Sun Ra Live on SNL

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http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/11/sun_ra_vs_satur.html

purty cool.

― jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 3 November 2005 05:17 (nineteen years ago)

BEHOLD THE SOUND MIRROR, THE MIRROR OF THE SOUND OF YOU

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 3 November 2005 05:20 (nineteen years ago)

thanks so much for posting this. you made my millennium.

― Vampyros Lesbos, Thursday, 3 November 2005 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

Amazing.

― mcd (mcd), Thursday, 3 November 2005 18:27 (nineteen years ago)

I got into an argument with a friend of mine who considers me a "rockist" over this. I made some offhand remark about how lame SNL is for going with lipsyncing MOR crap versus their glory days of Sun Ra, and he fires back at me that the only virtues that make Sun Ra more interesting than Ashley Simpson are "rockist" ones. ("Authenticity, difficulty, obscurity, etc.")
He made some weak argument about both of them being equally good, but I just can't buy it. Luckily, we're good enough friends that I can just call him a twat and be done with it.

― js (honestengine), Thursday, 3 November 2005 20:47 (nineteen years ago)

sun ra is waaaaay more interesting as an SNL performer, if only because he performs way less often, gets way less media coverage, works on the margins of a marginal genre, and is now HERE! on live network TV. whether its better or not is wholly dependent on the performance itself. im not sure its rockist at all to prefer a performance without lip-synching to one with - it MAY be more rockist to prefer an artist to another SOLELY on the basis of the fact that the latter has lip-synched. judging a performance /= judging a performer! and whatever, SNL has had MOR stuff the whole time, some good, some bad.

― petesmith (plsmith), Thursday, 3 November 2005 21:01 (nineteen years ago)

cheers for the heads up on this jaxon!

― LRJP! (LRJP!), Thursday, 3 November 2005 21:17 (nineteen years ago)

SNL should have MORE lip-synching given how bad their sound is.

― Eppy (Eppy), Thursday, 3 November 2005 22:10 (nineteen years ago)

im not sure its rockist at all to prefer a performance without lip-synching to one with - it MAY be more rockist to prefer an artist to another SOLELY on the basis of the fact that the latter has lip-synched

you've pretty much got it

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Thursday, 3 November 2005 22:12 (nineteen years ago)

"sun ra is waaaaay more interesting as an SNL performer, if only because he performs way less often, gets way less media coverage, works on the margins of a marginal genre, and is now HERE!"
He's say that I'm priveledging Sun Ra based on obscurity, which is rockist. I know that he's just trying to wrestle this "everyone's tastes are totally subjective so don't make any value judgements" thing out of me, and that's why I called him a twat.

― js (honestengine), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:33 (nineteen years ago)

ask him if he voted for bush, since, like, "everyone's politics are like totally subjective, maaaan."

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:35 (nineteen years ago)

DIdn't Hal Willner do the music direction for SNL? And didn't he also run another show, a late-night one, that had 'out' acts like the Residents? Can't remember the name of that show.

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:46 (nineteen years ago)

Night Music

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:47 (nineteen years ago)

It was on NBC around 1990 or so and hosted by David Sanborn.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:48 (nineteen years ago)

Does anyone else remember that David Sanborn-hosted music show on NBC from the late '80s?

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 4 November 2005 03:56 (nineteen years ago)

Thanks Milton. Residents backing up Conway Twitty?!

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 4 November 2005 04:03 (nineteen years ago)

Here's the most complete list of Night Music guests I could find. Apologies for the huge post.

