David Block talked to John Gilmore, tenor saxophone mainstay of Sun Ra’s orchestras from 1953 until the bandleader’s death in 1993. ONE night John Gilmore and an old high school friend, drummer Robert Barry, went to Sheps Playhouse, located near the South Side of Chicago to have a good time. As they walked into the club, Barry said: “John, there’s someone I want you to meet. It’s Sun Ra.’ ‘Who?’ asked Gilmore. “You mean you don’t know who he is?’ ‘No.’ After Barry introduced the two musicians, Sun Ra told Gilmore he needed a tenor saxophone player and gave him an audition. Sun Ra liked the Gilmore sound and invited him to join the Arkestra. Gilmore accepted. John Gilmore believes that this happened in 1953, but he is not absolutely sure. He was in his early twenties and was trying to gain recognition as a musician. Gilmore had no idea that he would perform with Sun Ra until Ra’s death on May 30, 1993. ‘Sun Ra made me a better person,’ said Gilmore. Before he met Sun Ra, Gilmore never t
Jamo Spingal