32-hour Sun Ra Radio Marathon on WKCR 89.9 FM NYC

Sun Ra Arrival Day Celebration

Monday, May 22nd at midnight to Tuesday, May 23rd, 8:20 am on 89.9 FM NYC & wkcr.org.

The Sun Ra Institute and WKCR-FM are proud to announce the Sun Ra Arrival Day Celebration, a 32-hour radio marathon featuring work of the innovative and iconoclastic composer, bandleader, and keyboardist Sun Ra. Each segment of the festival will focus on a specific feature of Ra’s musical legacy: Standards and Ballads, The Swing Tradition, Solo Piano and Poetry, Late 1950’s and Early Rarities, Tone Science, Singers, and more. The Arrival Day Celebration will include exclusive recordings from WKCR’s archives as well as live special guest interviews with Marshall Allen, Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra, and Arkestra members of the past, present and future.

Preliminary Schedule

Sun Ra Potpourri

12—5am

The broadcast will begin with a variety of great Sun Ra sounds to warm up this event.

Sun Ra Plays Standards and Ballads

5—8am

The Daybreak Express show will feature Sun Ra’s performances of standards, ballads, and show tunes.

The Swing Tradition

8—9:30am

The Bird Flight slot will be an extension of the previous show, but this time focusing on the compositions of Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and others. Little known facts: Fletcher himself once gave up his own piano chair to Sun Ra. Sun Ra wrote charts that Coleman Hawkins had difficulty playing. Monk was impressed, too.

Solo Piano and Poetry

9:30 AM—Noon

Our morning Classical show will present Sun Ra’s solo piano recordings, including an exclusive performance at WKCR in July 1977. This segment will also incorporate Sun Ra’s extensive poetic works.

Omniversity: Late 1950’s and Early Rarities

Noon—5pm

Phil Schaap will shine the spotlight on Sun Ra’s elemental work from the later 1950’s. Following this segment, we will shift into a survey of the very earliest recordings of Sun Ra, arranging for singers and performing as a sideman. Phil will be joined by a panel of scholars and band members, presenting the rarest of Sun Ra sides.

Tone Science

5—8pm

The synthesizer and abstract works of Sun Ra. Tune in for some of the most adventurous recordings of Sun Ra’s career. This segment will include both solo synthesizer performances as well as those with an ensemble.

From the Ark

8 PM—1am

The evening segment is expected to be the highlight of the marathon. We will play live recordings and interviews, with visits from special guests and a focus on materials from WKCR’s own "Arkives", as well as a collection gathered by The Sun Ra Institute. We will take some time to honor the current living-and-breathing Sun Ra Arkestra, under the masterful direction of Marshall Allen, and celebrate Marshall’s 82nd birthday a few days early. Stay tuned for extra features in the works, including remote broadcast from the Sun Ra House in Philadelphia.

The Singers

1—2am

This hour will give a closer look at Sun Ra’s work with vocalists, including his R&B and Doo-wop efforts.

Overnight Sun Ra

2—5am

Daybreak Sun Ra

5—8:20am

Sun Ra will again be the focus of Transfigured Night and Daybreak Express. Here is another chance Travel the Spaceways with Sun Ra and The Arkestra.