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Sun Ra Arkestra’s Marshall Allen Releases Debut Solo Album at 100-Years-Old
The Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader becomes the oldest person to release a debut album.
Space is still the place… Avant-garde jazz saxophone player Marshall Allen has been with the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1958 and the bandleader of the astral ensemble since Sun Ra’s passing in 1993. After celebrating his hundredth birthday, Allen was far from done “traveling the sonic spaceways,” and embarked on a journey to create his debut solo album New Dawn. Now at 100 years and 265 days old, Allen is certified as the oldest person to release a debut album. Rather than bookending an era, New Dawn presents itself as a new chapter for Allen — a love letter to spacetime that channels a century of musical transience and transcendence into seven outer dimensional tracks.
“I forgot I was 99. I was so caught up in music and building something, that I didn’t have the time to be out there destroying myself.”
A pioneer of the avant-garde, Allen’s contributions both inside and beyond the Arkestra are legendary. Allen’s voice is one of cosmic spirit, transcending the boundaries of traditional jazz and offering an emotional and spiritual resonance that has drawn comparisons to “Johnny Hodges from outer space.” Allen’s music has always been more than just sound, journeying through all strata of creative exploration. His mastery of the saxophone, alongside his dedication and demonstration of Sun Ra’s teachings, has placed him in a distinct position within the avant-garde jazz universe for decades.
New Dawn presents an intimate side of Allen rarely heard before. The album, recorded in Philadelphia in May 2024, was a collaborative effort with Knoel Scott, a fellow Arkestra member and lifelong friend. “Knoel’s energy became the driving force behind the project,” notes New Dawn producer Jan Lankisch. “He knew Marshall better than anyone, and his deep understanding of Marshall’s compositions guided the selection of material for the album.” Scott and Allen pored through an archive of unrecorded material, carefully selecting compositions that would showcase Allen’s vast musical range.
Though greatly informed by the philosophy of Sun Ra and his Saturnian teachings — traverse jazz’s traditions, dig deep into spiritual geographies — New Dawn signals Allen as his own singular voice, one that’s swinging and bopping and reflecting into the future, with no sign of stopping. Week-End Records is proud to release this debut solo album by Marshall Allen.
Door of the Cosmos: Watch the teaser for a new Sun Ra documentary featuring Marshall Allen
