Big band pushes boundaries of performance
Few musicians of the 20th century have baffled, intrigued, and divided fans and critics quite like Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993). His complex, afro-futurist philosophy and equally complex avant-garde music has afforded a wealth of material from poetry, to cinema, to long-form compositions, all of which have continued to challenge and inspire the critical thought and practice of free and avant-garde music.
With 2014 marking Sun Ra’s 90th birthday and the 20th year of the Guelph Jazz Festival, it was perfectly fitting for the festival to host the Arkestra and to make “sounding futures” the weekend’s central theme.
The symphony performed, entitled Hymn to the Universe, consisted of various works chiefly arranged by bandleader and alto saxophonist Marshall Allen. Featuring pieces by composers such as Allen, Duke Ellington, and Sun Ra himself, and in conjunction with a spectacular display of dancing and choreography, the hour and twenty minute work culminated in an explosive, colourful, and transcendent chorus of Ra’s “We Travel the Spaceways,” at which point half of the audience joined on the stage in dance and celebration.
As a long-form composition, and by way of the incredible dance choreography by Montreal’s Coleman Lemieux & Company, the Arkestra’s Hymn follows a sort of afro-futurist sci-fi creation myth. Its story arc seems to focus on the birth, death, and cosmic rebirth of humanity by way of “travelling the spaceways” away from Earth and to Saturn where, according to Sun Ra, humanity originated. Musically, this was evident in the shifts in timbre, structure, and atmosphere of the band’s arrangements and compositions – in bridging the gaps between swing, electronic jazz, and free improvisation, the music was at once elusive to describe, but powerful and truly transcendent.
An integral part of Sun Ra’s philosophy was his belief in the “angel race” from Saturn, of which he believed he was a part. When taken as allegory of Black Nationalism, the ideological goal of Ra’s music and philosophy was, in many ways, a call for black people to transcend oppressive social settings and “return” to the cosmos. Ra’s multidisciplinary approach and esotericism never had all the answers, granted, but it is through efforts like these when his musical approach and discourse become the most clear and graspable.
So, what is most striking and important about Hymn to the Universe is the way in which the symphony contextualizes Ra’s philosophy not only musically, but also in the visual sense. With a projector screen displaying cellular functions, footage of solar flares, hypnotizing fractals, and silent-era title cards dividing the symphony into movements, the symphony became thriving with immediate and striking metaphysical questions. Even the band’s costumes (a staple of Ra and his band’s history) were carefully orchestrated to offer a genuine, heartfelt, and undeniable powerful tribute to Ra’s music.
However, framing the symphony as a “tribute” runs the risk of downplaying the forward-thinking choreography, musicianship, and overall sensual experience. In a festival that celebrates “sounding futures,” the Arkestra’s performance is not only the state of the art, but also a salient example of a big-band’s potential in a post-commoditized, increasingly globalized world. The multimedia potential for such a spectacle is as true to Ra’s philosophy as it could be, and one of the finest live experiences of the year.