Blutopia: Visions of the Future and Revisions of the Past in the Work of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton

by Graham Lock

In Blutopia Graham Lock studies the music and thought of three pioneering twentieth-century Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton. Providing an alternative to previous analyses of their work, Lock shows how these distinctive artists were each influenced by a common musical and spiritual heritage and participated in self-conscious efforts to create a utopian vision of the future.
A century after Ellington’s birth, Lock reassesses his use of music as a form of black history and compares the different approaches of Ra, a band leader who focused on the future and cosmology, and Braxton, a contemporary composer whose work creates its own elaborate mythology. Arguing that the majority of writing on black music and musicians has—even if inadvertently—incorporated racial stereotypes, he explains how each artist reacted to criticism and sought to break free of categorical confines. Drawing on social history, musicology, biography, cultural theory, and, most of all, statements by the musicians themselves, Lock writes of their influential work.
Blutopia will be a welcome contribution to the literature on twentieth-century African American music and creativity. It will interest students of jazz, American music, African American studies, American culture, and cultural studies.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction, History

336 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the fantastic chapter about Sun Ra and his concept of ‘myth science’, an early forerunner of Afrofuturism long before Mark Dery defined the term in the early 1990s. Lock writes in the introduction:
...Sun Ra, no stranger to accusations of insanity, who cheerfully embraced the impossible – declaring in the 1960s that it attracted him because “everything possible has been done and the world didn’t change – and spent the rest of his life traveling the spaceways, “from planet to planet,” not only promoting but enacting a vision of future utopia.

[James Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books that propelled me through my doctoral dissertation. I literally tracked down every citation of the chapters on Sun Ra. I freaking loved this book.

[Dawson Escott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. I understand what many are saying about Ellington's section not matching the thesis, nut I think the feel of the analyses would be very different without him there. Ellington provides a less ""out there"" look at the same themes as Braxton and Ra, redefining black history in the hopes of creating a brighter future through their music. Many of the terms created and concepts elucidated by Braxton, even with some headaches while trying to understand, have led me to reassess the way I interact with non-white art. Sun Ra's chapters were just eye-opening as I never even looked at his themes as anything more than a cool aesthetic, even though he clearly took them very seriously.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A repetitive and unengaging look into three of the most unique and engaging artists of the 20th century

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, short survey of the work and biographies of a few of Jazz world's most: powerful minds; innovative "organizers"; and of course, eminent musicians. Band leaders doing something different, difficult, and inspiring.

I picked this up at library b/c someone had Sun Ra's biography out, and I was digging into his music.

I hadn't listened sufficiently to Duke Ellington before reading this, I guess because he seemed "establishment" somehow -- but was then ready to dive into his music (e.g., Black, Brown, and Beige; New Orleans Suite; and Far East Suite), after understanding his politics, his engagement with the world -- so clearly a very complex, vital, pivotal creative leader.

And I didn't know about Anthony Braxton -- the active/living member of this triumvirate. The section on him was a seemingly strange recounting of oddly titled recordings -- which turned out to be a very appropriate way to introduce this very unusual musician and his works. I'm sure I would never have made it very far as a Braxton appreciator without the introduction provided by Blutopia -- in which case I probably would not have gone to a Braxton show at RPI, and would have ended up never seeing any of these 3 giants work their magic live on stage.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best scholarly work I've read about music. Lock's work proves that he can do journalism, interviews and academic work equally strongly - so rare. And not only that, he always makes sure that the music is in front, and the music does the talking (and its almost impossible for academics to actually let that happen.) Fans of improv and advancedness in music are lucky to have Lock on our side

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read, although I thought he struggled to tie in Ellington. However the section on Braxton was fantastic. The first writer that I know of to really delve (if too briefly) into the Tri-Axium Writings, and what's more to relate these to the Trillium operas. Wish he would have just spent the entire book on that.

[Djll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agreed with others here that this is one of the best theoretical tracts covering jazz (mostly its more outside forms). Linking Ra, Duke, and Brax is a brilliant strategy. And Graham Lock knows his stuff. Not too hard to read, either, unlike some theory books.

[David Gallin-Parisi]

Cannot stop reading all over this book, from the Sun Ra future to the Duke Ellington quotes I've never heard. About to start on the Anthony Braxton chapters with much anticipation.