A member of the Sun Ra Arkestra for 66 years, beginning in 1957; and the leader of the world-famous Arkestra for the last 29 years, Marshall Allen has kept the spirit and vision alive, holding together the Arkestra of old and new players with an increasingly active performance schedule that kept them circling Planet Earth with the vision and intergalactic spirit that has come to define Afro-Futurism. With singular energy and enthusiasm, he has kept inspiring his players while delivering powerful alto sax solos, and note-bending sounds on an electric  EVI horn, eliciting loud cheers from audiences.

“Some people are geniuses. Some people advance more than others in life,” Allen said in an interview with The Inquirer. “I’m just trying to balance my music and my life. The more new things come, you try to change with the times.”