Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980) + Spaceways (1968)
7th House at the Philosophical Research Society and Los Angeles Filmforum present
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (1980) + Spaceways (1968)
Sunday August 10, 2025, 7:00pm
At the Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90027
NOTE THE CHANGE IN LOCATION
Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions
The great interstellar visionary SUN RA and his Arkestra on film in Robert Mugge's remarkable 1980 doc + a rare experimental 1968 short film
Tickets: Ticket Price: $15 + fees (In-Person Only Event) ($17.85 total)
Free to Los Angeles Filmforum members
Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sun-ra-a-joyful-noise-1980-spaceways-1968-tickets-1486758427479?aff=oddtdtcreator
Praise for SUN RA: A JOYFUL NOISE
One of Time Out London’s “50 Greatest Music Films Ever”
“Sun Ra in all his flamboyance, wit, and wonder…captures this wildly original man and his vision like an LP never has.” - Kevin Lynch, Downbeat
“Marks a decisive use of the art of film to illuminate the often enigmatic art of jazz, and I urge those of you committed to film to see it.” - Francis Davis, NPR’s Fresh Air
“The film captures the enigmatic band leader’s exceptional personal magnetism. Fascinating!” - Robert Palmer, The New York Times
As part of their August series “SEE•SOUND,” 7th House is proud to present an evening of the mighty, cosmic jazz voyager SUN RA on film! A co-presentation with Los Angeles Filmforum, this special evening will feature Robert Mugge’s remarkable, electric, and illuminating SUN RA: A JOYFUL NOISE (1980) and a rare screening of Edward English’s 1968 experimental documentary short SPACEWAYS. This special evening will conclude with a discussion with SUN RA: A JOYFUL NOISE's director Robert Mugge (live via satellite!).
Decades ahead of his time, composer, keyboard player, bandleader, singer, poet, and philosopher Sun Ra coupled sci-fi images of outer space with those of ancient Egypt, acoustic instruments with electronic ones, and modern American musical genres (jazz, soul, gospel, blues, swing) with traditional sounds of Africa and the Caribbean. He also combined his music with dance, poetry, colorful costumes and backdrops, and pure theatricality, influencing other innovative musical groups as diverse as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, George Clinton’s Parliament Funkadelic, and Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. He was also among the first musicians to use electronic keyboards and portable synthesizers in public performance.
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise
Dir. Robert Mugge
1980, United States, English, Unrated, Digital, 60 min.
For his documentary, SUN RA: A JOYFUL NOISE, filmmaker Robert Mugge and his crew spent two years (1978 to 1980) shooting Sun Ra and members of his distinctive jazz Arkestra at various locations in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Lovingly restored from its original 16mm master, Mugge’s fantastic film features transcendentally interstellar performances of such Sun Ra classics as “Astro Black,” “Mister Mystery,” “We Travel the Spaceways,” “Along Came Ra/The Living Myth,” “Spaceship Earth (Destination Unknown),” and many more.
Spaceways
Spaceways
Dir. Edward English
1968, United States, English, Unrated, Digital, 18 min.
Filmed in NYC and commissioned by the legendary ESP-Disk record label, experimental underground filmmaker Edward English’s SPACEWAYS (1968) captures Sun Ra and an absolutely blazing, percussion heavy Arkestra lineup as they prepare for and perform to a massive crowd at Carnegie Hall. Rarely screened and absolute catnip for any fan, English’s psyched-out short captures the group when they were soaring to new celestial creative heights and pushing the boundaries of music in the late 60s.