Greetings, black youth of planet Earth. The latest documentary on Sun Ra, Sun Ra: Doing the Impossible aired on PBS recently. It is very well done and even includes interviews with members of the Arkestra. The filmmakers also did a great job integrating video clips and recordings from Sun Ra's lifetime with the mainstream narrative. They perhaps decided to play it safe and focus on the more immediately accessible side of Sun Ra's music rather than fully immersing the listener into the frantic free-jazz of some of his work. For a presumably similar reason, the film does not fully explore the complex and questionable framework of Sun Ra's writings in his Chicago period. Even his poetry was charitably described by Ishmael Reed as notes expressing the importance of music in his life. But overall, they succeed in portraying Sun Ra as a visionary who survived the Jim Crow South. His passion for music and his belief in its potential for communicating deeper message will undoubtedly resonate with many viewers. Even the concept of alter destiny is presented persuasively and with a powerful message of self-empowerment.
As the title suggests, the film focuses on the positive sides of Sun Ra's penchant for mythocracy. While there is an ugly downside to Sun Ra's occultism and esoterica (which is partly explored by members of the Arkestra describing it as being cult-like), this documentary portrays it in the context of African Americans and their marginalization. Stripped of their own past and forced to live someone else's myths, Ra's inventive imagination sought to counter this with a new future that looked to space. While one writer who appears in the film claims Sun Ra was a pioneer or a "first," it is actually quite clear that Sun Ra based his stage persona (and real life, since the two were so entwined) on past generations of black bandleaders, the traditions of Western and African American esotericism, Afrocentrism and black autodidacticism. Indeed, his vast library even included at least one work by J.A. Rogers and when the Arkestra visited Egypt, members of the band viewed it as "their" history (the Egyptians who can be seen in the shots of the Arkestra at the Sphinx or Great Pyramid must have been completely baffled!). Sun Ra was certainly the first to encapsulate so many of these elements in a jazz band, however. And since the documentary wisely sidelined most of Sun Ra's prose writings expressing his worldview, viewers are instead treated to an engaging overview of Ra's life and career. Even for those who have read biographies of Ra, there are some interesting aspects in his life we had forgotten about. For instance, the Arkestra's Philadelphia base was purchased for a dollar from Marshall Allen's father. Or that Esquire published a poem by Sun Ra on the eve of the Moon landing.
Sadly, the 90 minute time slot severely limits how comprehensive these documentaries can be. Despite a pretty good overview of Sun Ra's upbringing and early career in Birmingham and Chicago, the New York years are hastily covered. The film highlights how Sun Ra was not accepted by critics, but one wishes they explored how Ra was a fixture at Slug's Saloon. Nor are jazz musicians from the free jazz period interviewed, even though they could have added a much-needed musician's perspective on how Sun Ra really "fit" in the avant garde New York jazz scene. Likewise, one would have liked more attention on John Gilmore and Marshall Allen as key members of the Arkestra who kept the band's legacy alive. In fact, when we saw the Arkestra live about 7 or 8 years ago, Allen was still leading the band in a performance very faithful to the multimedia aesthetic of Sun Ra. But without shedding light on these figures who kept the band going after Sun Ra's death or their own widely regarded musical talent (Gilmore), another example of how excellent the Arkestra truly was is missed. Obviously, Sun Ra ran the show and the band supported his vision, but truly remarkable musicians who were faithful to his band were what made the Arkestra work. This is clearly expressed in the almost spiritual relationship between Sun Ra and vocalist June Tyson, whose presence in the band is regal.
Our minor nitpicking aside, this is an excellent introduction to the complex life and oeuvre of Sun Ra. The timing does not allow for extra details, even though Ra's life was full of remarkable episodes and anecdotes. For instance, Sun Ra thinking "Nuclear War" could be a pop hit and trying to get major labels interested. Or the story of the white judge who Sun Ra told would never see another black person like him. Hopefully, viewers of the documentary will go on to read Szwed's fantastic Space Is the Place. Sun Ra was a very unique person, but rightfully built his own myth to escape the myth of black inferiority and subjugation. We are almost inspired to revisit his broadsides and the reading lists for the course he taught at UC-Berkeley.
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