Show 101
Ruth Brown
Ivan Neville
George Duke

Show 102
James Taylor
Milton Nascimento
Nana Vasconcelos
Don Grolnick
Lani Groves
Dennis Collins

Show 103
Eddie Palmieri
Nelson Gonzales
Phoebe Snow
Yomo Toro

Show 104
Dr. John
Mavis Staples
Jeff Healey

Show 105
Dizzy Gillespie
Diane Reeves
David Peaston
Onaje Allan Gumbs

Show 106
Slim Gaillard
Mark Knopfler
Randy Newman
Take Six

Show 107
Marianne Faithfull
John Zorn
Aaron Neville
Rob Wasserman
John Sebastian
NRBQ

Show 108
Jack Bruce
Joe Walsh
Al Green
Highway 101
Nat Hentoff

Show 109
Boz Scaggs
Anson Funderburgh
Betty Wright
The Trio Bulgarka
Dave Bargeron
Randy Brecker
Ronnie Cuber
Lou Marini

Show 110
Al Jarreau
Darlene Love
Bashiri Johnson
Johnny Clegg & Savuka
Brenda White
Lani Groves
Dennis Collins

Show 111
Earl Klugh
Patti Austin
Joe Sample
Donald Fagen
Sister Carol
Kasey Cisyk
Lani Groves
Vaneese Thomas
Vivian Cherry
Bashiri Johnson

Show 112
Judy Mowatt
Joe Cocker
David "Fathead" Newman
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Annicia Banks
Vaneese Thomas
Kasey Cisyk
Lani Groves

Show 113
Curtis Mayfield
Taylor Dayne
David Lindley
Jorge Cameron
Shinehead
George Duke

Show 114
Squeeze
Sam Moore
Stanley Turrentine
Ashford and Simpson
Joseph Joubert
Steve Thornton
George Duke

Show 115
Youssou N'Dour
Theo Diarra
Mar Gueye
Habib Faye
Philip Bailey
Lani Groves
Marcus Roberts
Ambitious Lovers
George Duke

Show 116
Carlos Santana
Lyle Lovett
Chester Thompson
Armando Peraza
Chepito Area
Wayne Shorter
Fontella Bass
George Duke

Show 117
Betty Carter
Branford Marsalis
Willie Dixon
John Sebastian
George Duke

Show 118
Take Six
Rev. Claude Jeter
Rev. Shirley Caesar
Ann Caesar Price
Bernard Sterling
Michael Mathis
The Dixie Hummingbirds

Show 119
Sonny Rollins
Leonard Cohen
Ken Nordine
Perla Batalla
Was (Not Was)
Julie Christensen
George Duke

Show 120
Harry Connick, jr.
Lou Reed
Gladys Knight
John Cale
Hiram Bullock
Paul Shaffer

Show 121
Robert Cray
John Hiatt
Koko Taylor
World Saxophone Quartet

Show 122
John Lurie & The Lounge Lizards
The Roches
Little Milton Campbell
Marcus Miller

Compilation 1
Joe Cocker
Boz Scaggs
Dizzy Gillespie
Aaron Neville
Savuka
Slim Gaillard
Louis Jordan
Yomo Toro
Al Green

Compilation 2
Squeeze
Fontella Bass
Youssous N'Dour
Robert Cray & John Hiatt
David Lindley
Leonard Cohen
Sonny Rollins
Betty Carter
Branford Marsalis
Rev. Claude Jeter
Ambitious Lovers

Show 201
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Pharoah Sanders
Van Dyke Parks
Maria McKee

Show 202
Phillip Glass
Debby Harry
Loudon Wainwright III
Pere Ubu

Show 203
Nona Hendryx
Pops Staples
Ivo Papasov
Adrian Belew
Elliot Sharp

Show 204
Bootsy Collins
Pretty Fat
Carla Bley
Steve Swallow
Allen Toussaint
Karen Mantler & Band

Show 205
Todd Rundgren
Pat Metheny
Taj Mahal
Nanci Griffiths
Christian Marclay

Show 206
L.L. Cool J
Jean-Luc Ponty
Ray Manzarek
Elliot Sharp

Show 207
The Pixies
Sun Ra
Syd Straw
Arthur Baker
Al Green
Sister Carol

Show 208
Sting & Fareed Haque
Carla & Rufus Thomas
Bill Frisell & Band
Mary Margaret O'Hara

Show 209
Miles Davis
Hank Ballard & The Three Midnighters
Djavan
Marcus Miller
Zahar

Show 210
Sonic Youth
Indigo Girls
Daniel Lanois
Evan Lurie & His Tango Band
Diamanda Galas

