Surveying the range of sun ra s extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the aspirations of black people in an inhospitable white world. The world of black scifi and fantasy culture is one of the most comprehensive and relevant reads in the black science fiction realm to date. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary but underappreciated musician, composer, and poet. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america.
Arthur brown, whos from england, was pretty outrageous. Sun ra s space is the place sees the musician on an. Sun ra space is the place 1973 to many this is the definitive afrofuturism album, without which much of what came after simply would not have happened. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary.
But as he made his way through his contact book he quickly found the problem wasnt having to twist peoples arms to get them on board. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism is a good read, and one i imagine any sun ra fan would enjoy. Described as the father of afrofuturism, sun ra created space music as a means of building a better future for american blacks here on earth. The book mentioned many books, movies and musical artists that i want to followup with.
Oct 18, 2016 surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the. Jan 12, 2019 blending the african diaspora with science, philosophy, and technology, afrofuturism has long been a apart of black pop culture. While maybe not an essential read, it is well worth your time to check it out. And more recently, its practitioners range widely, from writers like w. Afrofuturism gains new momentum as artists reclaim black.
A good introduction to the history of afrofuturism in everything from music to art to movies and literature. Sun ra s chicago contends that late twentiethcentury afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the cityand that by excavating postwar black experience from inside sun ra s south side milieu we can come to see the possibilities of urban life in new ways. He became a leader of afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and style that. Bodies and british romanticism, and race, romanticism, and the atlantic. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Sun ras collected poetry and prose is available as a book, published may 2005, entitled sun ra, the immeasurable equation. But afrofuturism is more than art, and even more than art that means something.
Surveying the range of sun ra s extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the. The afrofuturist approach to music was first propounded by sun ra. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sun ra s collected poetry and prose is available as a book, published may 2005, entitled sun ra, the immeasurable equation. I highly recommend this book as it masterfully covers the genres humble past, its flourishing present and promising future. Comprising elements of the avantgarde, science fiction, cuttingedge hiphop, black comix, and graphic novels, afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture. Known for his experimental, cosmic music, sun ras space is. A magazine titled sun ra research was published irregularly for many years, providing extensive documentation of sun ra s perspectives on many issues. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america by paul youngquist isbn. Feb 27, 2018 afrofuturism has been a part of black culture for years, especially in the music industry. Sun ra 1914 1993 was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesiser player, who came to be known as much for his cosmic afrofuturist philosophy as for his phenomenal musical compositions and performances. Dubois, the fiction of octavia butler, and the spaceinspired legacies of the dogon in one fronttoback read, could have helped some of my college peers feel more comfortable. A pure solar world sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism by. Afrofuturism seems especially visible right nowand relevant as we muddle through the notsoutopian realities of our socalled postracial era.
It began in the twentieth century with artists like sun ra drawing on african cosmology and scifi. Feb 24, 2018 the afrofuturism behind black panther. Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered freeform improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the. So much so that shes written a genredefining book on the subject, elevating her among a small but growing group of artists, musicians, scholars, intellectuals, and social activists giving who are giving meaning to afrofuturism. For some, like sun ra, afrofuturism though the term was not coined until after. Jan 01, 20 a good introduction to the history of afrofuturism in everything from music to art to movies and literature. Working through the tangle of incomplete and misleading information surrounding sun ra and saturn records, paul youngquist provides the most thoroughly researched work on sun ra to be published in recent years. Surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of. Seminal afrofuturistic works that define what is afrofuturism culture include the novels of samuel r. Surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in. A real book about a deeply elusive topicblack people and the possibility of what sun ra used to call the alter destiny. Despite afrofuturism being coined in 1993, scholars tend to agree that afrofuturistic music, art and text became more common and widespread in the late 1950s. While the movement may be traced back to the eclectic sun ra, the influence has trickled down to. The book explores and assesses sun ras wideranging creative.
Immeasurable equation was published by phaelos books in november 2005. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america kindle edition. Apart from sun ra, what other artists or figures exemplify futurism and afrofuturism to you. Dec 12, 2016 such vanguard characters can trace their genesis to early champions of afrofuturism, paramount among them sun ra, the jazz composer, poet and philosopher who incorporated scifi themes into his. Opinion the afrofuturism behind black panther the new. The following is from paul youngquists book, a pure solar world. Afrofuturism has been a part of black culture for years, especially in the music industry. George clinton, sun ra and the scifi funk of afrofuturism. A pure solar world sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism by paul. Afrofuturism is a multimedia cultural genre that wields elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, and even a little magic to address both the realworld issues facing black people in the present day, and to reexamine and offer up a better way to see ourselves in the future, both in fiction and in reality. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism is a new book by paul youngquist published by the university of texas press, part of.
