Skip to main content

Listening report Sebastian Ermer Sun Ra: Space is the Place

 

"Space is the Place" is a jazz fusion track created by composer, pianist, and bandleader Sun Ra. The song was released in 1973 as the title track of his album "Space Is the Place” and remains one of Sun Ra´s most celebrated works.

The song opens with a slow and eerie melody that sets the tone for the rest of the piece. A deep bass line is joined by a repetitive rhythm, and the sound of the drums almost creates a sense of anticipation. At this point horns enter the mix, which sound like they're seemingly from another planet, with dissonant notes that add to the otherworldly feel of the song.

The song features a wide range of instruments, including saxophones, flutes, trumpets, and even an electric violin. These instruments create a dense and intricate soundscape that builds and falls in intensity. Sun Ra's piano playing is also prominent and brings an almost cosmic vibe to the song with his use of scales and chords especially creating visions of outer space.

Just as important are the song´s lyrics which speak about Sun Ra's vision of space as a place where black people can escape from oppression and discrimination. This message can be seen as an early version of Afrofuturism, a style and culture that exists to this day.

The song's structure is unconventional, with several sections that flow seamlessly into each other. The piece moves through different moods and tempos, from the slow and ominous opening to the fast-paced and frenetic closing section. Nonetheless, the song is definitely recognizable as jazz and hold onto the style closely, incorporating both classic and sci-fi influences.

“Space is the Place” is one of the most important works of fusion jazz and a testament to Sun Ra's creative vision. The song's unique blend of avant-garde jazz, funk, and Afrofuturism creates a sonic landscape that is both otherworldly and deeply rooted in the Black experience.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure

 Sarah Kumar Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath The Future of (American) Music 06 Mar. 2023 Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure According to John Oswald, “[a] plunderphone is a recognizable sonic quote, using the actual sound of something familiar which has already been recorded” (Lecture Slides 18). However, only if the source stays recognizable can it be called plunderphonics. In his album Plexure , several songs are played back and mixed together, thus creating a new sound. This is interesting because while the excerpts of songs that are used are recognizable or at least sound familiar to some degree, played backwards and mashed up as they are in Plexure , they create a new sound. Like on the cover of the album, on which a collage making up a man can be seen, the mixing of different songs played backwards gives a new feeling to something known. The way the songs are mixed makes them unintelligible. The meaning of the words of the original recordings are not able to be compr...

John Cage – Inlets

  This does not sound like music to me. Depending on the interpretation of different players or performers, this piece will always sound different. In this case, it sounds to me like someone is walking through a cave with water at the bottom, dragging their feet through it. Sometimes it sounds like water in a toilet bowl, especially when we hear the water in a bigger shell being swished around. These sounds are relaxing in the background, it is like a gentle stream of water. I just wonder what went through the head of the composer while writing this piece. But I guess he had some experimental ideas that are interesting to try out. Those shells are quite pretty, I have never seen such big ones that are not broken. I was surprised when something else happened towards the end of the piece. That tone which came out of the one shell was so clear, it sounded like a trumpet. I didn’t know that shells can sound like that. It was quite beautiful. It was a nice way to end the piece. I di...

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...