Jazz on 3 - Marshall Allen

Jez Nelson presents a gig by avant-garde saxophonist Marshall Allen performed at Cafe Oto. Known for his deeply spiritual approach to music, influenced by space-age science-fiction and Egyptian cosmology, Allen stopped by the small East London venue while on a European tour with the Sun Ra Arkestra. The band features the Arkestra's 25-year-old piano player Farid Barron alongside British musicians Paul Hession on drums and John Edwards on bass. Marshall Allen met mystical keyboardist and bandleader Sun Ra in 1956. They lived, rehearsed, toured and recorded together as part of Sun Ra's big band The Arkestra for over 40 years. Allen assumed leadership of the group after the death of Sun Ra in 1993 and John Gilmore in 1995, and continues to write new pieces for it. Allen also frequently works in traditional African music with Olatunji and his Drums of Passion. Excerpt from Moon Maiden by Duke Ellington (details below) Marshall Allen recorded at Cafe Oto on 6 July 2009 Line-up for set one: Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, Electronic Wind Instrument) Farid Mundir Barron (piano) Paul Hession (drums) Linton Chiswick presents a feature on the relationship between the space race and jazz. Music played during the feature: Artist: Duke Ellington Track: Moon Maiden Composer: Duke Ellington Album: The Intimate Ellington Label: Pablo Records Released: 1977 Artist: Shorty Rogers and His Giants Track: Martians Go Home Composer: Shorty Rogers Album: Swingin' Mr Rogers Label: Atlantic Released: 1955 Artist: Betty Carter Track: Something Wonderful Composer: Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II Album: Out There with Betty Carter Label: Blue Moon Released: 1958 Artist: Gil Scott-Heron Track: Whitey on the Moon Composer: Gil Scott-Heron Album: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Label: Bluebird RCA Released: 1974 Artist: Sun Ra Track: Space is the Place Composer: Sun Ra Album: Space Is the Place Label: Impulse Released: 1972 Artist: John Coltrane Track: Sun Ship Composer: John Coltrane Album: Sun Ship Label: Impulse Released: 1965 Artist: Miles Davis Track: In a Silent Way Composer: Miles Davis Album: In a Silent Way Label: Legacy Released: 1969 Artist: Sun Ra Track: Spaceship Lullaby Composer: Sun Ra Album: Spaceship Lullaby Label: Atavistic Re-released: 2003 Artist: Sun Ra Track: Rocket Number Nine Composer: Sun Ra Album: Space Is the Place Label: Impulse Released: 1972 Artist: Anthony Braxton Track: Composition 323a Composer: Anthony Braxton Album: Trio (Glasgow) 2005 Label: Leo Records Released: 2007 Artist: Sun Ra Track: Sun-Earth Rock Composer: Sun Ra Album: Night of the Purple Moon Label: Atavistic Re-released: 2007 Recommended further reading: Travelling the Spaceways: Sun Ra the Astro Black and other Solar Myths by John Corbett (WhiteWalls, 2009) Blutopia: Visions of the future and revisions of the past in the work of Sun Ra, Duke Ellington and Anthony Braxton by Graham Lock (Duke University Press, 1999) Marshall Allen recorded at Cafe Oto on 6 July 2009 Line-up for set two: Marshall Allen (alto saxophone, Electronic Wind Instrument) Farid Mundir Barron (piano) Paul Hession (drums) John Edwards (bass).