Cosmic Jazz is a small but very unique genre that represented a new type of impact that Jazz, and music in general, can have. It added elements of electronic, avantgarde and even spiritual nature to traditional Jazz, creating a novel and otherworldly sound. As a pioneer of the genre, Sun Ra even gave lectures at UC Berkley, connecting Jazz with deep philosophy, religion, racial issues, politics and science fiction.

A classic piece to start exploring Cosmic Jazz is Karma (1969) by Pharoah Sanders. It’s an accessible and emotionally powerful Cosmic Jazz album with incredible Saxophone performance, vocal chants and hypnotic rhythms – highly recommended. One of the most groundbreaking records of the genre are The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vol. 1 (1965), which set the tone of free experimentation by using unconventional sounds, creating spaceful atmospheres. A particularly classic is Journey in Satchidananda by Alice Coltrane that showcases unique harp sounds and includes Pharoah Sanders on the Saxophone.

Cosmic Jazz is a genre that is rich in sound and atmosphere like few others. For appreciators of unique style and experimentation, this is the type of Jazz to explore. The newsletter will shine a deeper light on the different aspects of Cosmic Jazz, highlighting some of its more rare gems.