Sun Ra founded his group in Chicago in the mid-1950s, becoming a pioneering figure both in the use of synthesizers and in the free jazz revolution of the following decade. Beyond musical innovation, his project seeks to convey a deep spiritual dimension and a message capable of elevating collective consciousness, with the hope that music and its positive vibrations could help improve the universe.

Sun Ra Arkestra is internationally recognized for its live performances, in which swing, space-age free jazz, bebop, singing, dancing, chanting, and a dazzling Afrofuturist staging come together. After Sun Ra’s death in 1993, the group has remained active under the leadership of veteran saxophonist Marshall Allen, who has been a member since 1958.

They have recorded over one hundred albums throughout their career. In 2020, their album Swirling was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Big Band Jazz Ensemble Recording. Their most recent work, Lights On A Satellite, was released in February 2025.

After more than sixty years, the band continues to travel the planet on their Intergalactic Tour. Among their most notable performances are concerts at the Kennedy Center with Solange, the Berlin Opera, the Burlington Jazz Festival, and a show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.