Sun Ra Arkestra

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Also known as: Le Sun Ra And His Arkestra, Le Sun-Ra And His Arkistra, Sun Ra & His Arkestra, Sun Ra & His Cosmo Discipline Arkestra, Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Arkestra, Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Research Arkestra, Sun Ra & His Solar-Myth Arkestra, Sun Ra & the Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra, Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra And His Astro-Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra And His Astro-Solar-Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra And His Outer Space Arkestra, Sun Ra And The Omniverse Jet Set Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Arkestra With Chamber Orchestra, Sun Ra and His Arkestra With Symphony Orchestra, Sun Ra and His Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Astro-Galactic Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Myth Science Solar Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Omniverse Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Solar Arkestra, Sun Ra and His Year 2000 Myth Science Arkestra, Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Research Arkestra, Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, Sun Ra and his Solar-Myth Arkestra, Sun Ra and the Arkestra

Few jazz outfits have pushed the boundaries of the form quite like the Sun Ra Arkestra. Formed in Chicago in the mid 1950s under the visionary leadership of keyboardist and composer Sun Ra, the group became central to Afrofuturism, blending swing, rock and roll, Chicago blues, free improvisation, and electronics into a sound that was entirely its own. Performances always came with a visual spectacle: colorful capes, elaborate headdresses, and choreography shaped in part by vocalist June Tyson, who joined in 1968 and remained a defining presence until her death in 1992. After Sun Ra passed in 1993, saxophonist Marshall Allen, a member since 1958, eventually took the reins and has led the Arkestra ever since, well past his 100th birthday. The group is headquartered in a rowhouse in Philadelphia's Germantown neighborhood, and Allen has lived and worked there since 1968. Their 2020 album Swirling featured the first ever studio recording of the Sun Ra song Darkness, and their 2024 album Lights on a Satellite earned a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.