Description
The Interference Series presents the 6th Annual Sun Ra Earthly Arrival Party, celebrating Sun Ra, aka Herman “Sonny” Blount (1914-1993). Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Sun Ra grew up as an African American man in one of the most segregated environments in America. As a young man, he shed his Earthly identity and adopted a new persona, claiming to have come from Saturn to bring Earth the gift of music. From the 1950s until his death, he toured the world, leading ensembles variously called the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Solar Myth Arkestra, etc., performing original compositions and arrangements of jazz and other music. As a black artist, Sun Ra’s enduring legacy represents a melding of the past, present, and future, a utopian version of what has subsequently been dubbed Afrofuturism. Once at the fringes of American music, Sun Ra is increasingly seen as one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. This event will feature Sun Ra’s music and poetry interpreted by a who’s who of local performers, plus special guests in a dazzling multimedia spectacle!
The Interference Series is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation of experimental, improvised, and otherwise hard-to-categorize performance. Founded in 2015 by local music educator, composer, and performer Owen Davis, the series has featured dozens of local, national, and international artists in hundreds of unique events at a variety of Flagstaff venues. Davis teaches general music at Sturgeon Cromer Elementary School and is the co-owner of the Flagstaff School of Music, where he teaches percussion. He is also a co-founder and member of the Chicago-based performance collective Mocrep. Co-Curator Rob Wallace is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Honors College of Northern Arizona University, where he teaches courses focused on literature, music, history, global studies, multi/intermedia arts, and performance. He is an author and performer, having collaborated with artists from around the corner and across the world.
Participating performers in the Sun Ra Earthly Arrival concert include some of the finest creative talent in Flagstaff as well as special guests from near and far. NAU alumnus Eric Nakamoto arranges numerous Sun Ra compositions for the annual event. Nakamoto is currently Airman First Class and bassist with the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West.
The Interference Series is supported in part by generous funding from Creative Flagstaff, The Arizona Community Foundation, the Pickard arts and Culture Fund, and private donors. For more information visit www.interferenceseries.org
