Photo: Sibylle Zerr Alto saxophonist and bandleader Marshall Allen, member of avant-garde jazz ensemble Sun Ra Arkestra since 1957 and the group’s leader since 1995, turned 100 years old on May 25, 2024. Less than one month later, he entered the studio to record Lights On A Satellite with the full 24-member configuration. Pitched as a tribute to Allen and his remarkable tenure with the ensemble, the album is a fantastic ride along well-travelled spaceways, balancing Ra compositions with an eclectic mix of early 20th-century American music.The Arkestra was formed in the mid-1950s by pianist/keyboardist Sun Ra, who would make a name for himself as a seriously prolific composer, tightly disciplined bandleader, explorer of experimental music and philosophy, and pioneer of Afrofuturism. He claimed to be from Saturn and was equally captivated by ancient Egypt and the Space Age. Both of these elements were brought to life onstage, where the Arkestra dressed in elaborate, science fiction-esque costumes inspired by his fascinations. Ra led the Arkestra, an ensemble fluid in both name and lineup, until his death in 1993 and in the process carved a role as one of the most influential figures at the intersection of jazz, space and the experimental. Ra’s stature only grew after his passing, while the Arkestra continued on. It was first led by longtime Arkestra saxophonist John Gilmore, who died only two years after Ra. Next in succession came Allen, who continues to lead the group to this very day.
Allen’s background is a bit more down to Earth. He served in the 92nd Infantry Division during WWII and was stationed in France, where he remained after being honourably discharged. This gave him the opportunity to study music at a Paris conservatory, cutting his teeth playing throughout Europe for several years. When he finally returned to America, he first encountered the music of Sun Ra in a Chicago record store. The storeowner sold Allen one of Ra’s demos, then informed him that the musician was often around, regularly practising and always searching for new talent. Allen told The Guardian in early 2024, “We went up to the boiler room where Sun Ra was rehearsing. He was talking about outer space. I was saying: ‘What kind of band is this? I want to be in this band!’”
You might say it was all cosmic history from there. Allen joined the Arkestra and never left, honing the singularly expressive tone of his saxophone and frequently working as Ra’s right-hand man. His flexible style and irrepressible tone were perfectly suited to shift between modes, moods and possibly even dimensions. It’s dizzying to behold the vast Arkestra discography, but Ra is said to have recorded over 200 albums with the band – and that doesn’t even include anything recorded after his death.
Which brings us back to Lights On A Satellite, a welcome new recording from a maestro who has seen it all and then some. The titular track is a terrific way to open the set, a gentle piano melody in conversation with a tapestry of saxophones, carried along on the wave of a full-fledged orchestra. Stand-out solos abound throughout: James Stewart’s explosive tenor saxophone on “Reflects Motion”, Farid Barron’s limber piano on “Images”, Knoel Scott’s yearning baritone on Sun Ra staple “Tapestry From An Asteroid”. One of the few non-Ra compositions by another jazz musician is “Dorothy’s Dance”, written by one-time Arkestra trumpeter and fellow innovator Phil Cohran. The album even includes what could be considered the world premiere of Ra’s slowburn, swinging 1955 composition “Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine”, a piece unearthed by Allen in his estate six years ago but only recently added to the ensemble’s repertoire. The Arkestra breathes completely new life into “Holiday For Strings”, a classic American composition best known for its use as a mid-century variety show theme song. Their version swings but steers mostly clear of novelty territory, the original’s vague pleasance transformed into an exuberant fantasia studded with free jazz saxophone shrieks and an agile guitar solo.
Sun Ra’s power exists, in part, due to the polyphonic sweep of his influences, expertly bridging the swinging big band of his first life as Herman Blount with the far out, cosmic explorations of his second coming as Saturn’s son. That breadth is lovingly captured here, a fitting tribute to Allen’s own terrific musicianship, intuitive leadership of the band and continued stewardship of Ra’s music.
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