At 99 years old, Marshall Allen is still exploring Sun Ra’s ‘space music’
The jazz musician has been with Sun Ra Arkestra since the 1950s.
Marshall Allen meandered around his Germantown residence late one summer morning, pointing out projects on his home improvement list: Displaying the Sun Ra-themed artwork that crowds its every surface, fixing various instruments, cleaning rust and dirt.
The 99-year-old musician said lately he takes occasional breaks in his physical work. But as the director of the experimental jazz powerhouse, the Sun-Ra Arkestra, his energy and enthusiasm haven’t wavered.
» READ MORE: From 2020: Sun Ra Arkestra is now traveling the spaceways with their first studio album in decades
Allen joined the Arkestra in the 1950s after becoming enraptured with the intense, chaotic style of the band’s founder Herman Poole Blount aka Sun Ra. He heard a demo and began attending rehearsals on Chicago’s South Side.
“Every night I’d go up there with my horn, but I didn’t play. I’d just listen to the band,” Allen said. “I couldn’t play the music... the way it’s supposed to be done.”
Allen eventually became one of the group’s longest tenured members.
» READ MORE: At 99, he’s playing sold-out shows in sequined robes
The band moved from Chicago to New York before landing in Philadelphia’s Germantown. After Sun Ra’s death in 1993, Allen became the leader of the group.
The 16-member Arkestra played sold out shows in New York, Baltimore and Philly to celebrate Allen’s 99th birthday.