Banana Nutrament

1/04/2006
Outer Spaceways Trek Discotheque


Sun Ra might have risked massive overheating had he ever ventured under hot disco lights with his mithril headgear. Hopefully he could have just reflected the beams right back with that cranial mirror ball of his. I suppose we'll never know if Studio 54 would have reduced him into a pile of gilt robes over an Africa shaped puddle.

We do however have "UFO", a left field disco track minted by Ra and the Arkestra. On second thought, I'll desist from calling the man "Ra"; I've heard too many pompous jazz-o-snobs do it, as if they had been on a first (last?) name basis with this genius. No idea why Sun Ra had a go at making a dance track, it certainly wasn't the money. The lurching beat staggers in front of itself a few times, but it only adds to the building delirium of it all.

Sun Ra and his Arkestra - UFO
**Buy On Jupiter at Forced Exposure**


Brian Turner over at WFMU struck gold with this video of Sun Ra performing on Saturday Night Live. I remember an interview in this book, some SNL staff writer was complaining how Britney and other teenybopper acts were the only musical guests booked nowadays. To further his point, said comedy writer then waxed nostalgic on how there had once been a time when the likes of Sun Ra had graced Studio 8H's stage. Never thought I'd actually get to see the performance, I even installed RealPlayer for it.


One more mind meld before we go. On this collaboration, Grandmaster Flash voluntarily allows himself to be hooked up Clockwork Orange style to the diabolical Dr. Tomita's EKG leads. So while Flash is on the beat box, his brainwaves and heart rhythms are also triggering inputs on Tomita's collection of vintage RCA synths. Together it's a nice confluence of intentional and inadvertent sounds.

Speaking of chance operations, I'm wearing corduroy pants today and each time my legs graze each other I keep hearing Flash's trademark "Fresh!" scratch.

Yann Tomita and Grandmaster Flash - Flash to the Bionic Beat and an Analysis of His Brainwave by Doctor
**Buy Yann Tomita's Music for Living box set at CD Universe**