The Sun Ra Arkestra, led by Marshall Allen, the 101-year-old saxophonist who has performed with the group since 1955, closed out “Summer Thunder” at Union Pool on August 24. The avant-jazz collective took listeners on a sonic journey at the free annual summer series hosted by the popular Brooklyn bar, with two sets of cosmic, groove-filled explorations of sound and space.
The Sun Ra Arkestra channels the philosophic sensibilities of late bandleader, composer, and keyboardist Sun Ra, who used unconventional music and experimental art to build worlds and push the limits of jazz, pioneering concepts that evolved into Afro-futurism and world music and influencing artists that include Parliament-Funkadelic, Flying Lotus, and Kamasi Washington. The band, led by centennial horn player Marshall Allen since 1995 after the deaths of both Sun Ra and fellow longtime saxophonist John Gilmore in 1993 and 1995, has featured world-class players like Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, and June Tyson.
Allen, who released his first solo album, “New Dawn,” before of his 101st birthday in May, led the Arkestra on Sunday afternoon through a spacey, diverse journey of sound that incorporated Afro-Latin rhythms, be-bop swing and harmony, and unusual noises made both by conventional instruments and ones less so, like Allen’s Electronic Valve Instrument. He at times rose from his seat to give direction to the players, cueing soloists and sections of the tunes and shaping the landscape of the performance.
The audience, who formed a line that wrapped around one side of the block three times before the doors opened, packed out the Brooklyn bar patio where the Arkestra staged an intimate show. $10 shot + beer specials flowed while bemused fans and community members watched in amazement as spontaneity and adventure unfolded before them.
Allen’s approach to playing the horn is truly unique and difficult to describe — he plays like a rockstar, at times one-handed, loud and noisy, reminiscent of rock guitar gods like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. Yet, in the chaos and noise, his harmonic choices, rooted in the complexity of be-bop jazz, feel right at home. Allen has found a way to expand on the language, not only of jazz or the saxophone, but of music and expression as a whole through his unapologetic, unabashed, uncopied approach at performing, which has developed and evolved over his seven-decade career.
At 101, the Guiness World Record-holding musician continues to find new ways to express himself and explore the limitless possibilities of art and sound. Little was said during the performance — the music largely spoke for itself, but the presence of unity, freedom, and fun could be felt throughout the bar on Sunday as the Arkestra initiated their exit procession. You can stay up to date with Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Arkestra at sunraarkestra.com.