Show 211
Eric Clapton
Robert Cray
Julee Cruise
Papa Wemba
Dan Hicks & The Acoustic Warriors

Show 212
Conway Twitty
The Residents
The Kronos Quartet
Aster Aweke

Show 213
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Toots Thielemans
Charlie Haden & his Liberation Orchestra
Nick Cave & Mick Harvey
Annabouboula
Sister Carol

Show 214
Graham Parker
NRBQ
Abbey Lincoln
Phil Woods
Shabazz and his D.J.
C.E. Just
Steve Turre and his Sea Shells

Show 215
Bob Weir
Rob Wasserman
Warren Zevon
Artis (Spoon Man)
John Lurie and
Nana Vasconcelos
Bongwater
Modern Jazz Quartet

Show 216
Richard Thompson
Tim Berne
Jo-el Sonnier
John Cale & B.J. Cole
Shawn Colvin
Howard Johnson
Sister Carol
Hank Crawford

Show 217
Miles Davis
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hank Crawford
Abbey Lincoln
The Kronos Quartet

Show 218
Eric Clapton and Robert Cray
Warren Zevon
NRBQ
Modern Jazz Quartet
Charlie Haden & his Liberation Orchestra
Dan Hicks & The Acoustic Warriors
Sister Carol
Steve Turre and his
Sea Shells

Compilation 3
Eric Clapton and
Robert Cray
Debby Harry
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Al Green
The Pixies
Miles Davis

Compilation 4
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mary Margaret O'Hara
Zahar
Abbey Lincoln
NRBQ
Ivo Papasov and his Wedding Band
Pharoah Sanders

― Brakhage (brakhage), Friday, 4 November 2005 04:13 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, L.Cohen featuring Sonny Rollins totally worked! But having Nick Cave's ass (in "The Mercy Seat") in front of Charlie Haden was just wrong. (Fortunately, Charlie looked amused, and, as Brakhage points out,he did get to be on Show 218 as well. ) It was also one of those shows (like PRI's Mountain Stage) where they made all the performers get together at the end, and Al Green looked very disgusted by the Arkestra; just went BANGBANGBANGBANG with his cowbell, but on my audiotape, his sound fits perfectly!

― don, Friday, 4 November 2005 18:26 (nineteen years ago)

I remember reading something about Al Green dissing Sun Ra once. I wonder if it stemmed from this appearance together.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Friday, 4 November 2005 18:54 (nineteen years ago)

wow, that show looks wild. that was on NBC? are any of the episodes available on dvd/video?

― tylerw (tylerw), Friday, 4 November 2005 19:36 (nineteen years ago)

Check this out

Looks like someone has been selling bootlegs on ebay recently too

― Keith C (lync0), Friday, 4 November 2005 20:13 (nineteen years ago)

muchas gracias!!!

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 4 November 2005 20:17 (nineteen years ago)

The badazzled site looks like it has some awesome footage. Bedazzled and others are showing some great footage at the WFMU record and cd fair in NYC this weekend: Serge G., Lee hazelwood...

http://bedazzled.blogs.com/bedazzled/

http://www.wfmu.org/avlounge.html

― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 November 2005 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

damn, Slim Gaillard was on Night Music? I should've been paying more attention back then.

― pauls00, Friday, 4 November 2005 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

This Bedazzled site is no joke!! Check out the Carpenters clip!

― Keith C (lync0), Saturday, 5 November 2005 01:54 (nineteen years ago)

I just want to add that there's a big big difference in terms of what makes good TV and what makes good music. Saying that an artist performing on a stage where he or she is making what's happening as it happens is more thrilling to watch then someone who is not isn't rockist. If he wants to debate if this means Ashlee Simpson has made better albums then Sun Ra, that's a different issue entirely.

― __------==~~!, Saturday, 5 November 2005 08:56 (nineteen years ago)

can we get back to how fucking great this performance is? It would only occur to a complete twat to have obscurity, authenticity etc. enter into this at all.

― tremendoid (tremendoid), Saturday, 5 November 2005 10:06 (nineteen years ago)

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