The alchemy that created jazz owes much to the brothels, speakeasies. Offering a holistic overview of sun ras legacy, space is the place is as much about sun ras music as it is about his passionate, often wildly unorthodox views on the galaxy. Charting the whole of sun ras life and career, szwed outlines how after years in chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, sun ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views. A fascinating biography of the most magnificently bizarre musician of our time.
The evolutionary development of ra was particularly interesting. The lives and times of sun ra 1997, jazz 101 2000, and so what. The lives and times of sun ra is being published this april via duke university press read more. The lives and times of sun ra, pantheon, 1997, isbn 9780679435891. Charting the whole of sun ras life and career, szwed outlines how after years in chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, sun ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial. Aug 22, 1998 space is the place by john szwed, 9780306808555, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Szwed succeeds in prying open countless enigmas within enigmas, revealing much that has eluded historians until now. Quite possibly the most inspirational music biography ever written essential. Szwed wrote doctor jazz, a booklet about jelly roll morton for the 2005 issue of the complete library of congress recordings by alan lomax on rounder records. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. It is an odd artifact, a hybrid of science fiction, blaxploitation and too little avantgarde jazz. Szwed manages to add another dimension of insight into this already colorful character. In the film, as in life, sun ra is the quintessential outsider and space is a metaphorical eden for this much put upon black man. An anthropologist, historian and musicologist who teaches at yale, szwed brings an impressive array of skills to this job. John szweds most popular book is space is the place. Herman poole sonny blount 19141993, has been hailed as one of the great.
Speaking as a professional jazz musician, i appreciated the compelling insights into the creative processes behind sun ra s innovations in sound. Space is the place is the definitive biography of sun ra, a. But szwed also makes a strong case for sun ra as creative genius. Charting the whole of sun ras life and career, szwed outlines how after years in chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, sun ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music. Speaking as a professional jazz musician, i appreciated the compelling.
Biographer john szwed, author of the book space is the place, made big strides in revealing the forces at play behind the bandleaders mystical vision. John szwed is adjunct senior research scholar in the center for jazz studies at columbia university and the author of several books, including. A fascinating biography of the most magnificently bizarre musician of. John szwed s space is the place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth centurys greatest avantgarde artists and intellectuals. In 2003, he published a miles davis biography, so what. John szwed is an anthropologist and jazz scholar, whose publications range from anthropological studies of newfoundland and the west indies to record liner notes and jazz journalism. The lives and times of sun ra duke university press. The life and times of sun ra article by matthew wuethrich, published on january 24, 2003 at all about jazz. Szwed, noted writer and educator, took the time to piece together ras life going back to his upbrining in birmingham, alabama through the 40 years of his career in a superb biography space is the place pantheon. The lives and times of sun ra has 3 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Given the complexity of the task, yale professor john f. The lives and times of sun ra main by szwed, john isbn. Your institution does not have access to this book on jstor. Space is the place the lives and times of sun ra szwed john.
Space is the place the lives and times of sun ra by john szwed paperback 9781841950556 published by canongate 10 october 2000. Pantheon books, 1997 includes bibliographical references p. An anthropologist, historian and musicologist who teaches at yale, szwed. John szwed columbia university department of music. Sun ras life and music surveyed in space is the place book. All of these aspects of sun ras lifehis relationship to science, myth, and science fictionare concisely illustrated in the science fiction movie space is the place 1974. Szwed does an admirable job reconstructing the sun ra milieu, if not the man himself. A new edition of john szwed s 1988 biography of sun ra space is the place. John szweds space is the place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth centurys greatest avantgarde artists and intellectuals. You might have seen him on the street any day, an august young black man with a slight smile and a distant stare, wearing sandals and wrapped in a sheet like a prophet from the scriptures. Charting the whole of sun ras life and career, szwed outlines how after years in chicago as a blues and swing band pianist, sun ra set out in the 1950s to impart his views about the galaxy, black people, and spiritual matters by performing music with the arkestra that was as vital and innovative as it was mercurial and. John szwed has 18 books on goodreads with 8088 ratings. Jul 25, 2012 always riveting, space is the place is the definitive biography of one of the great bigband leaders, pianists, and surrealists of jazz the new york timesunparalleled for his purposeful.
It was birmingham, alabama, in 1940, the most segregated city in the united states. Space is the place ebook by john szwed 9781478012054. Considered by many to be a founder of afrofuturism, sun raaka herman blountwas a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and selfproclaimed extraterrestria. Space is the place the lives of sun ra book a wonderful biography of one of the most colorful and significant figures in modern music. John szwed s excellent 1997 biography space is the place traces the indepth study that lay behind ras fascination with ancient egypt, etymology and space, while making a case for the idea that ras afro centric cosmology not only reflected the tumult of the 1950s and 1960s, but transcended it. But ras music has mostly been lost in obscure, independent, outofprint releasesthough lately much of it has been unearthed and seen the light of day. Szwed, john other popular editions of the same title customers who bought this item also bought top search results from the abebooks marketplace. As a jazz musician, he played professionally for more than a decade. The biography follows szwed s 2015 billie holiday book, billie holiday.
He is the author of sixteen books, including so what. This entry was posted in uncategorized by ethan schlenker. Much space is also devoted to explaining egyptology and other important ideas that led sun ra to fertile areas of thought and creativity. At the close of the book szwed himself acknowledges the challenge that. From 196974, he was the director of the center for urban ethnography at. John szwed is a professor of music and director of the center for jazz studies at columbia university.
The life and times of sun ra by john szwed sets the example of how one should approach this jazz iconoclast and his music. Born herman poole blount in alabama in 1914, he reinvented himself in the 1950s as sun ra, the great surrealist of jazz whose freeform performances with his. In 2000, szwed published a study of sun ra, space is the place. Space is the place by john szwed, 9780306808555, available at book.
Listeners to his music will find some passages difficult or unlistenable. Szwed s superbly researched biography of sun ra brings a sense of chronological order to the ears and mind long fascinated by the persona and massive recorded output of the man from saturn. Theres dusty groove is chicagos online record store. In 1974 sun ra made his only film, space is the place, directed by john coney, who also never made another movie.
John szweds space is the place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth centurys greatest avantgarde artists and. Oct 12, 2017 as ra biographer john szwed put it in his book space is the place, establishing an artistowned label that kept the music firmly in the hands of its creator was so daring, so unprecedented, as. Space is the place the lives and times of sun ra synopsis book information we recommend sign up to receive wonderful books and offers in your inbox. Among other books, he has published space is the place. Szweds remarkably wellresearched biography of sun ra. The lives and times of sun ra szwed has produced a rare jazz biographyone that takes full account of the history that shaped the music and its central personalities. Space is the place the life and times of sun ra john f. Saturday night live season 3 647 words view diff exact match in snippet view article. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. John szweds excellent 1997 biography space is the place traces the indepth study that lay behind ras fascination with ancient egypt, etymology and space, while making a case for the idea that ras afrocentric cosmology not only reflected the tumult of the 1950s and 1960s, but transcended it.
Space is the place the lives and times of sun ra by john szwed. Szwed s work includes studies of newfoundland, the georgia sea islands, and trinidad. John szweds excellent 1997 biography space is the place traces the indepth study that lay behind ras fascination with ancient egypt. The story of how the film got made illustrates the protean nature of america five decades ago, as john szwed noted in his probing and sympathetic biography space is the place. The lives and times of sun ra, szwed 9781841950556 new.
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