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Space Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra Paperback – August 22, 1998

by John F. Szwed (Author)

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Sun Ra, a.k.a. Herman Poole "Sonny" Blount (1914–1993), has been hailed as "one of the great big-band leaders, pianists, and surrealists of jazz" (New York Times) and as "the missing link between Duke Ellington and Public Enemy" (Rolling Stone). Composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn, Sun Ra led his "Intergalactic Arkestra" of thirty-plus musicians in a career that ranged from boogie-woogie and swing to be-bop, free jazz, fusion, and New Age music. This definitive biography reveals the life, philosophy, and musical growth of one of the twentieth century's greatest avant-garde musicians.

Space Is The Place: The Lives And Times Of Sun Ra

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Product Details

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1st Da Capo Press ed edition (August 22, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0306808552
ISBN-13: 978-0306808555
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #15 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Jazz
- #16 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography & Video > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Lighting
- #18 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rhythm & Blues

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Must Reading for Sun Ra Fans

By Patrick O. Moore on February 16, 2001

Format: Paperback

First let me say that I am a bigtime Sun Ra fan. If someone did not like Sun Ra's music, this book would probably not be as much fun, but it still might be interesting - say, a three-star rating instead of a five.
Ra has made much of his swing era big band background, having arranged for and performed with Fletcher Henderson ca. 1947, during that band leader's years of decline. This book documents something much less obvious: Ra's indebtedness to doo wop, R&B and even mood music. Who would have guessed the resemblance to Les Baxter? I now hear both Ra and Baxter with new ears. Starting in the first chapter, the book provides important background available nowhere else, such as detailed description of the 1930s Birmingham social clubs, a little known musical scene.
About two thirds of the way through, the narration freezes and the book gets bogged down in describing Ra as a philosopher and poet. This is rather thin soup. Szwed tosses out twenty-dollar terms like "gnosticism" without giving any clear evidence that he, or Ra for that matter, really understands them. Fact is that Ra's genius was largely intuitive, and his uses of Egyptian history and futuristic technophilia were largely metaphorical posturing. Ra's philosophy and poetry are valuable only because he was a musical genius. Students of the music should remember that the programmatic content was used ritually in performance but in no way validates his music or makes it better.
The chapters covering the 1930s through 1960s are fairly detailed. In contrast, the narration about Ra's last 15 years (1977-92) is curtailed (perhaps by a deadline), and we get barely one page per year of activity.Read more ›

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The Definitive Biography of "Mr. Mystery"

By A Customer on December 16, 2000

Format: Paperback

John Szwed's "Space is the Place" is a monumental achievement. Sun Ra is arguably the most difficult figure on whom a person could possibly write a biography, since throughout his life he denied that he was even from Earth. This makes Szwed's careful analysis of his formative years in Alabama, replete with factual details, all the more compelling and welcome. What soon becomes apparent is that Sun Ra was often a misunderstood musician and composer who was one of the few artists in jazz history that encompassed every generic possibility of jazz in his art. In Ra's music, you heard everything from swing, be-bop, hard-bop, free-jazz, and even traces and significations of more popular musical forms (i.e., doo-wop, blues, and even disco in the late-70s). And he not only drew from these genres, but in many ways helped to shape them, by forming new and revising old musical trends. One can only hope that the world will eventually be graced with biographies of Albert Ayler and Cecil Taylor that are as carefully researched as Szwed's study of Sun Ra.
Szwed's book also delves deeply into the space-influenced philosophy of Sun Ra and its emphasis on "discipline" and "precision." While Szwed features direct quotes when possible, he also paraphrases the philosophy of Sun Ra frequently. His analysis could have gone much farther into Ra's critique of Christianity and his use of language. At one point, he mentions that both Ra and Nietzsche "unflinchingly assaulted received Christianity" (p.383), but he does not extend his analysis further. (It would have been interesting to compare how both artists used the theme of "overcoming" in their art, or perhaps a discussion of the similarities in their critiques of democracy.Read more ›