Welcome to the first video in our 5 part original series afrofuturism. Youngquist teaches english at the university of colorado boulder. Afrofuturism science fiction libguides at university. With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and all social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves.
The world of black scifi and fantasy culture, she defines the cultural phenomenon as. She gains those powers by drawing on great black and queer artists of the past, from bessie smith and stevie wonder to whitney houston and george clinton. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism, sun ra crossed the inner city with outer space to create music as progressive socially as it was aesthetically. Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and philosophy of history that combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, afrocentrism, and magic realism with nonwestern cosmologies in order to critique not only the presentday dilemmas of black people, but also to revise, interrogate, and reexamine the historical events of the past. Afrofuturism is a social, cultural and political philosophy dating back to the 1950s. Womack a multimedia artist will have you wanting to step on a star ship, meet androids, robots, extraterrestrials, and travel through time. He abandoned his birth name, taking the name sun ra from the egyptian god of the sun named ra.
Feb 12, 2018 afrofuturism it places african people, culture and tradition at its center. Sun ra and george clinton, cultural critic greg tate said. Sun ra took jazz from the inner city to outer space, infusing traditional swing with farout harmonies, rhythms, and sounds. Sun ras chicago contends that late twentiethcentury afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the cityand that by excavating postwar black experience from inside sun ras south side milieu we can come to see the possibilities of urban life in new ways. Afrofuturism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Dec 27, 2018 the quest for that better day came to define sun ras interstellarthemed music and philosophy of afrofuturism, and that urge to write and speak more carefully would become a rule by which he lived his extraordinary life. Binti by nnedi okorafor, home by nnedi okorafor, the night masquerade by nnedi okorafor, who fears death by nnedi okorafor. Such vanguard characters can trace their genesis to early champions of afrofuturism, paramount among them sun ra, the jazz composer, poet and. For some just discovering it, exploring afrofuturism can seem like an intimidating task, but weve rounded up a few pieces of pop culture for beginners who wish to dip their toe into the genre. He became a leader of afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and style that combines science fiction, fantasy, and afrocentrism to reimagine the african tradition. Nona hendryx is bringing sun ra and afrofuturism back into. Nona hendryx and disciples of sun ra in the temple was planned by hendryx as part of harlem stages yearlong series, the cosmic synthesis of sun ra and afrofuturism, of which she is. Afrofuturism, the world of black scifi and fantasy culture, from ytasha l. Paul youngquist explores and assesses sun ra s wideranging creative outputmusic, public preaching, graphic design, film and stage performance, and poetryand connects his diverse undertakings to the culture and politics of his times, including the space race, the rise of technocracy, the civil rights movement.
Afrofuturism on film, the sequel, which was to have run at bam through april 9, comes from a 1972 movie featuring sun ra, whose combination of. Ytasha womack takes us on a quantum romp through the afromultiverse. As both a black male and an independent producer, sun ra defied racist institutions and beliefs. Described as the father of afrofuturism, sun ra created space music as a. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america by paul youngquist oct 25, 2016. Even if youre not into sun ra, this book might help you at least appreciate his work. Delany and octavia butler and the fantastical orchestra leader sun ra.
Though there are many definitions of afrofuturism, they all have themes of reclamation, black liberation. Sun ra, a jazz musician and bandleader who claimed he was from saturn. From the scifi literature of samuel delany, octavia butler, and n. Sun ra presents a unified conception, incorporating music, myth, and performance into his multileveled equations. Jemisin to the musical cosmos of sun ra, george clinton, and the black eyed peas will.
Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america youngquist, paul on. At a certain point, issac hayes was creating futuristic work, a little bit after sun ra. Herman poole blount sun ra was born and raised in alabama became involved in the jazz scene in chicago after world war ii. Sun ras space is the place avantgarde jazz musician sun ra stars in this afrofuturist film, for which he wrote and created the music. He is the author or editor of six books, including cyberfiction. Feb 08, 2017 welcome to the first video in our 5 part original series afrofuturism. Born herman poole blount in segregated alabama in 1914, ra spent years developing a diverse portfolio as. Jazz funk afrofuturism with gritty new orleans vibe featuring trumpeter michael ray and vocalist laranah phipps. Every aspect of the sun ra experience, from business practices like saturn records to published collections of poetry to his 35year career in music, is a manifestation of his equations.
Nona hendryx on paying tribute to sun ra at the met. Oct 21, 2016 the following is from paul youngquists book, a pure solar world. A book like afrofuturism, one which collected these disparate ideas and inspirations, ranging from the music theories of sun ra to the scifi work of w. Afrofuturismalso known as the black speculative arts movementexists in films, literature, comics, visual arts or music.