Sun Ra Arkestra ready to jazz up Englert Theatre in Iowa City

Scientists from the Paranormal Institute met with Sun Ra, aka Herman Blount, a generation ago. Ra, who led the avant-garde Sun Ra Arkestra until he died in 1993, hailed from Birmingham, Ala., but claimed he was from Saturn.

“The scientists from the paranormal stood around Sunny for eight hours,” Sun Ra Arkestra guitarist Carl LeBlanc said while calling from his New Orleans home. “They were bewildered by his responses. They were freaked out.”

Music fans often felt the same way while experiencing the jazzy sounds from the Sun Ra Arkestra, which has always been out of this world. Ra was not just a bandleader, composer, keyboardist and arranger, but also a true original.

Born in 1933, Ra delivered some of the most eclectic jazz in history. Swing, ragtime and be bop are some of the elements that were part of the Sun Ra Arkestra sonic potpourri.

“There was no one like Sun in terms of music or just as a person,” LeBlanc said.

Ra, who formed the Sun Ra Arkestra in 1957, was a poet and a philosopher.

“Sunny would tell people they were making a mistake thinking that we’re human,” LeBlanc said. “He would tell people that we are all actually angels. He would talk about how we don’t use 90 percent of our brains. He was a fascinating man. Sun wanted to keep his music going forever.”

In Iowa City

Sun Ra Arkestra will perform Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City. It’s part of the FEaST multimodal festival from Iowa's premier avant-garde presenting series Feed Me Weird Things. Hancher is the programming partner for the festival’s closing event.

Sun Ra Arkestra continues to play Ra’s music 30 years after he died. Sporting capes and sequined headdresses, the band is a dynamic, engaging live act.

“We love what we do,” LeBlanc said. “We’re all about keeping Sun Ra’s music alive. I love playing these songs. We have no alternative but to keep this going.”

The Arkestra is led by 99-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen.

“It’s funny being the third-oldest guy in the band and I’m 68,” LeBlanc said. “There is no one like Marshall. He smokes cigarettes and drinks cognac but he’s still around and in great physical and mental shape at 99. We keep it together for Sun Ra.”

Living legends

Ra is a fascinating figure but so is LeBlanc, who has played with a long list of legends, including Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Bo Diddley, Ellis Marsalis Jr. and Fats Domino.

“They were all great in their own right, and unique,” LeBlanc said. “I look back and just laugh at some of those experiences.”

Many of those memories were away from the stage and studio.

“I remember working with Ellis Marsalis, and (his iconic jazz musician sons) Wynton and Branford were bouncing on the couch. Ellis would tell them to stop it while we rehearsed,” LeBlanc said.

“Screamin’ Jay was all about the theatrics and costumes, but the guy could really sing. He might have sounded (raw) when he played (the blues), but the guy could sing stuff on an operatic level.

“Fats Domino loved to cook. He always had a hot plate. He would cook up gumbo on the road. He would put a few hundred dollars worth of meat into it and would feed everyone but me. He would tease me about being a vegetarian.”

Bo Diddley fascinated LeBlanc as a guitarist.

“Bo would build stuff inside of his guitar,” LeBlanc said. “He had all of these switches and echoes and delays in there. Bo had the effects, and the guy could play. There was no one ever like Bo Diddley.”

All of those legends are gone, but Sun Ra's Allen continues to perform.

“I hope Marshall has many more years with us,” LeBlanc said. “Marshall helps keep the music of Sun Ra alive. There’s no other band like the Sun Ra Arkestra.”