A Strange Celestial Road

In A Strange Celestial Road, Ahmed Abdullah — a longtime member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra — offers the first full insider account of life within the legendary ensemble. From Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy to Lagos’s National Stadium, Abdullah traces the rise of loft jazz and the impact of Pan-Africanism on creative music during the 1970s and 1980s. Richly illustrated with 72 pages of photos and posters, the book blends his personal journey — struggles with addiction, spiritual growth, and working-class artistry — with vivid stories of mentorship from Cal Massey, collaborations with figures like Ed Blackwell and Marion Brown, and the complex guidance of Sun Ra. Written in the 1990s with poet Louis Reyes Rivera and published for the first time with a preface by Salim Washington, it stands as both a memoir and a vital chronicle of a groundbreaking musical movement.