Should Sun Ra be included in Progarchives?

Sun Ra's career spanned over six decades, during which he explored various musical genres and styles, including free jazz, avant-garde music, and electronic music. If progressive music is defined more broadly as music that pushes boundaries and explores new sonic territories, then Sun Ra’s inclusion becomes more compelling. Sun Ra's influence on artists such as King Crimson and Pink Floyd is well documented. Not to mention his influence on German Krautrock artists, which is quite obvious. His use of electronic sounds and unconventional instrumentation anticipated trends in progressive rock. Furthermore, his exploratory approach to music and his refusal to be pigeonholed into any one genre make him a fitting addition to a genre that values innovation and experimentation. Inspired by spacey themes, many of his compositions featured intricate arrangements and complex structures. There are arguments to be made for Sun Ra’s inclusion in the progressive music canon.

Post your opinions and discuss.

siLLy puPPy wrote: While there are a few releases that could technically be considered jazz-fusion, keep in mind that the category was never designed to be an all-encompassing one and only represents the biggest names that delivered well known jazz-fusion classics or delved more on the rock side of the equation.

Whether or not you consider Sun Ra to be progressive, you have to acknowledge that he is a subgenre unto himself. To be honest, I never thought of Sun Ra as a firm fit in the Jazz Rock/Fusion category on Progarchives. If we leave aside the Prog-Related and Proto-Prog sections, in which there is a wide range of quite different "related" artists, Sun Ra, in my humble opinion, would primarily fit into the PA's Avant-Prog section.

Sean Trane wrote: As much as I love John and Alice Coltrane (that's the "Trane" in my username) and their respective oeuvres, common sense tells us that neither (and that would include Pharoah Sanders as well) fit the scope of the site.

I'm afraid that in this particular thread, Coltrane cannot be compared to Sun Ra, despite the fact that Coltrane was a major player in the creation of free jazz and modal jazz and that his music explored spiritual themes. Sun Ra was a highly experimental artist who blended electronic music and avant-garde jazz and incorporated elements of afrofuturism into that mix, creating a unique blend of cosmic sounds and philosophical concepts that are, unlike Coltrane, close to the idiom of the more experimental side of progressive music. German Krautrock comes to mind. I mean, I posted above the "Atlantis" album from 1969. There is a title track that is truly groundbreaking in the progressive music sense because it showcases Sun Ra's innovative approach to experimental jazz, blending elements of space sounds, early electronic, and psychedelic music. The track features a fusion of jazz, trippy grooves, and spacey sounds, creating a unique and otherworldly listening experience. Sun Ra's use of the clavinet, a new solar sound instrument at the time, adds a futuristic and cosmic dimension to the music. The musicianship on "Atlantis" is exceptional and progressive in the style of Krautrock, which is yet to come. While listening to the 21-minute "Atlantis" track, you get the impression that something creepy is coming from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the surface.

Hi,

Edited by moshkito - May 16 2024 at 17:48

Sean Trane wrote: ... But if we have to include avant-garde composers and electronic pioneers, we'd have to include Edgar Varese, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Terry Riley (oops he's in), Moondog, Wendy Carlos, Isao Tomita, Philipp Glass,  LaMonte Young, Pierre Henry, etc...  .... and even Fela Kuti I mean, Igor Stravinsky was progressive, back in his days (a couple of steps ahead of everyone), but he's out of focus.  in other words (and IMHO), it's a can of worm best not opened. .

Sean Trane wrote: ... But if we have to include avant-garde composers and electronic pioneers, we'd have to include Edgar Varese, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Terry Riley (oops he's in), Moondog, Wendy Carlos, Isao Tomita, Philipp Glass,  LaMonte Young, Pierre Henry, etc...  .... and even Fela Kuti I mean, Igor Stravinsky was progressive, back in his days (a couple of steps ahead of everyone), but he's out of focus.  in other words (and IMHO), it's a can of worm best not opened.