Born Herman Blount in Birmingham, Alabama, Sun Ra disowned his given name and claimed instead to be from Saturn. To listen to his music, one could be forgiven for believing it. His immense discography tells the history of jazz through the lens of his intensely creative mind. His various "Arkestras", with their fluctuating personnel and huge number of different names, followed him every step of the way, incorporating hard bop, swing, ragtime, free improvisation, minimalism, orchestral overload, electronic experimentation, cosmic poetry, off-kilter rhythm & blues, funk and even doo-wop.