Sun Ra: Music Is a Plane of Wisdom

Photo by Pandelis Karayorgis via Wikimedia Commons

As Christmas fast approaches some of us may be wearying of the relentless stream of Yuletide tunes that dominate the airwaves. Some are truly great. Others are, how can I put it, downright awful.

But, in the spirit of togetherness, no names, no pack drill!

What I would like to offer you instead is a small glimpse of an alternative musical realm. A world away from the chart-toppers that we know so well. A song so out there, it restores your faith in human creativity.

A little-known male vocal quartet called The Qualities cut a doo-wop oddity, “It’s Christmas Time”, in 1956. Written by Sun Ra and Alton Abrahams (Ra’s business manager and producer), and released in 1960 on their El Saturn label, it’s a genuine slice of weirdness.

And cheers me up every Christmas!  

I am a musician, but another type of musician

Sun Ra was the avant-garde composer, bandleader and cosmic visionary who took the jazz world by storm in the 50s and 60s. Starting out as a blues pianist and big band arranger, he absorbed imagery from ancient Egypt and science fiction and created his own unique persona.

Ra’s music straddled swing, bebop and free jazz. And his band, the Arkestra, became renowned for their futuristic costumes and exuberant performances.

Born Herman Blount, Ra claimed he was actually from Saturn, noting, “I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me”.

It's Christmas time, it's Christmas time

But back to The Qualities. In parallel with his growing experimentation in the jazz arena, Ra recorded a series of doo-wop singles in the late 50s with bands such as The Cosmic Rays. Little is known about The Qualities themselves, an unidentified male vocal group with whom Ra cut this one-off single. Which, in addition to “It’s Christmas Time”, and to complete the festive vibe, featured “Happy New Year To You” on the B-side.

“It’s Christmas Time” has a genuine doo-wop feel to it. And some lovely harmonies. But there’s something else quite weird going on.

The jaunty lyrics exhort us to “do the ho ho ho and the he he he”. While the eccentric instrumentation – with tinkly bells, guitar and Ra playing harmonium in the background – add a decidedly otherworldly quality to the overall sound. This is the standard Christmas song taken to another dimension.

So, as we approach the strangest Christmas we’ve experienced for a long time, let’s take our cue from Sun Ra: “It's Christmas time, it's Christmas time/Let's all bring good cheer/To all our friends and neighbors/Both far away and near.”

And celebrate a musician who was happy to cross the line between very different styles of music. Follow his own cosmic destiny. And share his unique vision with us all.