This is awesome, thanks for the article. Years ago while living in New Orleans, I studied with a great guitar player, Carl Leblanc who played with Sun Ra and Kool and the Gang among others. He helped me appreciate this amazing music and told me stories similar to Julian's. I completely agree with you that the most interesting music resides in dark corners and I would even take it a step farther. A lot of the most amazing music never even sees the light of day in Seattle and resides in digital or analog form. I am a musician (30 plus years) and many of my peers are writing amazing music and some have stopped even trying to get noticed. I think a lot of the problem lies with the audience. I just don't think music means the same thing to people and they connect with it differently, if at all. I will be sure to check out the musicians you mentioned in the article !

Space really was, and is, the place. Saw Sun Ra live several times at Baltimore Left Bank Jazz Society’s Famous Ballroom in the 70s. Always a fantastic performance provided by musicians of amazing skill and talent...

Sold out:(:(:(

Saw many amazing performances by the Arkestra in the 70's at New York venues including the Beacon Theater, Joseph Papp's Public Theater and Bed-Sty's legendary Afro-Cultural center The East. Unfortunately, almost all of those giants from that ensemble are long gone, with the exception of the great Marshall Allen. Good to know he's continuing to encourage young artists in keeping the Arkestra alive. May he live for another 100 years.
BTW, Space Is The Place isn't actually a documentary but a very weird and convoluted science fiction movie written by Ra that makes little narrative sense, but is still an interesting to watch, and at times disturbing period piece replete with violence and misogyny, but also a message for our current times.