Sun Ra

Sun Ra

Born: May 22, 1914
Died: May 30, 1993
in Birmingham, Alabama , U.S.
Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, legal name Le Sony'r Ra; May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his experimental music, "cosmic philosophy," prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led "The Arkestra", an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up.

Movies for Sun Ra...

Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight
Title: Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight
Released: November 11, 2023
Type: Movie
"Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight" covers renowned American artist Betye Saar’s large-scale work “Drifting Toward Twilight”— commissioned by The Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens — a site-specific installation that features a 17-foot-long vintage wooden canoe and found objects, including birdcages, antlers, and natural materials harvested by Saar from The Huntington’s grounds. This film renders a portrait of Betye's process at 96 while also reflecting on her life, career, and memories of Pasadena.
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Rebirth Is Necessary
Title: Rebirth Is Necessary
Character: Self (Archive Footage)
Released: September 20, 2017
Type: Movie
Director Jenn Nkiru authors a personal and powerful exploration of blackness through piecing together dreamlike portraits with stunning archival footage that includes Afrofuturism pioneer Sun Ra and revolutionary organization the Black Panther Party.
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I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore: Film, Stories & Images from the Mississippi Records and Alan Lomax Archive
Title: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore: Film, Stories & Images from the Mississippi Records and Alan Lomax Archive
Character: Himself
Released: July 20, 2013
Type: Movie
A film, music and aural presentation by Eric Isaacson of Mississippi Records, Portland, USA. Featuring archival film, images & stories spanning 1890 to the present day, illustrating Eric's own special history of underground music movements and bonafide individuals. The live footage performances are culled from rarely seen film shot during Alan Lomax's North American travels between 1978 to 1985 and Mississippi Record's own enormous library of folk blues, gospel, esoteric, international & punk music.
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Jazz Evolution
Title: Jazz Evolution
Character: Self - Organ
Released: August 12, 2008
Type: Movie
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Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet
Title: Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 2005
Type: Movie
Sun Ra was born on the planet Saturn some time ago. The best accounts agree that he emerged on Earth as Herman Blount, born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1914, although Sun Ra himself always denied that Blount was his surname. He returned to Saturn in 1993 after creating a stunningly variegated and beautiful assemblage of earthly and interplanetary music, most notably with his fervently loyal Arkestra. Sun Ra and his Arkestra were the subject of a few documentary films, notably Robert Mugge’s ‘A Joyful Noise’ (1980), which interspersed performances and rehearsals with Sun Ra’s commentary on various subjects ranging from today’s youth to his own place in the cosmos. This documentary reuses some of Mugge’s material and includes some additional interviews.
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Mystery Mister Ra
Title: Mystery Mister Ra
Released: July 4, 1984
Type: Movie
Sun Ra, Archie Shepp and company in concert in Paris, 1984. Documents performances and rehearsals in Paris, France, 1984. It includes the compositions "Love in Outer Space," "Nuclear War," and "1984" by Sun Ra and the standards "Tea for Two" and "Blue Lou," as well as interviews with Sun Ra and Archie Shepp.
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Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Title: Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Character: Himself
Released: October 1, 1980
Type: Movie
Robert Mugge filmed jazz great Sun Ra on location in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. between 1978 and 1980. The resulting 60-minute film includes multiple public and private performances, poetry readings, a band rehearsal, interviews, and extensive improvisations. Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored for the best possible viewing experience.
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Title: Saturday Night Live
Character: Self - Musical Guest
Released: October 11, 1975
Type: TV
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
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Space Is the Place
Title: Space Is the Place
Character: Himself
Released: November 1, 1974
Type: Movie
Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra return to Earth after several years in space. Ra proclaims himself "the alter-destiny", meets with inner-city youths and battles with the devil himself to save the black race.
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Spaceways
Title: Spaceways
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 1968
Type: Movie
A music documentary made with Sun Ra.
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The Magic Sun
Title: The Magic Sun
Released: January 1, 1966
Type: Movie
Multi-faceted artist Phil Niblock captures a brief moment of an interstellar communication by the Arkestra in their prime. Black turns white in a so-called negative post-process, while Niblock's camera focuses on microscopic details of hands, bodies and instruments. A brilliant tribute to the Sun King by another brilliant supra-planetary sovereign. (Eye of Sound)