This evening, one of the preeminent interpreters of the music of the jazz visionary Sun Ra will be appearing on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. The group was founded in 2007 by RJ Spangler and James O’Donnell, both original members of the well-known Detroit band, the Sun Messengers. The “D” in the name stands for Detroit and their exposure to Ra and his Arkestra began in the mid-1970s when poet-activist John Sinclair first brought them to the Motor City.
Around that same time, the nascent Sun Messengers were actually performing as the group Kuumba. And it was during this formative period that many band members were fortunate enough to meet and develop personal friendships with Arkestra alumni, including bassist Shoo-be-do (Reggie Fields) & drummer Tani Tabbal, both of whom were living in Detroit at the time. These friendships led to meeting other Arkestra members such as fellow Detroiters Francisco Ali Mora and Jaribu Shahid, followed by Marshall Allen, John Gilmore and Michael Ray.
Their most recent recording is We Travel The Spaceways: The Music Of Sun Ra, which is a two disc set of live recordings. This is sure to be one of the most interesting concerts of the year.
This video explains the band’s sound and concept-
