For decades, American jazz saxophonist Knoel Scott has been honoring Herman “Sonny” Blount, aka Sun Ra, the composer, keyboardist and founder of the ethereal Sun Ra Arkestra.
“Either the spirit is aligned or not aligned. He (Sun Ra) handpicked people based on their spirit,” says Scott, who leads Sun Ra Arkestra at SFJazz Center in a four-night stand Thursday through Sunday in San Francisco.
Since Sun Ra’s death in 1993, the Arkestra remains active recording and touring under the direction of Scott —who’s dedicated to sharing Sun Ra’s strong will to change the planet through music —and fellow saxophonist Marshall Allen.
Established in the mid-1950s in Chicago, and a visionary force in the avant-garde jazz scene, Sun Ra Arkestra is the creation of Blount (1914-1993), who claimed to have hailed from the planet Saturn to bring peace to Earth; he changed his name to Sun Ra to reflect his mission and vision.
The Arkestra, which has 19 members according to its website, fulfills that mission, tapping into big-band swing and space-age jazz.
Scott reflects on Sun Ra’s emphasis on spiritual purpose over technical performance: “Professional necessity has a sort of embrace. There’s a difference between musical execution and spiritual involvement. [Ra said], ‘I don’t want your spiritual knowledge or virtuosity—I want your spirit.’”
The band’s arrangements are eclectic, featuring diverse flutes and reeds, trumpets and trombones, drums and claves, electronic valve instruments and keyboards and enchanting vocals.
The Arkestra channels the concept of balance in “Angels and Demons at Play,” a piece which connects with Chinese yin and yang principles, and the notion that opposing forces must exist in harmony.
“It’s about the balance, and the world’s out of balance,” says Scott, suggesting that Sun Ra Arkestra’s music can help reawaken humanity’s consciousness to help restore spiritual and social balance—especially in a time marked by increasing artificial intelligence in artistic creation.
The SFJazz engagement offers four different concerts: “Cosmic Space Jazz” on July 31; “Big Band Swing” (Sun Ra’s nod to pianist-bandleader Fletcher Henderson) on Aug. 1; “Marshall Allen 101 Salute” (Allen will not perform, however) on Aug. 2; and “Space Is the Place” on Aug. 3.
As Sun Ra Arkestra follows its infinite Afrofuturistic and metaphysical trajectory, it continues to speak to contemporary audiences.
“Everything’s different. SFJazz is really doing a great job in terms of presenting the music compared to the old clubs and the way things were back in the day—it’s a different scene now,” says Scott.
Sun Ra Arkestra appears at 7:30 p.m. July 31-Aug. 3 in Miner Auditorium, SFJazz Center, 201 Franklin St., San Francisco. Tickets are $35-$65 at www.sfjazz.org.
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