Sun Ra - A Joyful Noise
by Robert Mugge
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DVD details
Actor: Sun RaDirector: Robert Mugge
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-03-02
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Winstar
DVD Reviews of Sun Ra - A Joyful Noise
DVD Review: Good intro to Sun Ra and the Arkestra
Summary: 4 Stars
Mugge's documentary is simply excellent--probably the best brief introduction to the world of Sun Ra out there. It's a shame that this is apparently out of print. In 60 minutes, you get a nice overview of both Ra's music, philosophy, and the dynamics of the "Arkestra". Most of this is done via interspersing interview footage with live performance, so there are no "talking heads". The approach makes for a lively story, though some of the people who've done some serious research (most notably John Szwed, whose Sun Ra bio Space is the Place is a must) would've made fine contributions to the discussion, although I don't think Szwed's book was out at the time the documentary was originally made.
The performance footage comes from primarily 2 sources: one done for the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore, and one filmed on a rooftop in Philly. I'm not sure if the date of the Baltimore gig, but I'd guess 1980s: Ra is much younger than he is in the rooftop scenes. The music from both is fairly accessible. The downside is that neither performance captures some of the farther out Arkestra shows, which were incredible experiences: often lasting for hours, sometimes with elaborate lights and video. On the other hand, that sort of organized chaos would be difficult to fit into a documentary of this length and might not make much sense in isolation. Much of the interview footage of Ra was done in the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Egyptian collection, and Ra's ruminations on that are extremely interesting and give some clues to his thought process.
Very much worth getting if you can locate a used copy at a reasonable price. The DVD doesn't have too many extras, so this is one thing where you really don't miss out on too much with the VHS copy (assuming you still have a VCR to play it...), especially considering how much cheaper used tapes are as of this writing.
DVD Review: this has restored my faith
Summary: 5 Stars
forget the bull about everyone putting Sun Ra in novelty basket (because he may be one of the first to use a electric keyboard or he wore funny costumes,) i will stand up and claim he is a true genius (what ever that means) Sun Ra has fully restored my faith in the power and fredom that exsists in music 40 odd years after this music breaks through the commercial hundrums and destroys the pretence of all these modern hazz players Ra creates the blue print for future music. He never bows down to coporate tyes or holds back from truely exploring sound. Ra makes spirtual music for the next century. This film is not only beautiful check out the opening shots on the roof (absolutly amazing) but increadibly powerful although check out the latter free jams of ra sweating over his moog in great colourcomical at times this adds to the mystery of mr mystery, the way he comands his band and releases his vision is awe-inspiring powerfully nosy, beautiful and brilliant. Not many films capture such an amazing revolutionary group in vivid colour and sound as this dvd does, althose pop band from the sixties are ridculus compared to the universialy tuned in Mr Ra. this is a must for all real music cosmologist DVD Review: classic sun ra
Summary: 5 Stars
if you are a sun ra fan then this is a must. if you want an introduction to sun ra you couldnt ask for much better. great live performances and classic quotes from the master of the one liner. " with all the school and hospitals you got, your supposed to have a better world than this" and" you cant have a whitehouse if you dont have a blackhouse, in fact you cant have anything without its opposite" and the timeless " space is the place." some of the music on this dvd is simply awesome. horns echoing ancient egypt, synthesizers making modern musicians look pathetic, an ancient infinity drum and a moog synthesizer. sun ra, tho he would deny he is of our species, is the man.DVD Review: A Fantastic Documentary of a Fascinating Musician
Summary: 5 Stars
Robert Mugge's "A Joyful Noise" is a great film that anyone who is interested in Sun Ra should buy immediately. It captures the Arkestra in a variety of environments, including at their communal home in Philadelphia, in concert at various locations, and even on a rooftop. The film also features excellent interviews with many members of the group, including the legendary John Gilmore, Danny Thompson, and, of course, the genius Mr. Ra himself. What is particularly wonderful about this film is that it provides various examples of their music and the philosophical context in which the group operated. This video is absolutely essential. This is also a good film to show to the small children in your family, because it will allow their ears to become accustomed to the puissant possibilities of sound. With the film in mind, let's get a couple things straight about Sun Ra. First, his tendency to embark on long orations that invoked ancient Egypt and outer space were extremely sincere. It was not a joke or a ploy to attract attention. Secondly, Sun Ra and his associates gave their entire lives to create music that was truly revolutionary in its ability to radically reform the sonic conventions with which most of us are familiar. His desire to essentially choose a life of near poverty in order to create innovative jazz music is something that, in my opinion, illustrates how deadly serious he was about his music.
If there is any problem with the film, it is that most of the music segments are short and incomplete. Of course, the director clearly was trying to assemble a documentary, not a concert film, so this is understandable.
DVD Review: it's so hard to make anything out of this dvd
Summary: 3 Stars
i gave this dvd 3 stars for its eccentricity--which in some circles may be viewed as creativity. otherwise i think the whole thing swings between charlatanry and a few artistic sparks.
earlier on, sun ra might have done some things associable with creativity, but has not shown he knows music from noise/cacophony. as far as liberating creativity is concerned, i'd stay with ornette coleman...
Description of Sun Ra - A Joyful Noise
One of jazz music's most entertaining and eccentric figures is profiled in Robert Mugge's hourlong, 1980 profile of the late bandleader-keyboardist-composer Sun Ra. "I don't consider myself one of the humans," he once said. "I'm a spiritual being," who was reputed to eschew the usual jazzman's indulgences of drugs and sex and who, despite the weird trappings (he and his big band, the Intergalactic Omniverse Arkestra, usually performed in glittery costumes that combined African, alien, and thrift-shop styles), infused his music with a strong sense of discipline and precision. Here we see Ra and the band rehearsing and performing; their "joyful noise" is free, sometimes chaotic, but also clearly blues-based, somewhat reminiscent of Monk or Mingus (there's even a rendition of "'Round Midnight"). Ra is also interviewed surrounded by the Egyptian artifacts and antiquities that were an important element of his "mythocracy." He clearly loves having an audience--and how can you not enjoy listening to a guy who also chooses the White House as a backdrop for solemn pronouncements like "I'm not a part of history--I'm more a part of mystery, which is my story"? --Sam GrahamGeneral DVDs
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