This is one of the best videos that presents Sun Ra's music and thoughts as a Master of the Arts, music, dance, scenery, costumes, lights, sound, poetry, philosophy and mythology that transcends all Western concepts. Sun Ra is the essence of the Black Arts Movement for he combines all aspects into a Sun Ra experience like no other.
No one can understand the Black Arts Movement without a deep appreciation and respect for Sun Ra and his Arkestra, his influence on Amiri Baraka and Marvin X, as per mythology, spirituality and philosophy; his fusion of all aspects of theatre, music, dance, spoken word, lights, sound, costume and, most of all, discipline as opposed to freedom. "Stop teaching dat freedom, Marvin, teach discipline. Your actors were born free, see how wild they act? Teach discipline!"
Marvin X was mentored by Sun Ra, read with the Arkestra coast to coast and collaborated with Sun Ra who did the musical version of Marvin's play flowers for the Trashman, musical version entitled Take Care of Business, The Drama Review, 1968. Sun Ra and Marvin X produced a five hour concert without intermission with a cast of fifty, including the Sun Ra dancers, choreographer Raymond Sawyer dancers and the Ellendar Barnes dancers, actors were from Marvin's Black Educational Theatre, located on O'farrel between Webster and Fillmore, San Francisco.Sun Ra taught Marvin and everyone the supreme necessity for discipline when serving the Creator God. He demanded Marvin stop teaching freedom, teach discipline. Our people were born free, see how wilde they act? Sometimes Maavin, you so right you wrong. The righteous man is a laughing stock! People don't want the truth, they want the low down dirty truth. When you took that scene out of your play, you took out the low down dirty truth. --Marvin X
See the DVD Marvin X LIve in Philly at Warm Daddies: Marvin X, poetry, Elliot Bey on keyboards,
Ancestor Goldsky of djembe, Alexander El on drums, Danny Thompson on flute, Marshal Allen on alto sax, Rufus Harley on bagpipes.
Am floored it needs more exposure -this is the in formation age lets spread the gospel of the music.
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