
Sun Ra changed my life. Have always known about him but his music really clicked with me on one night 2 years ago (the song is Tiny Pyramids), I quote John Gilmore "I heard the intervals!" Stayed up all night, bought an alto saxophone the next day (switched to tenor 2 months later) and have been practicing every day since. Jazz and playing music has made me happier tremendously!