Danny Ray Thompson, Flute, Sun Ra Arkestra

Photo of an older man with a gold sequined robe and a red sequined hat, playing flute in front of a microphone, with two musicians in similar, brightly colored outfits on the left, and trees in the background

Jun 25th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

This is a photo of Danny Ray Thompson playing flute with the Sun Ra Arkestra during an outdoor concert in Philadelphia, on the northwest corner of the University of Pennsylvania's campus.

Danny Ray Thompson played different instruments during this performance, but it was his flute playing that left the biggest impression on me.

One thing I loved about the Sun Ra Arkestra is the way the group had a sort of coherence, and all the members seemed highly into the music, but had a very distinct vibe or groove. Thompson here had a calm demeanor but seemed to channel a lot of energy into his flute playing, which would span a number of musical styles even in a single song.