One of the most prolific saxophonists in the annals of earth jazz music, Marshall Allen celebrated his 100th orbit on this planet in Philadelphia on May 25. Many became fans of Allen during his long relationship of space travels with the Sun Ra Arkestra, which he began sometime in the 1950s.
After service in the U.S. Army in Europe and studying at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, Allen returned to the states to pursue his music career. While emerging himself in the Chicago music scene, he met the genius, space philosopher, music provocateur, and bandleader Sun Ra (the Birmingham-born pianist formerly called Herman Poole Blunt). “He had another perspective that made his music so different,” Allen recalled. “It touched you with a special feeling.”
Allen has performed with the Arkestra from his early 1950s association through Sun Ra’s transition to the stars in 1993. Another lifetime Arkestra member, the skillful tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, took over the reins for a brief two years before his transition. Allen then stepped up to the helm to lead one of the most iconoclastic jazz orchestras in the history of American music while carrying on its definitive tradition of Afrofuturism as pioneered by Sun Ra. That Afrofuturism is depicted in the Arkestra’s futuristic space galaxy ensembles, inspired by ancient Egyptian outfits and headgear.
“Marshall Allen was a mentor and friend during my days as a dancer with the Sun Ra Arkestra. He taught me some very important lessons of life. He would always say ‘Sit back and watch, sometimes being quiet is best,’” said Judith Holten-Mendez, aka Wisteria El Moondew (who flew in from her home in Mexico for the birthday celebration). “He is a master musician, but he is so humble. It’s so great to see him continue to share the music and be so happy.”
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In this 21st century and Allen’s celebratory century, he continues to effortlessly lead the Arkestra through its legendary eclectic repertoire of celestial music, covering the jazz spectrum from ragtime to bebop, big-band swing, and fusion, cohabiting in the boundless forms of avant gardism. The six-plus decades of space excursions have included more than 20 musicians on stage at one time, along with dancers chanting and singing in the midst of percussion pieces, anthems, and keyboard infusions.
Journalist Scott Yarnow described Allen’s playing as “Johnny Hodges from another dimension.” The native of Louisville, Kentucky, is primarily known for his fiery explosion of improvisational flurries; he has a unique percussive saxophone technique.
Allen’s skills on alto saxophone were exuberantly experienced on the eve of his centennial. That night in Baltimore, he played with his Sun Ra Arkestra similarly to the many shows he had performed around the world.
“I took the train down to Philadelphia to witness the centennial of Marshall Allen,” said trombonist and composer Craig Harris. “I’ve known this man 50 years, since my first big-time gig with the Sun Ra Arkestra. I stayed in Marshall’s room my first night in the band and I remember he played ‘Kora’ all night—no sleep! As usual, when I got there, the band was getting into their space gear and getting ready to take off. Like me, a couple of former band members were there to see the miraculous Marshall, as was a large enthusiastic crowd. As the band played some of the old favorites, like ‘Images,’ ‘Love in Outer Space,’ and ‘It’s Spring Again,’ I reminisced [about] my early years with the band and how Marshall still sounds just as great and [is] doing it his way.”
The day after Allen’s centennial, I was on Amtrak making my way to the big birthday celebration in Philadelphia, at the Solar Myth Bar. Special guest performances for the evening included a performance by bassist and NEA Jazz Master Reggie Workman and his band, featuring Dick Griffin, Sean Hung Wei, Craig McIver, Hana Igarashi, Zach Kirsimae, Chi Westfelt, Hanah Jon Taylor (the saxophonist/flautist flew in from Madison, Wisconsin, where he owns Madison’s premiere jazz club, Café CODA). Former Arkestra members and local Philly musicians who also performed were keyboardist Brian Marsella, saxophonist Elliott Levin, and drummers Mikel Patrick Avery and Chad Edward Taylor.
“It was important for my wife and I to make the journey to Philadelphia to celebrate Marshall Allen’s 100th Arrival Day on this planet,” said trumpeter, composer, and former Arkestra member Ahmed Abdullah. “As the leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, he has given actual proof of instructions Sun Ra left us, which was to do the impossible! Sun Ra demonstrated that by working semi-paralyzed and in a wheelchair until he was 78 Earth Years. When Marshall took the baton from John Gilmore at 71, he had an impossible task of learning how to lead a big band. He has more than achieved that goal by leading the Sun Ra Arkestra into its current glory. He is an inspiration!” Abdullah recently wrote a most in-depth book with Louis Reyes Rivera, “A Strange Celestial Road: My Time in the Sun Ra Arkestra” (Blank Forms Editions).
The highlight of the evening, of course, was singing “Happy Birthday,” with Allen cutting the cake and taking that first piece. He was all aglow. When asked why he wasn’t playing, he commented with a smile, “I played last night, it was a blast. Tonight I’m just enjoying my birthday.”
These days, Allen is no longer the comet, star-hopping from one country to the next, infusing the world with a mystic sound of an outer galaxy. He is content with performing in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. He lives in the original house on Morton Street where Sun Ra held his marathon rehearsals before a gig or major tour.
“Yeah, Dad loves performing, but he wants to take it easy and just do local stuff, and maybe gigs in the surrounding area. Those European tours and stuff are over,” said his son Ronnie Boyd. “These days, Dad says long distance travel is rough, so together, we strategically coordinate his performances.”
In 2020, Allen and the Arkestra released “Swirling,” their first new album since 1999, which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. This year, Allen collaborated with Meshell Ndegeocello on a Sun Ra-inspired album entitled “Red Hot & Ra: Magic City.” He also worked with the Kronos Quartet on an upcoming album of classical adaptations of Sun Ra’s music called “Outer Spaceways Incorporated – Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra.”
“I’m just glad I can still play. I am getting older, but I keep on stepping,” said a joyful Allen. His advice to musicians is to continue to push the music forward and apply the discipline, put in the work—that’s how to be able to get back to the people and the music. Allen plays for his benefit and health; music is a healing force “that fills his tank so he can give that goodness and love to his listeners.”
June is Black Music Month, and there’s a celebration with an Ode to the Black Fiddler (OBF) at the Harlem School of the Arts (645 St. Nicholas Avenue) on June 10, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a live DJ experience, followed by a 6:30 p.m. live performance featuring violinists Majid Khaliq and Lee England, Jr. The event is free and open to the public.These two musicians have transformed this well-known classical instrument into a voice that is adaptable in the world of Black music, in the tradition of their predecessors, Philadelphia violinist John Blake, Jr. and Ray Nance, a member of Duke Ellington’s Orchestra. This performance is in association with the IAH Studio and the Harlem School of the Arts as part of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance Uptown Arts Scroll Monday concert series.