Sun Ra

Sun Ra, born Herman Poole Blount, was a jazz composer, bandleader, and keyboardist known for his "cosmic philosophy" and his prolific output of music, often blending elements of avant-garde jazz, free jazz, and Afrofuturism. He legally changed his name to Le Sony'r Ra in the 1940s, asserting his identity was not of this planet. He founded the Arkestra, a big band that would perform with him for decades, often clad in elaborate, space-themed costumes.

Sun Ra's cosmic mythology was deeply entwined with his music and persona. He claimed to have been abducted by aliens and taken to Saturn, where he received his musical mission. This interplanetary origin story, while certainly unique, didn't exactly scream "kvetching over gefilte fish" to the uninitiated.

While Sun Ra's musical genius is undeniable, his connection to the tribe remains, shall we say, tangential. Unless, of course, there's a lost tribe of Saturnian Jews we don't know about. We're still waiting for the definitive scholarly work on that one.

Nevertheless, the man was a visionary. His influence on jazz, experimental music, and Afrofuturism is immense, and for that, we can all kvel, regardless of our planetary or ancestral origins.