Sun
Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980/MVD Visual
Blu-ray)
Picture: C Sound: C Extras: D
Film: C
In
the late '70s, Sun Ra was considered a fusion of jazz music with
usage of acoustical and electronic synthesized instruments, with the
idea that their music is a higher form of enlightenment and came from
outer space or the universe. The idea of ancient Egyptian gods were
aliens and through their music somehow connected them and will create
universal harmony which is all shown and explained in Robert Mugge's
music film Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980).
Sun
Ra's origin seemed to come from someone's idea of taking Egyptian
ideology and mixing it with jazz/synth music. The people who perform
and play it dress up in various outlandish costumes with instrument
play a mix of 'noises' with no pattern or rhythm. The usage of
electronic instruments loosely believes through electricity or some
type of energy comes from mysteriously universal inspired harmony
from the stars or some sort of space beings.
This
was something that would of suited Scientology, the idea music from
space. (But in truth it sounded more like just noise than music.)
It's follower's appearance and costumes looked like they were
leftover from Woodstock and were a couple of notes shy of crazy. I
found it very ironic and hard to believe for the Africans Americans
in the film to have embraced this sort of music/culture, because they
seemed to (without oversimplifying) all have forgotten that Egypt's
history and ancient gods were built on a slave culture, but that's
another debate and story. This runs only an hour.
This
film definitely looked like someone transfer off a VHS (1.33 X 1 16mm
film centered in a 1.78 X 1 high definition frame with its original
mono sound here in simple stereo) and was a complete waste of time
for putting it on a Blu-ray. Bonus includes extend performances.
-
Ricky Chiang
