September 5, 2009
Sun Ra Meets Napoleon
Over the winter of 2004-2005, the Philadelphia-based Slought Foundation sponsored an exhibition titled “Sun Ra Meets Napoleon: Fragments of the Alter-Future”. In conjunction with the exhibition, a 1990 recording of Sun Ra in conversation with jazz critic Francis Davis was released.
On Monday, January 29, 1990, jazz critic Francis Davis interviewed Sun Ra at the Sun Ra house on Morton Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Davis recalls that while several resident Arkestra members were present, the mailman arrived at the door at almost the exact moment that he did, handed him the mail without knowing who he was, and said “good luck.” One item in the mail that day was an Ed McMahon millionaire sweepstakes letter, addressed to Arkestra saxophonist John Gilmore. “JOHN GILMORE MAY ALREADY BE A WINNER,” it read, and the Arkestra made quite a deal about that — as if it were an omen of some sort. Subsequent to Davis’ visit, Sun Ra performed at Philadelphia’s African American Museum, and City Council honored him with a miniature Liberty Bell generally given to visiting celebrities and dignitaries.
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What a lovely record label.