Sun Ra
- Instrument:
- Piano
- Styles:
- Free Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz, Space-Age, Free Improvisation, Big Band, Post Bop, Soul-Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Experimental, Hard Bop
Best Sun Ra Albums
Leader albums ranked by reissues and demand.
Space Is The Place
Sun Ra
1973
Blue Thumb Records
Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1
Sun Ra
1957
Transition
Lanquidity
Sun Ra
1978
Philly Jazz
Nuits De La Fondation Maeght Volume 1
Sun Ra
1971
Shandar
Strange Celestial Road
Sun Ra
1980
Rounder Records
Timeline
Key Sun Ra studio albums by decade, with the labels and styles that define each period.
| Decade | Key albums | Labels | Styles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s |
| Transition | Post Bop |
| 1960s |
| Savoy Records, ESP-Disk', Saturn Research | Free Jazz, Hard Bop, Space-Age, Modal |
| 1970s |
| Shandar, Impulse!, Blue Thumb Records, Cobra, Philly Jazz | Free Jazz, Space-Age, Spiritual Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz |
| 1980s |
| Philly Jazz, Rounder Records, El Saturn Records, Saturn Research, Meltdown Records | Free Jazz, Big Band, Experimental, Avant-garde Jazz |
| 1990s |
| A&M Records, Soul Note, Rounder Records, Freedom, 1201 Music | Free Jazz, Post Bop, Space-Age, Contemporary Jazz |
| 2000s |
| Evidence, Golden Years Of New Jazz, Transparency | Free Jazz, Space-Age, Avant-garde Jazz, Speech |
| 2010s |
| Transparency, Strut, Cold Spring, Modern Harmonic | Free Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz, Space-Age, Noise |
| 2020s |
| Corbett vs. Dempsey, Modern Harmonic, Strut, Dead Currencies | Free Jazz, Avant-garde Jazz, Space-Age, Education |
Albums by Style
Top albums grouped by style.
Free Jazz
Space Is The Place
Sun Ra
1973
Blue Thumb Records
Jazz In Silhouette
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1959
El Saturn Records
Sleeping Beauty
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1979
El Saturn Records
Atlantis
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1970
Saturn Research
Avant-garde Jazz
Super-Sonic Jazz
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1957
El Saturn Records
Lanquidity
Sun Ra
1978
Philly Jazz
Sun Ra And His Arkestra Featuring Pharoah Sanders And Black Harold
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1976
El Saturn Records
When Angels Speak Of Love
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1966
El Saturn Records
Days Of Happiness
Sun Ra
1979
El Saturn Records
Space-Age
Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1967
Saturn Research
In Egypt
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1983
Praxis
Secrets Of The Sun
The Sun Ra Arkestra
1965
El Saturn Records
The Antique Blacks
Sun Ra
1974
El Saturn Records
Similar Artists
Artists with similar styles and catalogs.
Sun Ra Discography
Sun Ra studio albums as leader and sideman.
Total: 148 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coleman Hawkins | The Hawk Returns | Savoy Records | Sideman | Bop | 1955 |
| Sun Ra | Jazz By Sun Ra Vol. 1 | Transition | Leader | Post Bop | 1957 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Super-Sonic Jazz | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Bop | 1957 |
| Sun Ra | The Futuristic Sounds Of Sun Ra | Savoy Records | Leader | Hard Bop | 1962 |
| Roz Croney | How Low Can You Go? | Dauntless | Sideman | 1963 | |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | When Sun Comes Out | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1963 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Art Forms Of Dimensions Tomorrow | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1965 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Fate In A Pleasant Mood | Saturn Research | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1965 |
| Walt Dickerson Quartet | Impressions Of A Patch Of Blue | MGM Records | Sideman | Soundtrack | 1965 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Secrets Of The Sun | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1965 |
| Sun Ra | The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, Vol. I | ESP-Disk' | Leader | Free Jazz | 1965 |
| The Sensational Guitars Of Dan & Dale | Batman And Robin | Tifton | Sideman | Surf | 1966 |
| Sun Ra | Nothing Is... | ESP-Disk' | Leader | Free Jazz | 1966 |
| Sun Ra | The Heliocentric Worlds Of Sun Ra, Volume 2 | ESP-Disk' | Leader | Free Jazz | 1966 |
| Sun Ra | The Magic City | Saturn Research | Leader | Free Jazz | 1966 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Charles Davis | Visits Planet Earth | Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1966 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | When Angels Speak Of Love | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1966 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Angels And Demons At Play | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1967 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Cosmic Tones For Mental Therapy | Saturn Research | Sideman | Space-Age | 1967 |
| The Sun Ra Arkestra | Interstellar Low Ways | El Saturn Records | Sideman | Free Jazz | 1967 |
Sun Ra Collaborations
Players they worked with most often, as leader and as sideman.
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Allen | Alto Saxophone | 45 |
| John Gilmore | Tenor Saxophone | 41 |
| Marshall Allen | Flute | 30 |
| Eloe Omoe | Bass Clarinet | 24 |
| Danny Ray Thompson | Baritone Saxophone | 23 |
| Danny Davis | Alto Saxophone | 20 |
| Danny Ray Thompson | Flute | 19 |
| Akh Tal Ebah | Trumpet | 19 |
| June Tyson | Vocals | 19 |
| Marshall Allen | Oboe | 18 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Allen | Alto Saxophone | 86 |
| John Gilmore | Tenor Saxophone | 85 |
| Marshall Allen | Flute | 66 |
| Danny Ray Thompson | Baritone Saxophone | 45 |
| Pat Patrick | Baritone Saxophone | 41 |
| Danny Davis | Alto Saxophone | 40 |
| Danny Ray Thompson | Flute | 39 |
| Marshall Allen | Oboe | 36 |
| John Gilmore | Percussion | 36 |
| June Tyson | Vocals | 35 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Style and genre mix across their releases.
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Free Jazz | 83 | 56.1% |
| Avant-garde Jazz | 47 | 31.8% |
| Space-Age | 45 | 30.4% |
| Free Improvisation | 19 | 12.8% |
| Big Band | 18 | 12.2% |
| Post Bop | 9 | 6.1% |
| Soul-Jazz | 6 | 4.1% |
| Contemporary Jazz | 6 | 4.1% |
| Experimental | 6 | 4.1% |
| Hard Bop | 4 | 2.7% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 143 | 96.6% |
| Electronic | 11 | 7.4% |
| Funk / Soul | 6 | 4.1% |
| Rock | 5 | 3.4% |
| Stage & Screen | 4 | 2.7% |
| Folk | 3 | 2% |
| World | 3 | 2% |
| & Country | 3 | 2% |
| Non-Music | 3 | 2% |
| Classical | 2 | 1.4% |
Top Labels
Labels with the most releases in their catalog.
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| El Saturn Records | 30 |
| Saturn Research | 13 |
| Leo Records | 8 |
| Transparency | 8 |
| Modern Harmonic | 5 |
| ESP-Disk' | 4 |
| Roaratorio | 4 |
| Strut | 4 |
| Horo Records | 3 |
| Black Saint | 3 |
Key Personnel
Frequent producers, engineers, and studio credits.
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 33 |
| Alton Abraham | Producer | 15 |
| Brian Albers | Mastered By | 12 |
| MC5 | Leader | 7 |
| Ihnfinity Inc. | Producer | 6 |
| Leo Feigin | Producer | 6 |
| Lee Santa | Photography By | 5 |
| Joe Lizzi | Mastered By | 5 |
| Charles Blass | Liner Notes | 5 |
| Lora Denis | Design | 5 |