“Saturn,” one of my favorite Sun Ra tunes, is also part of the amazing class of 1959 (on Jazz In Silhouette) which included recordings such as Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus, The Shape of Jazz to Come by Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, and Giant Steps recorded in 1959 by John Coltrane and released in January 1960.
I once had an idea to write an essay about these recordings when I thought I had discovered something based on my own personal listening. Recently I’ve found out that there a few essays and even a BBC documentary about jazz in 1959. Of course, I don’t think Sun Ra gets many mentions in any press about jazz in 1959, but he should.
Stephen McClurg 