Marshall Allen

Upon returning to the United States, he formed his own dance band and began writing his first original compositions. In 1956, Allen met Sun Ra and joined his band, Arkestra, two years later. He would remain with the band for forty years and earned the reputation of one of the postwar era’s most distinctive and original saxophonists. Allen played on over two hundred recordings such as 1958’s Jazz in Silhouette, 1969’s Atlantis, 1973’s Space Is The Place and 1986’s Hours After.

When the Arkestra was on hiatus, Allen worked with Olatunji and his Drums of Passion, learning to build and play the Kora. He appeared alongside musicians such as Phish, Sonic Youth and Digable Planets.

In 1995, after the death of Sun Ra in 1993, Allen assumed control of the Arkestra and led the ensemble into the new millennium. Alongside his new role as leader, he also gave masterclasses, lectures and demonstrations of the band’s creative principles. He also founded the El Ra label, which is home to recordings such as 1999’s A Song for the Sun and 2004’s Music for the 21st Century.

In 2014, he created the two-disc anthology In The Orbit of Ra, which details the majority of the Arkestra’s history through their music.