(Photograph by Baron Wolman / Getty)
After the long essay on Mal Waldron and Steve Lacy (apologies if it was too long), I hope to post shorter pieces more quickly for a while. First, we need to acknowledge two amazing events of planetary, no, universal importance – today, May 22, 2024, is the 110th anniversary of Sun Ra’s arrival day, and then May 25 is the Marshall Allen centennial. I trust there will be coverage of these two important events elsewhere because I can’t hope to fully capture their importance. Instead, I’ll add links to coverage in the notes below as I read what people have to say about two of the all-time great musicians.
Sun Ra, who passed into the next plane 31 years ago, is an epochal musical and spiritual force, a trailblazer of more styles and ideas than anyone. I really can’t top the way WKCR described Sun Ra at the time of his centennial: “the living myth commonly known as Sun Ra” is “an integral part of the Afro-Surrealist and Afro-Futurist movements, [and] has left the genre of jazz with an incredibly prolific collection of music, poetry, philosophy and more to listen to and learn from.” To celebrate, make sure you listen to WKCR, who will be playing 24 hours of Sun Ra that started at 1 AM and runs through the entirety of May 22. Stream WKCR here, or if you’re in the New York area, you can listen at 89.9 FM.
Another fantastic way to celebrate arrival day is to listen to the new archival release on Elemental Records, Sun Ra At the Showcase, Live in Chicago 1976-1977. The set, released for Record Store Day and available on Bandcamp, consists of mid 70’s live recordings of the Arkestra which canvass an array of the bands’ styles and compositions. The lead essay, authored by John Corbett, perceptively calls Ra’s mid-70s live shows the “Ra Revue” because of the way they summarize all the periods of Ra’s music that came before. An ideal introduction! Throughout the two discs of this set, you’ll hear Sun Ra’s percussion-centered Afro-Futurism, music from Ra’s big band and bop roots, and a swirling mix of pan-African, free jazz, spiritual, blues, and other dimensional music. There are killer solos from John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Ra himself on a battery of electronics and synthesizers. The set comes with excellent essays by an eye-popping array of creative music stars such as Michael Weiss, David Murray, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Burrell, Matthew Shipp, and Thurston Moore. The period photos from the gigs and album artwork are also top-notch. The booklet alone is worth the purchase – yet another winner from Zev Feldman (AKA the “Jazz Detective”).
Sun Ra’s discography is far too immense for me to even scratch the surface here, so I’ll point you to some resources for your listening enjoyment. There is tons of Sun Ra on Bandcamp – search “Sun Ra” there and you’ll find over 130 albums available to sample before you buy. So a natural place to go are the two guides that Bandcamp put together – A Guide to the Many Sun Ra Albums Now Available on Bandcamp by Patrick Jarenwattananon and A Further Exploration of the Many Sun Ra Albums on Bandcamp by Piotr Orlov. I can also recommend a good 2017 guide by Andy Beta published in New York Magazine. One thing I plan on doing for arrival day is to watch the 1980 documentary that features a lot of Ra playing in the Philadelphia period, A Joyful Noise. So many places to go, but that’s the fun, isn’t it? Almost any Sun Ra fan will have their own personal favorites, and it’s a joy to listen widely and make your own.
For a contemporary channeling of the Sun Ra muse, the series of tributes by the Red Hot Org is a remarkable demonstration of Sun Ra’s legacy and relevance. Last May, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Angel Bat Dawid, and Irreversible Entanglements tackled Ra’s Nuclear War, followed in October by the delightful Sun Ra in Brasil. Meshell Ndegeocello was on one track from that last album, and in the latest entry of the series, she creates a whole album redesigning the classic The Magic City. Using Ndegeocello to cover/recreate this music was a stroke of genius, and she’s supported by Immanuel Wilkins, Darius Jones, and, yes, Marshall Allen himself.
(Wikipedia Commons – Marshall Allen in 2019)
Speaking of Marshall Allen, that brings us to the second phenomenal celebration this week: Saturday the 25th is the 100th birthday of the ongoing and amazing Marshall Allen. Not only is Allen one of the featured soloists on the Arkestra records above, but he has continued leading that group into the current millennium. Allen’s alto sax is a wonder – he effortlessly threads bop and jazz roots music with the avant-garde, and in “free” mode, his bracing sound is unique. I love the observation by Scott Yanow that Marshall Allen is “Johnny Hodges from another dimension,” a quote that captures Allen’s centrality in the Arkestra and his mix of high art with folkloric forms. You can hear plenty of Allen on the recent Swirling (2020) and Living Sky (2022). It’s a miracle that Allen sounds so vital on these albums, well into his 90’s. Here’s the Arkestra’s Halloween 2014 Tiny Desk concert, which observed Ra’s centennial. Ten years on, now it’s Allen’s centennial. Although given his age, Allen has understandably retired from touring outside of the Philadelphia area, I believe he’ll be in NYC when the Arkestra plays with Yo La Tengo at New York Sony Hall on June 15 and for a free show with Kim Gordon at NYC Summerstage on June 13. I’m still kicking myself that I missed Sun Ra with Sonic Youth in 1992, so don’t make that mistake – I’ll see you there!
Updated May 25, 2024
Happy 100th birthday to the great Marshall Allen! When I wrote this article, I didn’t know WKCR would be doing a marathon for Allen’s birthday. They are! Tune in here or at 89.9 FM if you’re in NYC and want to use an old-fashioned radio.
Allen performed last night in Philadelphia to celebrate his 100th birthday! Incredible. You can find a picture of Allen performing last night at Union Transfer here.
It’s a great day to appreciate Allen’s enormous legacy. Check out this interview in The Guardian from this February, where Allen reflects on his life and playing with Sun Ra. Allen interviewed with CBS42 just a few days ago. I love how he credits the music for making it to 100. That’s a good reason for us all to listen!