The Magic City - Birmingham according to Sun Ra

The Magic City is screening at Alder Bar on Friday 23 October, presented by the Kelham Island Film Club. It's a documentary that looks at the Birmingham, Alabama upbringing of jazz icon Sun Ra, tracing the roots of the man who would go on to reinvent himself as a cosmic messenger and rebuild the history of jazz and science fiction around his own mythology.

If you're not already familiar, Sun Ra is one of the most singular figures in jazz. He spent much of his career claiming he was from Saturn, leading his Arkestra through sprawling, avant-garde performances that blended big-band swing with space-age experimentation. This film goes back to where it all started, focusing on his early years in Alabama rather than the cosmic persona he became known for. It's a look at the man before the myth, and the American South that shaped him.

It's the kind of thing that works well in a room like Alder Bar, where you can settle in and let the story unfold. The film follows that arc from his childhood in Birmingham to the point where he began to rewrite his own history, so it's as much a portrait of a person as it is a piece of jazz history. Whether you've spent years digging through his discography or you've only ever heard his name in passing, it's a good place to start if you've ever wondered how he got to be who he was.

The screening runs from 7:30 pm to 9:15 pm on Friday 23 October at Alder Bar, Percy Street, Kelham Island, Sheffield S3 8BT.