Sun Ra Arkestra

This intergalactic Big Band plays the Jazz of the future. Since 62 years.

Few figures from the 20th century are surrounded by as many pop-cultural myths as Sun Ra. The eccentric artist claimed to come from the planet Saturn, and is considered a pioneer of electronic music and free jazz. He was the first person to combine jazz music with space themes and the spiritual ideas of the African diaspora, thus becoming one of the most important inspirations for the artistic philosophy of Afrofuturism and for the development of Detroit techno (which plays a prominent role in Gisèle Vienne’s work CROWD). Hundreds of musicians, including jazz greats like Pharoah Sanders and Don Cherry, played in his intergalactic Arkestra, founded in 1956. After the master embarked on his ultimate trip back to Saturn in 1993, saxophonist and longtime collaborator Marshall Allen (now 94 years old) took over the leadership of the Arkesta. The International Summer Festival is offering a rare performance by this unconventional group, and with it a trip into undiscovered musical galaxies.