Sun Ra | Essential albums and listening guide

Meet the artist

He claimed to have come from Saturn. He was the band leader and composer who turned cosmic myths and Afro-futurism into music. He led Arkestra, establishing his own unique worldview through their music. Swing-era ensemble music, collective improvisation and electronic keyboards coexist in his work.

The Arkestra seems to hold jazz's past and imagined futures at once. Repeating songs and rhythms can feel welcoming before strange timbres carry the listener elsewhere. Cosmic language and visual presentation form part of the same world. Beneath the extraordinary appearance, close listening also reveals considerable knowledge of composition and jazz tradition.