[eludwig]

I saw Sun Ra back once back in the mid-70s in NYC. Easily the most memorable jazz concert I've ever seen. My recollection is not 100%, but what I do remember is the Arkestra lined up in a row of chairs facing the audience. There were 2 dancers female dressed in filmy clothes that were essentially circling the players and dancing around the stage. Sun Ra was basically directing the entire performance. I don't believe he was playing anything? (I could be mistaken there though. it was a long time ago) Maybe he played keys at one point?

The most amazing part were the solos. Sun Ra would point to each player in turn and each would stand and deliver the most blistering solo for about 5 minutes each, barely taking a breath. Then Sun Ra would motion to the next and this would continue until everyone had a turn.

The music was incredibly spacey and so good. "Space is the place"!

[jjulius]

Not to get off on a tangent, but this reminds me of my middle school jazz band. There'd definitely be structured rehearsals, but the days that our director threw that all out the window and emphasized improvisation were the best.

We'd get to class, he'd tell us what song to pull out, and he'd just start us off like normal. Plod along, get to the usual solo section and the person slated to perform the solo does their own thing, but the director doesn't allow us out of those looped bars. Nope, without telling us, he points to the next person and has them solo. Then the next. Then the next.

Suddenly, we've reached the end of class and he finally lets us move on and finish the song after tons of people got a chance to work on their improv.

Yeah, we were in middle school and weren't top notch musicians or anything, but those still remain some of my favorite musical experiences.

[alan-hn]

Experimentation is a key part of learning how things work together, and when they don't. Having learning too structured can impair deeper understanding

[gongdzhauh]

I just got to see Sun Ra a couple weeks ago in Central Park. They still put on a good show with a lot of the details you are describing.

For anyone interested in something similar, check out Shibusashirazu Orchestra from Japan. Very similar performance of a conductor, lots of solos, dancers, etc.