Allen is best known for his work with Sun Ra, having recorded and performed mostly in this context since the late 1950s, and having led The Sun Ra Arkestra since 1995, after Sun Ra's death in 1993 and John Gilmore's death two years later.[3] Critic Jason Ankeny describes Marshall as "one of the most distinctive and original saxophonists of the postwar era."[3]
Allen is best known for his mastery of explosive, jarring, chaotic sound effects on the alto saxophone. Some have referred to this as a "pyrotechnic" playing style.[6] He has said that he "wanted to play on a broader sound basis rather than on chords" (1971 interview with Tam Fiofori)[7]). The opportunity came through his long association with Sun Ra, with whom he performed almost exclusively from 1958 to Ra's death in 1993, although he did record outside The Sun Ra Arkestra, with Paul Bley's group in 1964 and Olatunji's group during the mid-1960s.[1] Critic Scott Yanow has described Allen's playing as "Johnny Hodges from another dimension".
After Sun Ra died, first John Gilmore led the Arkestra, then Allen took over as leader.[4] The Arkestra recorded two albums with Allen as their bandleader. In May 2004, Allen celebrated his 80th birthday on stage with the Arkestra, as part of their performance at the Ninth Vision Festival in New York City. Allen gave other performances on his birthday in 2008 at Sullivan Hall and at Iridium Jazz Club in 2018, both in New York City.
Allen often appeared in New York-area collaborations with bassist Henry Grimes, and has also participated in the "Innerzone Orchestra" together with Francisco Mora Catlett, Carl Craig and others in an appreciation of Sun Ra's music. He performed the part of Sun Ra, the Egyptian god, in The Eighth Hour of Amduat, an opera with text from a 5000-year-old book on the sun's nightly journey through the underworld.
Honours and later life
In 2022, a building at 5626 Morton Street known as the Arkestral Institute of Sun Ra was listed as a historic landmark in the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Allen began living there in 1968.[8][9]
On October 4 2024 he released the 1st single "African Sunset" from his forthcoming debut album as a solo artist which was recorded a few days after his 100th birthday. The album "New Dawn" will be released on November 29 2024.
