Sun Ra aficionados seem to possess an insatiable appetite for archival recordings of the ever-evolving ensembles of the pianist, composer and bandleader. Born Helman Poole Blount, in Alabama, in 1914, ...

Describing the music of Sun Ra is always challenging—perhaps even more so when it is documented on a live recording. A case in point is this offering from the Jazz Detective label, a substantial slice ...

The Philadelphia bandleader didn't always connect with traditional jazz audiences, but he found a second home doing so in Baltimore. A new double album revisit a show he and his "Arkestra" gave there.

Bandleader Knoell Scott leads the Sun Ra Arkestra, performing at SFJazz on July 31, 2025. Photo by Frankie Solinsky Duryea. The Sun Ra Arkestra began the first of four San Francisco shows at SFJazz’s ...

I have been listening to the music of Sun Ra since the mid-1970s. His Arkestra performed somewhere in Washington, DC right around that time. I didn’t attend the show (I was broke), but a few friends ...

It’s clear at this point that the work of Afrofuturist jazz visionary Sun Ra is beloved by Portlanders. From his band, the Arkestra’s frequent trips to the Rose City playing packed shows (sans Ra ...

From swing to bebop to free jazz, Sun Ra bridged myriad musical styles to form his own avant-garde sound. With his ever-evolving collective, the Sun Ra Arkestra, he stretched the boundaries of jazz ...

Questlove, Dawn Richard and a range of other musicians, writers and critics share their favorites from the experimental pianist, organist and bandleader’s wide-ranging catalog. By Marcus J. Moore ...

A veteran of Sun Ra’s band of astral travelers, saxophonist and bandleader Marshall Allen carries on the jazz legend’s legacy of uplifting spirits and upending musical expectations. A lovingly ...