Space Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra by John Szwed (English) Paperb

Description: Space Is the Place by John Szwed John F. Szweds Space is the Place is the definitive biography of Sun Ra—composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn, and a founder of Afrofuturism. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Considered by many to be a founder of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra—aka Herman Blount—was a composer, keyboardist, bandleader, philosopher, entrepreneur, poet, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial from Saturn. He recorded over 200 albums with his Arkestra, which, dressed in Egypto-space costumes, played everything from boogie-woogie and swing to fusion and free jazz. John Szweds Space is the Place is the definitive biography of this musical polymath, who was one of the twentieth centurys greatest avant-garde artists and intellectuals. 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 confounding. Szweds readers—whether they are just discovering Sun Ra or are among the legion of poets, artists, intellectuals, and musicians who consider him a spiritual godfather—will find that, indeed, space is the place. Author Biography John Szwed is Adjunct Senior Research Scholar in the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University and the author of several books, including Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth; So What: The Life of Miles Davis; and Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. Table of Contents Acknowledgments xiii Preface xvii Introduction xxxi Space is the Place 1 Notes 389 Selected Bibliography 409 Discography by Robert L. Campbell 427 Index 449 Review "One of the great jazz biographies." -- Val Wilmer * The Guardian *"Szwed has produced a rare jazz biography—one that takes full account of the history that shaped the music and its central personalities." -- Brent Staples * New York Times *"[Szwed] succeeds in prying open countless enigmas within enigmas, revealing much that has eluded historians until now." -- Stuart Nicholson * Observer *"[An] extraordinary biography." -- Chris Morris * Billboard *"The story of the experimental jazz composer, keyboardist and band leader Sun Ra . . . is told with brilliance and grace by the Yale anthropologist John Szwed in this deeply simpatico new biography. . . . The achievement of this biography is that it carefully articulates such views of life and art at the same time that it provides hard data and analysis to locate Sun Ras theories in historical context." -- Robert G. OMeally * Washington Post *"Against the odds, Szwed carves out a central image of Sun Ra as a man whose sincerity was unquestioned, whose heart was pure. Essential reading for the millennium." -- David Toop * Village Voice *"Szwed also makes a strong case for Sun Ra as creative genius." * Kirkus Reviews *"The book consistently succeeds in making the idiosyncrasies of [Sun Ra] much less strange by placing them within the mainstreams of African American culture. . . . Szwed is especially convincing when he documents the origins of Sonnys unique blend of mysticism, Egyptology, Afrocentrism, and nonsense. . . . Thanks to Sun Ra, and to this extraordinary book by John Szwed, jazz must be conceived as something much richer than an austere art music." -- Krin Gabbard * American Music *"Compelling." -- Lloyd Sachs * Chicago Sun-Times *"A brilliant book, a sprawling, curlicued, swinging account of an extraordinary mans great adventure with a bunch of ideas that made sense to him out of a senseless world." -- Nick Coleman * The Independent *"Szwed has unearthed a treasure trove of Ra data . . . [and ] through extensive personal interviews and archival materials, Szwed fills in the murky blanks of Ras early years. . . . Szweds portrait of Ra is both scholarly and affectionate. While many fans would often put brackets around aspects of Ras persona, perhaps turning a blind eye to his convoluted philosophies or his space gypsy stage shows, Szwed embraces them, contradictions and all." -- John Diliberto * Billboard *"Through deft writing and detailed chronology, Yale professor and music critic Szwed manages to make the seemingly unintelligible, shiny-turbaned pioneer of big-band free jazz more accessible to society at large." * Publishers Weekly *"Alongside Szweds absorbing musical chronicle, the biographer tackles the more contentious subject of the vast framework of Sun Ras poetry, theology, and philosophy, and makes a miraculous effort at synthesizing that massive body of often deliberately contradictory statements and beliefs. . . . While he brings academic rigor to his research, however, he writes with an easy flow and peppers the investigation with many memorable anecdotes recalling Sun Ras idiosyncrasies. Szweds book is as absorbing an account of Sun Ras fascinatingly unorthodox life and times as we are ever likely to see." -- Kenny Mathieson * Scotsman *"Through collating practically everything written or known about his subject, Szwed doesnt diminish the singularity of Ras musical achievement, he enhances it. . . . Theres an inspirational quality to Szweds revelations as he demonstrates Ras commitment to a course that could only be his own, with rewards that make money and fame seem paltry in comparison." -- Don McLeese * Austin American-Statesman *"John Szweds excellent 1997 biography Space is the Place traces the in-depth 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." -- Mike Hobart * Financial Times *"Szwed is the best music biographer in the business." -- Greg Burk * LA Weekly *"The new forward . . . amounts to a brilliant essay that brings a fresh overview to Ras story. . . . Space Is the Place is an exhaustive, fascinating and ultimately humanizing account of Sun Ras life." -- Ian Patterson * All About Jazz * Review Quote "Through deft writing and detailed chronology, Yale professor and music critic Szwed manages to make the seemingly unintelligible, shiny-turbaned pioneer of big-band free jazz more accessible to society at large." Details ISBN1478008415 Pages 512 Publisher Duke University Press Year 2020 ISBN-10 1478008415 ISBN-13 9781478008415 Format Paperback Imprint Duke University Press Subtitle The Lives and Times of Sun Ra Place of Publication North Carolina Country of Publication United States DEWEY 781.65092 Illustrations 20 illustrations Author John Szwed Short Title Space Is the Place Language English Publication Date 2020-05-15 AU Release Date 2020-05-15 NZ Release Date 2020-05-15 US Release Date 2020-05-15 UK Release Date 2020-05-15 Edited by Thomas Kellaghan Birth 1987 Affiliation Cornell University, New York Position DESNDE Qualifications SJ Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:158523884;

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