Marshall Belford Allen, a young musician, was born May 25, 1924. Marshall Belford Allen (b. May 25, 1924) was a young musician who performed with Don Byas, James Moody and pianist Art Simmons before enrolling at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Allen moved to Chicago and became a pupil at Sun Ra. He joined the Arkestra in 1958, and led the Arkestra’s formidable reed section over the next 40-years. Marshall, June Tyson, John Gilmore and James Jacson lived, rehearsed and toured with Sun Ra for a large part of Sun Ra’s musical career. Allen, a Arkestra member, pioneered the Free Jazz movement in the early sixties and had a profound influence on many of the avant-garde’s leading voices. In addition to his collaborations with Sonic Youth, Digable Planets, Medeski, Martin, and Phish, Allen is featured on more than 200 Sun Ra records.