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Fine Explanation of a Complex Phenomenon

By Scott McFarland on June 10, 2002

Format: Paperback

The book is well-written and does what it sets out to do - explain who Sun Ra was and what he was doing. This is no mean feat. Sun Ra was a man of many interests and beliefs, of whom many misconceptions exist. Even most of his fans (I've been listening to Ra's music for about 10 years now) will probably learn much and gain tremendous perspective on him from this book (I certainly did).
The book's story is one of a man with artistic genius within him, who probably could have been a millionaire and musical "star" - who chose to do other things instead. Here is the unusual story of what he did and why he did it.
There is room for another book in the world on Ra's discography, that traces the patterns, forms, and themes of his vast catalogue of recorded music. There is room in the world for a book that tells the stories of the members of Ra's Arkestra. But this is not those books, this is the first logical step in studies : an explanation of Sun Ra himself. It's a difficult job very well done.

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A stunning masterpiece

By David Jones on May 9, 2004

Format: Paperback

This is, simply put, the greatest jazz biography I have ever read. Sun Ra is a complex and fascinating character, and Szwed's narrative more than lives up to the challenge. The most impressive thing about this book is that Szwed places Ra's, shall we say, bizarre beliefs in a context that makes him seem brilliant, lonely, compassionate, and vulnerable--in a word, human. Interwoven with the facts of Ra's life, his childhood, his musical development, his status as 60s cult icon, Szwed goes into long, fascinating digressions on the roots of Ra's beliefs--from ancient Egyptian mythology to the Bible. After reading this book, it was as if a whole world had been opened to me, and I now enjoy and appreciate Ra's art so much more. I wish I could convey how much this book moved me...it is more than the best jazz biography I have ever read, it is one of the best biographies I have ever read, period. If you are at all interested in Sun Ra, experimental jazz, or modern mythmaking, then DO NOT hesitate to pick this book up.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Undoubtedly space is the place

I've not had an easy year. Extreme stress, trauma, working constantly, moving back and forth across the country, and repairing several addictions. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Anthony J Parks Jr

We learn of Ra's life & of Birmingham & Chicago ...

We learn of Ra's life & of Birmingham & Chicago. I haven't finished it yet but I believe we might read all books about Ra. He seemed to read every book he could find.

Published 15 months ago by A. Sykora

Five Stars

Great detail, fascinating.

Published 16 months ago by someguy

Five Stars

The book was in perfect condition when it arrived.

Published 18 months ago by Amy

One of music's most complex creators explained

A well done examination of Sonny Blount, a.k.a. Sun Ra that offers a path to understanding the complex reasoning behind the music Sun Ra created. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Dick Cooper

A book as unique as its subject

Space Is The Place is John F. Szwed's remarkably well-researched biography of Sun Ra. Speaking as a professional jazz musician, I appreciated the compelling insights into the... Read more

Published on October 16, 2013 by Mark S. Williams

The sky is a sea of darkness when there is no SUN to light the way!

I've always loved SUN RA. I own about 20 Sun Ra CDs and already knew a bit about him. But this book really makes you appreciate the ARTIST. Read more

Published on July 6, 2013 by michael moodgroove

infinite heart centered connection in the music and life of sun ra

The author of this book was most successful in conveying the feeling of inspiration which fuels the artistry in Sun Ra's music. Read more

Published on September 8, 2012 by Thomas M. Galla

great condition

This book was in mint condition! I was greatly impressed with the quality of it. I had to buy this book for a college class but it is a great read for those interested in Sun Ra. Read more

Published on March 9, 2012 by tinkabinka

Space is the Place!

I always found Sun Ra's music and off the wall worldview/persona interesting. I thought it was more or less a put on but from what I get out of this book apparently it wasn't. Read more

Published on December 14, 2009 by Cwn_Annwn

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