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| The Sun Ra Arkestra Special Halloween Show The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen will make a return visit to the Iridium Jazz Club, New York, NY on October 31 - November 1. It has been said that wherever you go in the history of jazz, the Sun Ra Arkestra has been there and left. An Arkestra experience takes its audience through the history of the music with an otherworldly perspective and leaves them in another world full of possibilities and new directions. Sun Ra has been widely acclaimed as being the founder of the avant- garde jazz movement and he has influenced and inspired musicians who have a firm focus on the future while recognizing the path that brings them to the beyond. The jazz of today sounds a lot like the jazz that Sun Ra played over 40 years ago. What the Sun Ra Arkestra does now is a taste of what the future of jazz will be decades from now. Every Arkestra event on Halloween is a manifestation that is beyond description. Memorable past Arkestra Halloween concerts at Sweet Basil, Lush Life, and The Public Theatre left New York City demanding more and the Iridium will now be the one and only place to be on Halloween. Sun Ra himself twice served as the Grand Marshall of the New York City Halloween parade and his spirit will definitely be present this Wednesday at the Iridium. When Sun Ra left the planet in 1993, the leadership of the Arkestra was assumed by legendary tenor saxophonist John Gilmore until he left this dimension in 1995. Since then, Marshall Allen has been Musical Director and has added a new scope to the Arkestra's repetoire by adding his own unique compositions alongside those of Sun Ra to keep the direction of the band fresh and continually pushing forward. Unlike many “ghost” bands, the Sun Ra Arkestra is actually a spirit band - constantly moving ahead with the spiritual influence of Sun Ra, but with the experience of alumni who worked with Sun Ra in the Arkestra and who have dedicated their lives to the sound of the Arkestra. Marshall Allen leads the veterans in this band with 49 years of continuous service in the Arkestra. There will be 217 years of collective Arkestra experience on the Iridium stage for this October 31 - November 1 appearance. You can expect to hear planetary premieres of new Marshall Allen compositions during the Arkestra's Iridium engagement. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |