Space Is the Place

The Lives and Times of Sun Ra

By: John Szwed

Narrated by: Leon Nixon

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

Essential read

The author totally immerses you into Sun Ra s philosophy. Simply fascinating. Ra was a cultural revolution into himself

wow Wow WOW!!

Great narration and great biography on Sun Ra! A glimpse into the mind of one of the most mysterious persons of the 20th century. 👨🏾‍🎨🙏🏾

Amazing Book!

This book really made me look at Sun Ra differently, he is beyond complex and I learned a lot.