Le Sony'r Ra, better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. For much of his career, Ra led The Arkestra, an ensemble with an ever-changing name and flexible line-up.
Archie Shepp is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz.
John Gilmore was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and percussionist. He was known for his tenure with the avant-garde keyboardist/bandleader Sun Ra from the 1950s to the 1990s, and led The Sun Ra Arkestra from Sun Ra's death in 1993 until his own death in 1995.
Craig S. Harris is an American jazz trombonist, who started working with Sun Ra in 1976. He also has worked with Abdullah Ibrahim, David Murray, Lester Bowie, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Charlie Haden. He has recorded since 1983 as leader for India Navigation, Soul Note and JMT. For the latter he recorded with two groups. The Tailgater's Tales was a quintet with clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Eddie Allen, Anthony Cox on double bass, and Pheeroan akLaff on drums. His large ensemble Cold Sweat was a tribute to the music of James Brown.
Billy Bang, born William Vincent Walker, was an American free jazz violinist and composer.
Purple Night is a studio album by free jazz pioneer Sun Ra. It was released in 1990 on A&M Records.
Ahmed Abdullah is an American jazz trumpeter who was a prominent member of Sun Ra's band.
Live at Montreux is an album by Sun Ra recorded in the summer of 1976 at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland under the billing Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Cosmo Arkestra. It was originally issued in 1977 on the Saturn label, with hand-drawn covers and reissued in 1978 on the Inner City label, with new artwork and song titles and musicians credited. It was first issued on CD by Universe Records in Italy, with poor sound quality and the track "On Sound Infinity Spheres" faded out early by about six minutes. The later Japanese P-Vine and US Inner City CDs both use earlier source tapes and are complete and unedited. A segment of the same Montreux concert appears on the 'Solo Piano & Montreux And Lugano' DVD on Transparency Records.
Space is the Place is an album by Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra. The music was recorded in early 1972 in San Francisco, California for the film Space Is the Place. However, the music remained unreleased until Evidence Music issued a compact disc in 1993.
Blue Delight is a jazz album by free jazz pioneer Sun Ra.
For the song by Harold Arden and Ted Koehler, see When the Sun Comes Out
Owuor Arunga is a jazz trumpeter.
Black Myth/Out in Space is a 2CD live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Sun Ra recorded in 1970 in Donaueschingen and Berlin and released on the Motor Music label in 1998. Selections from the concerts were originally released in 1970 on MPS Records as It's After the End of the World but the rerelease complies both complete concerts adding more than 75 minutes of previously unissued recordings.
Liquid Magic is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah's Quartet featuring saxophonist Charles Brackeen, bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Alvin Fielder which was recorded in 1987 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label.
Ahmed Abdullah and the Solomonic Quintet is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah's featuring saxophonist David S. Ware, guitarist Masujaa, bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Charles Moffett, recorded in late 1987 and released on the Swedish Silkheart label.
Melodic Art–Tet is a live album by the cooperative group of the same name, featuring saxophonist Charles Brackeen, trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, bassist William Parker, drummer Roger Blank, and percussionist Tony Waters. It was recorded on October 15, 1974, at WKCR studios in New York City, and was issued by NoBusiness Records in 2013, nearly 40 years after the concert.
Actual Proof is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. It was recorded on January 18 and 19, 1999, at the Spirit Room in Rossie, New York, and was released in 1999 by CIMP. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of the band called NAM: saxophonist and clarinetist Alex Harding, bassist Masa Kamaguchi, and drummer Jimmy Weinstein.
Dedication is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. It was recorded on June 17 and 18, 1997, at the Spirit Room in Rossie, New York, and was released in 1998 by CIMP. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of his band Diaspora: saxophonist and flutist Carlos Ward, guitarist Masujaa, bassist Alex Blake, and drummer Cody Moffett, son of Charles Moffett, to whom the album is dedicated.
Tara's Song is an album by trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. It was recorded on May 10, 2004, at Loho Studios in New York City, and was released in 2005 by TUM Records. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of his band Ebonic Tones: saxophonist Alex Harding, violinist Billy Bang, bassist Alex Blake, and drummer Andrei Strobert.
Jazz: A Music of the Spirit / Out of Sistas' Place is an album by Diaspora Meets AfroHORN, featuring the combined forces of two bands led by Sun Ra alumni: trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah's group Diaspora, and percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett's ensemble AfroHORN. It was released in 2019 by Abdullah's Amedian label. On the album, Abdullah and Mora Catlett are joined by saxophonists Don Chapman and Alex Harding, tubist Bob Stewart, pianist Donald Smith, vocalist Monique Ngozi Nri, bassist Radu ben Judah, and percussionists Ronnie Burrage and Roman Diaz.
