“I’m not human. I never called anybody mother. The woman I’m supposed to call my mother I call other momma. I never call nobody mother…”

and so Sun Ra goes on, outlining his philosophies of existence, in a short piece of writing entitled Fallen Angel in a art journal from another era.

Of all the Sun Ra albums I’ve tried, Sleeping Beauty is a more accessible beautiful 4 track album. If you are after some good quality loose jazz on a slight contemporary slant, I urge you to check this out. It’s out of this world. No pun intended. Sun Ra is one of the greats. People have placed him next to Coltrane and Miles Davis in influence and innovation. To me, he is more eclectic, experimental. He pushes jazz outside the box. He was outrageous. He had no rules to his music, to his thoughts, and life. He refused to accept Earth as his home, and insisted he was from Saturn.

He seemed to have a loyal band. His Arkestra, as they were called. They still play today. Marshall Allen is one of the key dudes, playing with Sun Ra for almost 40 years. Back in the day, he was considered one of the best jazz alto saxophone players in the world.

I sometimes daydream about which band I would most love to have played in from before my time. Sun Ra and his Arkestra are up there in the favourites. I would love to sit down for a band practice with the Arkestra. It would be utterly immense. Can you imagine the thrill of honking away at a trumpet on a sunny roof top in Egypt, dressed in colourful robes with one of the most eccentric jazz musicians of all time?