Marshall Belford Allen, alto saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and arranger, was born May 25, 1924 in Louisville, Kentucky and started clarinet lessons at age 10. He enlisted in Army’s 92nd Infantry, a unit known as the Buffalo Soldiers. At age 18, he played clarinet and alto saxophone with the 17th Division Special Service Band. He was stationed in Paris during World War II and played with pianist Art Simmons, as well as Don Byas, the saxophonist. In the late ’40s, he recorded and toured with James Moody. After being discharged with an honorable discharge, Allen enrolled at the Paris Conservatory of Music to study clarinet under Delacluse. Marshall returned to the States in 1951 and settled in Chicago. He led his own bands and played in clubs and dance halls while also writing his own music and arrangements. Marshall became a student and friend of Sun Ra in the mid-’50s. Marshall Allen, who joined the Sun Ra Arkestra’s reed section in 1958, led the formidable section for more than 40 years. This was a similar role to that of Johnny Hodges with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Marshall Allen recorded, lived, and toured with Sun Ra for most of his musical career. He also led the reed section when the Sun Ra Arkestra was voted the number-one band in the “Downbeat” polls in 1989 and 1988. Marshall was a featured soloist in the Arkestra’s avante-garde music movement. He influenced all avante-garde saxophonists who followed his lead, expanding on a style that had been influenced by Don Byas and Johnny Hodges. Marshall also created a woodwind instrument called the “morrow” that used a saxophone mouthpiece and an open-hole wooden frame. This instrument is being sold under another name because Marshall did not obtain a patent for his invention. Marshall Allen was a pioneer in jazz music that played traditional African music as well as what we now call “world music”. He worked frequently with Olatunji, his Drums of Passion. Marshall is the most likely jazz musician to build and play the kora, a popular West African multi-stringed instrument. He has played a significant role in its introduction to American audiences and the wider world. Marshall Allen has been featured on more than 200 Sun Ra albums, as well as appearing on special guest solos in concert and on recordings with diverse groups such as NRBQ and Phish, Sonic Youth and Diggable Planets.
