Adler Planetarium Tribute
Chicago,
18 February 1999
The Chicago Adler Planetarium concert was fantastic, far exceeding expectations. The Sun Ra Tribure Arkestra presented a three hour program of music and dance, many personal reminiscences, and astronomical insights on black holes by scientist Hunter Adams. The band, ascending the stage from a rear stairwell, chanted Space is the Place under 15 foot 3-D models of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune and Uranus while wearing yellow and purple-striped egyptian headresses. The complete songlist included the national anthem soulfully sung by Rick Murray, followed by Lift Every Voice and Sing, Fate in a Pleasant Mood (Sun Ra), Negative Sound (Sun Ra), Apsara (Cohran), Ode to Sun Ra (Cohran), Ra Son (Cohran), and the highlight finale Prophsey (Cohran); an uplifting, ethereal orchestral piece featuring Cohran's harp and the Earth's magnetic field as recorded by the Hubble space telescope. Highlights included Cohran's amplified African thumb piano sounding similar to Ra's synthesizer effects, Althea Teamer Frazier expressive dancing in costume unique to each song (including one as an insect with a flashing red light third-eye and antennae, set to insect lyrics), and Robert Barry's personal reminiscence revealing that Sonny Rollins, while kicking heroin in Chicago in the 50's, accepted one gig during his stay, exclusively on alto for Sun Ra, who inspired Rollins to play an extraordinary evening of music.
At the planetarium, the new addition, a glass and steel structure surrounding the old planetarium dome, looked as if the Lost in Space flying saucer had just landed on Lake Michigan. Before the show, a workshop presented by Phil Cohran started with five people in attendance, although it swelled to about forty by hour's end, ten of whom were grammar school children beginning their journey as future saturnians. After the workshop, there was an intermission with a planetarium star and planet show including a trip to Mars. About two hundred fans (and a few startled new ones) at the concert had a wonderful intermission where guests and musicians traded stories, and ventured outside on the "spaceship" deck to look up at the crescent moon, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn in the clear night sky.
Phil Cohran plays every Saturday night at the Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant on 6120 N. Broadway in Chicago from 7-10pm.
One last thing. That night there were many stories of Sun Ra's mysterious powers. The temperature gauge display light in my car burnt out over a year ago. After the concert, the gauge light started shining again, and has been working ever since. Just another sign? To be continued....
Dean DelBene
