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Space Is the Place

The Lives and Times of Sun Ra

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Space Is the Place

By: John Szwed
Narrated by: Leon Nixon
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About this listen

Considered by many to be a founder of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra - a.k.a. Herman Blount - was a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn. He recorded over 200 albums with his Arkestra, which, dressed in Egypto-space costumes, played everything from boogie-woogie and swing to fusion and free jazz.

John Szwed's Space is the Place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the 20th century's greatest avant-garde artists and intellectuals. Charting the whole of Sun Ra's life and career, Szwed outlines how after years in Chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, Sun Ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the Arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial and confounding. Szwed's listeners - whether they are just discovering Sun Ra or are among the legion of poets, artists, intellectuals, and musicians who consider him a spiritual godfather - will find that, indeed, space is the place.

©1997 John Szwed (P)2021 Tantor Black & African American Entertainment & Celebrities History & Criticism Social Sciences
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Profile Image for L. Alexander

Well that was quite the story and experience!

Really enjoyed this, perfect mix of philosophy, story, cosmic cosmo tomorrows and beyond! So happy it didn’t stick to the rigid boring formulation of year by year biography and really just kept the myth of Sunny Ray and his time on this planet alive.

So blessed someone’s written, and then read this! One of the highlights of my year in audiobooks!!

Really enjoyed the narration too, brilliant between the author and ‘sun ra’ it felt really personal and engaging.

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