CHAPTER 4 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: THE STAR-FACED ONE

Chapter four’s archival material—of the experimental musician and bandleader Sun Ra (1914-93) in Chicago—may at first feel like an outlier in this book. And yet, I share the same curiosity and respectful approach to the recordings as I do with the other archives. Here, I dive into the fascinating sonic world of Sun Ra’s music and provide insights from making the project The Star-Faced One (2013). I also continue to build a steadily growing toolkit of archival listening and performing techniques. Finally, I explore the issues of authorship and power, archival homophones, and ways to ethically interpret and reuse archival materials.

Recordings

LYRICS

Sun Ra: That ain’t the sound! Let me hear your rim shot … It ain’t powerful enough … Now, one, one, one, two … Marshall — one, two, three, four!

Now, now … Try this, uh. One, two, three. Bing, bong, bing, bong … Dum-ba-da-lump-bump, bu-da-lum-bump … Four-and, two-and, four-and … No, one, two, three.

A page from the score to *The Star-Faced One.* (Click image to see more detail.)

LYRICS

Sun Ra: ...different things. Now, here’s another word that’s very important. Now, you can permutate that word and it PATH. Now, “path” is very important because you’ve got a word based on path — pathetic. Now that indicates that this path is something pitiful. Things that have happened on this plant are bad, because of this path. Which is a way, you see. It’s a way that you have about you. Every man is judged by their way. Now, black men have the wrong code. Watch what you’re saying, because you’re going to have to give an account for it. In other words, you’re going to reap what you sow. Now, that “reap what you sow” is another thing that is dangerous. You’re gonna “reap what you sow,” that’s what you think it means, but there’s also the phonetic: you’re gonna “reap what you so.” Now, what is that? “So” means something. You say, “it is so,” it means something you make true, it’s over there with this truth thing. Whatever you call the truth, you see, you’re gonna get that back. Now, you’re gonna “reap what you so.” Now what’s “so?” It’s represented by a plus, like you say... So, that’s so, that’s positive, [a] plus sign. As I said, when people die they give them a certificate: something certified means something that is positified, something that is true, something that is so. It moves over into this, too: people get mad, and they say they “so.” You see over there? And then, you’ve got this “soul” when people are ailing and they delve into their soul. Now, I’m gonna show you one more word on this thing, and then I’m gonna play you some music.

LYRICS

Swami: Yes, I think so, because we are chanting from a spiritual platform. In a spiritual platform, there is no East and West; it is transcendental. Therefore, it appeals to everyone. Experience, and chanting… Perhaps I am the only Indian. All my disciples and students, they are American. And they very nicely take part, even children take part. So, I’m convinced that this transcendental sound is vibrated from the spiritual platform. It will be applicable anywhere, any part of the world; rather, any part of the universe.

Interviewer: Is the chanting the only method to achieve this cosmic consciousness?

Swami: Yes, at least in this age, because this age is called the age of de-segment. But so far as chanting is concerned, there is no de-segment. We invite persons to come and chant with us. They peacefully chant, and they hear the philosophy, and we distribute some eatables, and they very nicely and happily depart. That is our experience.

Interviewer: There are many people that achieved a degree of cosmic consciousness, Swami, that have not chanted.

Swami: That may be possible, but for the mass of people, this chanting is most suitable in this age.

Interviewer: How does one recognize the state of cosmic consciousness?

Swami: Yes. Uh, this is on the spiritual platform. So, of course, I must cite one verse from the Bhagavad Gita....

Interviewer: [translating]: “Acquire, or desire to acquire, for the sole purpose of making his preaching easier and quicker.”

Swami: Yes. Yes. We can utilize anything and everything for preaching purpose.

Interviewer: Mmm, hmm. There’s a gentleman at the podium. May I have your name, sir?

Sun Ra: My name is Sun Ra. And, uh, I want to say there’s another way for the West.

LYRICS

Ra singing:
Sunrise, sunset, too
Sunrise, sunset, too
When the sun rise to the east
The sun set in the west
When the sun set to the east
The sun rise to the west