Marshall Allen
Marshall Belford Allen (born May 25, 1924 in Louisville , Kentucky ) is an American alto saxophonist of avant-garde and free jazz . He also plays the flute , oboe , piccolo , kora and EVI (an Akai electronic instrument ).
Live and act
Marshall Allen was best known for his collaboration with avant-garde keyboardist and band leader Sun Ra , with whom he recorded numerous albums since the late 1950s; since 1995 he has headed the Sun Ra Arkestra .
Allen's mother was a singer; at the age of ten he began with the clarinet. During World War II, Marshall served in the US Army's 92nd Infantry Division , played in an army band, and was stationed in France. After the war he studied alto saxophone in Paris and played there a. a. with Art Simmons and James Moody . After returning to the United States in 1951, he settled in Chicago and played in dance bands. 1958 began his long-term collaboration with Sun Ra, with whom he performed until his death in 1993; he also took part in recordings with Paul Bly's band in 1964 and played with Olatunji's ensemble in the mid-1960s . The jazz critic Scott Yanow described Allen's playing style as that of a " Johnny Hodges from another dimension".
After the deaths of Sun Ra and John Gilmore , Allen took over the management of Arkestra and recorded three albums as its director, A Song for the Sun , Music for the 21st Century and Live at the Paradox . In May 2004 Allen celebrated his eightieth birthday on stage with the Arkestra as part of its appearance at the ninth Vision Festival in New York City . In 2008, Allen performed at Sullivan Hall in New York City on his birthday . Allen makes frequent appearances in New York with bassist Henry Grimes and participated in the Outerzone Orchestra project, which is dedicated to the work of Sun Ra. In 1995, for example in London, he also made solo appearances.
Discographic notes
- Terry Adams & Marshall Allen: Ten by Two (Edisun, 1996-1997)
- Tyrone Hill Quartet Featuring Marshall Allen: Out of the Box (1998)
- Allen / Drake / Jordan / Parker / Silva : The All-Star Game (2003)
- Marshall Allen, Jeffrey Shurdut, Michael Ray , Toshi Makihara : Cosmic Tsunami (2005)
literature
- Sibylle Zerr : Picture Infinity: Marshall Allen & The Sun Ra Arkestra , First edition 2011, ISBN 978-3-00-035497-7
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
- Allen (ElRaRecords)
- Marshall Allen at Allmusic (English)
- Portrait in the WoZ
- Official website of the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen
- Marshall Allen at Discogs (English)
- Interview in Electronic Beats (2014)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Allen, Marshall |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Allen, Marshall Belford (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American alto saxophonist of avant-garde and free jazz |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 25, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Louisville , Kentucky |