Sibylle Zerr portrays the big band from Philadelphia over a time span of eight years.

Multi-instrumentalist Marshall Allen is among the most striking voices in jazz. His explosive alto saxophone is signature sound of the Sun Ra Arkestra, an iconic African-American big band which he joined in 1958. Succeeding the bands legendary founder Sun Ra who already in his lifetime has turned into a myth of its own, Marshall Allen has directed the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1995. Under the guidance of the 100-year old maestro, the Sun Ra Arkestra has not only survived all the jazz tides but is still cult, and continues to inspire old audiences as well as more and more young people.

'I'm actually painting pictures of infinity with my music, and that's why a lot of people can't understand it,' Sun Ra stated in 1970. His music, however, definitely belongs to the 20th century's musical canon - although, it hardly can be looked upon as a fixed constant. When Sun Ra founded his band around 1952, the extraordinarily gifted pianist, composer and arranger gave it many names, but he always called it 'Arkestra,' meant as a symbiosis of Ark and orchestra, connoting an institution navigating from the past into the future. The 'Arkestra' is Sun Ra's legacy. Even now, its musicians epitomize his oeuvre, and they hand the ken down to the next generation. Thus, Marshall Allen maintained the mastermind's method, without conserving it. And that is how the Arkestra has actually safely arrived at the 21st Century, and is still traveling the globe on Sun Ra's mission - Noah's Ark and avant-garde project in one, stem cell, root and sprout of jazz.

Sibylle Zerr portrays the big band from Philadelphia over a time span of eight years. The monograph, however, stays a fragment by intention, being an open-end collection of photos, quotations and essays worthy of further consideration. This portrayal of the mystery of the music makes Sun Ra's legacy more palpable - without glamorizing or disenchanting it.

Additional Details

Label: IN AND OUT RECORDS GmbH

Genre: Jazz

Region: 0

Release Date: 01/17/25

UPC: 9783000354977