(idm) Sun Ra on SNL

From Bob Bannister
Sent Wed, Feb 17th 1999, 22:40

Jeff Waye asked:

<Also, I'm just reading the biography of Sun Ra. At one point it mentions
that he appeared on Saturday Night Live?! Does anyone remember this? More
importantly does anyone have a video tape of this.>

Here's the info:

<V78.5.21. Saturday Night Live
NBC TV show, live from New York City. 5/21/78. 5 min. TV Broadcast, tinny 
sound. [Iannapollo]

Described by Sun Ra as 6 pieces in 6 minutes, but what is preserved is:
Space is the Place (Ra)
The Sound Mirror (Ra)
Watusa (Ra)

Sun Ra and his Jazz from Another Planet Arkestra: unidentified-tp, flg; 
Tony Bethel-tb; poss. Craig Harris-tb; Vincent Chancey-Frh; Marshall 
Allen-as, fl; Danny Davis-as, fl; John Gilmore-ts, cga; Eloe Omoe-bcl; 
James Jacson-bsn, perc; Danny Ray Thompson-bs; Ra-syn, org, voc; Luqman 
Ali-d; unidentified-cga; prob. Cheryl Banks-dance; prob. Judith Holton 
(Wisteria el Moondew)-dance; prob. Mickey Davidson-dance. [Tunes Trent; 
personnel rlc from still photo in Down Beat, 9/93, p. 27; I thought the 
trumpeter was Eddie Gale, but he says he wasn't there.] >

Here's the URL:

http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~moudry/tape_f.htm

Bob