CHICAGO — The Traveling the Spaceways symposium at the Hyde Park Art Center was a rousing success! Although Mayor Richard M. Daley was a no-show Friday night, the howling wind and rain tempered anyone’s attempt to raise a judgmental eyebrow at him. The people who came were impressed with the Art Center, and with its signature exhibit.n spite of the cold, wind, and rain, Friday night was rockin’ at The Hideout, a tiny bar on north Wabansia, on the near north side.
Improvisational guitarist Thurston Moore, of Sonic Youth, mesmerized the standing room only crowd (there were no chairs, so you had to stand in order to see), with his Sun Ra inspired stylings.
His drummer played with the Arkestra for a time, and knew my father, Alton Abraham, who was Ra’s friend, business partner, manager, and producer.
Opening for Moore, a California troupe that called itself, My Barbarian, performed their brand of Sun Ra-esque musical theater. One of the amazing things to watch is a young, fullly alcoholized, partying audience become absolutely silent while “taking in” the music.
Yet, this is consistent with the intent behind Sun Ra and the Arkestra’s work. It was a gift to humanity from other dimensions and planes of existence, that can only work on those to whom it is extended, with openness and acceptance.
I watched some women move rhythmically with the flow of sounds, which themselves, sometimes had no rhythm. Some men “watched” with their eyes closed, listening in the silence of the noise. Others studied the pulses of the fingerharp, rode the low frequency harmonics of Thurston’s guitar, or responded to My Barbarian’s smile provoking lyrics. It was highly energetic, and thoroughly enjoyable.
The energy and enjoyment continued back at the Art Center on Saturday where day one of the Symposium convened. After going virtually non-stop from the day we arrived, I spent the bulk of my time preparing a 14-minute video presentation (made from stills) to go along with my talk.
While I didn’t watch all of the presentations, it was a combination of readings by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, panel discussions — “The Right Place, Right Time” with Robert Campbell, professor, Clemsom University and author of the discography, “The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra” and Graham Lock, freelance journalist and author, “Visions of the Future and Revisions of the Past in the Work of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton” (1999), Moderated by Kevin Whitehead, Jazz Critic for NPR and lecturer in American Studies at the University of Kansas — and music by Cellist, Fred Lonerg-Holm with his trio, and David Boykin’s Expanse.
My panel was called, “Heading Out”. Moderated by Terri Kapsalis, writer, curator, and interim Chair of Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute (Chicago), and Hamsa Walker, Director of Education at the Renaissance Society.
A sound engineer from local NPR station, WBEZ was on hand to record the music and panel discussion. I checked, but didn’t see where the audio feed was available online. The joint jumped, people thought, and spirits shared. Another full day of activities followed on Sunday, but I spent another equally enjoyable day with mom.
