Meistro Marshall Allen turns 87 today.
Marshall Allen played reeds with Sun Ra for decades. Matthew Shipp has created one of the most distinctive piano voices of his generation. Joe Morris anchors on bass, an instrument he mastered after first establishing himself as a guitarist. At the CareFusion Newport Folk Festival in Newport, R.I., the meeting of three top free improvisers performing Night Suites 1-5.
Personnel: Marshall Allen, winds; Matthew Shipp, piano; Joe Morris, bass.
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Marshall's bio at AMG:
A longtime member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, alto saxophonist Marshall Allen later assumed leadership of the group following the deaths of Ra and his immediate successor, John Gilmore. He was also a regular collaborator of Babatunde Olatunji, in the process emerging as one of the first jazz musicians to fuse the avant-garde with traditional African music.
Allen was born May 25, 1924, in Louisville, KY, beginning clarinet lessons at the age of ten. After enlisting with the U.S. Army's renowned Buffalo Soldiers in 1942, he played clarinet and alto saxophone with the 17th Division Special Service Band, subsequently forming a trio with pianist Art Simmons and guitarist Don Byas while stationed in Paris. After spending the late '40s touring and recording behind James Moody, Allen studied at the Paris Conservatory of Music before returning stateside in 1951, settling in Chicago and forming his own dance band. He also began writing his first original compositions.
Circa 1956, Allen met Sun Ra, joining the pianist's legendary Arkestra two years later. He would go on to lead its reed section for more than four decades, over time earning renown as one of the most distinctive and original saxophonists of the postwar era. In tandem with tenorist Gilmore and baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick, Allen played on more than 200 Sun Ra recordings. He also developed his own reed instrument (dubbed the "morrow") by attaching a saxophone mouthpiece to an open-hole wooden body but failed to patent his creation, which is now commercially available under different names.
Whenever the Arkestra went on hiatus, Allen moonlighted with Olatunji and his Drums of Passion, even learning to build and play the West African multi-stringed instrument the kora; he also guested on live dates and recordings headlined by a multitude of next-generation musicians, including jam band Phish, avant rock combo Sonic Youth, and hip-hop upstarts Digable Planets. When Sun Ra died in 1993, the Arkestra's reins were handed to Gilmore, who himself passed away two years later; at that point Allen assumed control, leading the 18-piece ensemble well into the next millennium. In addition to giving master classes, lectures, and demonstrations of Sun Ra's enduring creative principles, Allen also founded the El Ra label, home to such latter-day Arkestra recordings as A Song for the Sun and Music for the 21st Century.
Allen was born May 25, 1924, in Louisville, KY, beginning clarinet lessons at the age of ten. After enlisting with the U.S. Army's renowned Buffalo Soldiers in 1942, he played clarinet and alto saxophone with the 17th Division Special Service Band, subsequently forming a trio with pianist Art Simmons and guitarist Don Byas while stationed in Paris. After spending the late '40s touring and recording behind James Moody, Allen studied at the Paris Conservatory of Music before returning stateside in 1951, settling in Chicago and forming his own dance band. He also began writing his first original compositions.
Circa 1956, Allen met Sun Ra, joining the pianist's legendary Arkestra two years later. He would go on to lead its reed section for more than four decades, over time earning renown as one of the most distinctive and original saxophonists of the postwar era. In tandem with tenorist Gilmore and baritone saxophonist Pat Patrick, Allen played on more than 200 Sun Ra recordings. He also developed his own reed instrument (dubbed the "morrow") by attaching a saxophone mouthpiece to an open-hole wooden body but failed to patent his creation, which is now commercially available under different names.
Whenever the Arkestra went on hiatus, Allen moonlighted with Olatunji and his Drums of Passion, even learning to build and play the West African multi-stringed instrument the kora; he also guested on live dates and recordings headlined by a multitude of next-generation musicians, including jam band Phish, avant rock combo Sonic Youth, and hip-hop upstarts Digable Planets. When Sun Ra died in 1993, the Arkestra's reins were handed to Gilmore, who himself passed away two years later; at that point Allen assumed control, leading the 18-piece ensemble well into the next millennium. In addition to giving master classes, lectures, and demonstrations of Sun Ra's enduring creative principles, Allen also founded the El Ra label, home to such latter-day Arkestra recordings as A Song for the Sun and Music for the 21st Century.
by Jason Ankeny
In 2005, Marshall released a stunning album of duets with NRBQ pianist Terry Adams called Ten by Two. The CD artwork is a throwback to the glory years of Sun Records, with the album title simply stating that 10 tracks are from the two performers, pianist Terry Adams (NRBQ) - who also plays a Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer - and alto saxophonist Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra).
Five numbers each are from the August 18, 1996, performance at the Brooklyn Museum and June 27, 1997, set during the Toronto DowntownJazz Festival. What makes the pairing click is how they easily flow into any number of musical genres - classic pop, jazz, avant-garde, blues - without a hitch. A neat gem is "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" - the iconic masterpiece from Hal David and Burt Bacharach - while the ragtime vibe is vivacious throughout "My Little Brother."
Adams and Allen obviously have a special professional/personal respect for each other and it is clearly heard note-by-note during the serious fun.
Amazon Review
In 2005, Marshall released a stunning album of duets with NRBQ pianist Terry Adams called Ten by Two. The CD artwork is a throwback to the glory years of Sun Records, with the album title simply stating that 10 tracks are from the two performers, pianist Terry Adams (NRBQ) - who also plays a Yamaha DX-7 synthesizer - and alto saxophonist Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra).
Five numbers each are from the August 18, 1996, performance at the Brooklyn Museum and June 27, 1997, set during the Toronto DowntownJazz Festival. What makes the pairing click is how they easily flow into any number of musical genres - classic pop, jazz, avant-garde, blues - without a hitch. A neat gem is "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" - the iconic masterpiece from Hal David and Burt Bacharach - while the ragtime vibe is vivacious throughout "My Little Brother."
Adams and Allen obviously have a special professional/personal respect for each other and it is clearly heard note-by-note during the serious fun.
Amazon Review
Ten By Two
1. Prelude To A Kiss (Live) 5:57
2. Wrong Gasket (Live) 3:29
3. Cocktails For Two (Live) 3:50
4. Blue Skies (Live) 5:20
5. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Live) 2:56
6. Friday The 13th (Live) 4:30
7. Hey Little Brother (Live) 4:39
8. Interstellar Low Ways (Live) 5:22
9. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good (Live) 4:44
10. Evil Art (Live) 3:45
2. Wrong Gasket (Live) 3:29
3. Cocktails For Two (Live) 3:50
4. Blue Skies (Live) 5:20
5. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head (Live) 2:56
6. Friday The 13th (Live) 4:30
7. Hey Little Brother (Live) 4:39
8. Interstellar Low Ways (Live) 5:22
9. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good (Live) 4:44
10. Evil Art (Live) 3:45
or
joyeux anniversaire, maestro allen, feliz cumpleaños!
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