A collection of interviews and essays on Sun Ra; his contemporaries; his records; his myth and his fan base. Composer; bandleader; pianist and space philosopher; Sun Ra was a unique individual and one of the most colorful and enduring of musical legacies; transcending time; place and culture. From the mid 1950s until his death in 1993; Sun Ra led ldquo;The Arkestra"; a fluid collective that lived and played together under the despotic tutelage of their leader; who claimed to hail from Saturn. Their music was jazz; but avant garde compositions in which players were instructed to adhere to a ldquo;space key"-improvising without regard for conventional tonal centers-was symptomatic of an altogether different direction in sound: electronic music; space music and free improvisation. But Sun Rarsquo;s legendary status was earned as much for his eccentricities as for his unique artistic vision. He developed and propagated a mystifying sci-fi mythology which he weaved into both the music and Dadaist performances of The Arkestra (performances which inspired artists as diverse as George Clinton and MC5). This book collects together for the first time interviews with Sun Ra; the people that knew him; and his contemporaries; alongside illuminating essays and conversational pieces regarding his prolific musical output; mystique; philosophy; fans; and much more. Contributions from Wayne Kramer; Michael Simmons; Ben Edmonds; Amiri Baraka ; Rick Steiger; David Henderson; John Sinclair and others.
#550602 in eBooks 2012-11-20 2012-11-20File Name: B009UWRUTI
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good Job. Mr. Greenfield!By Gloria SquitiroReally fantastic book!Therersquo;s a backstory to this review: My husband was mayor of a large city. so I have the most minuscule taste of what itrsquo;s like to be recognized on the street. Little nothing me helped run his grassroots campaign. And because he was a populist. I could actually feel the prayers of those who wanted him in office.Now. for the review: I was moved by many things in this biography. but my favorite passage came from Randy Baker.ldquo;The most likely way for Jerry to die would have been from something sudden. I think he might have been able to rally and recuperate from anything that was lingering. in part because of the number of people who would pray for him when he was ill.rdquo;I believe Baker is spot on. More. I sure hope that our beloved Jerry Garcia was ready to cross over ndash; and I sure hope the reports are correct that he had a smile on his face when he did. That would make me feel so much better. especially considering all the joy and comfort that I am still bestowed with from his soul having been on this earth.Thanks. Mr. Greenfield for a wonderful read. Wishing you all things wonderful.#BeNice! #Grateful Dead3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Deep insight into the buddha-like GarciaBy B. BlinderOral biographies are much different than standard written ones - they are more free-flowing. and although they are less detailed. they feel more "emotional" and closer to the subject. Of course. the oral interviewees would tend to paint themselves in a better light. but that goes with the territory. This book. to me. was incredible. as it gave me a completely new view into the life of Jerry Garcia and the hordes of people around him (many of whom I did not know about at all). I know his music very well. and this book gave me a chance to learn more about him. from the viewpoint of those who surrounded him.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. My 3 stars have nothing to do with Mr. ...By Stephen VlamMy 3 stars have nothing to do with Mr. Greenfields writing ability or hard work on this project. It is very well written. The problem is the source material. There is practically no info from bandmates outside of Merl Saunders and Old and In the Way members. There isnt much about Jerrys songwriting or guitar playing other than he practiced a lot. Most of the input comes from people Jerry left behind. people fired from the Dead. or caretakers who had to deal with Jerrys inability to take care of himself.There is a lot of fascinating info from ex-wives and the children from the Grateful Dead Organization. That was a huge plus. The bottom line is that this is not a complete look at Jerry Garcia but only a look at his darker or negative facets. It may be a reflection of the sample of people willing to be interviewed by Mr. Greenfield but the book is flawed by a serious under-representation of what was supposedly the most important thing to Jerry Garcia - The Music.
