Photographs by Laal Shams
If jazz has ever boasted its own Merlin, the title would have to go to the late cosmically inclined maverick Sun Ra. By that logic, Marshall Allen—who performed on Wednesday as the guest of honor at Vision Festival XIV, continuing tonight through Monday at the beautiful Abrons Arts Center—is without a doubt the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The Philly saxist assumed control of the late Ra’s Arkestra back in ’95, but even so, watching him perform, you can still sense the enthusiasm of a longtime passenger finally getting his turn at the wheel.
As you can see above, the red-cape-and-gold-headpiece-clad Allen was a whirlwind of energy onstage, often gripping his horn with one hand while gesticulating madly with the other. As frenzied as his movements were, the members of the Arkestra—which headlined a bill that also featured double-reedist Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble—seemed to have no trouble translating them into sound: A quick shudder of the arm elicited wild squiggles from the band, while a sudden clenched fist brought them to a dead stop. As in Ra’s day, the Arkestra evoked a feeling of good-natured chaos. Whether tearing into a cacophonous improv passage or riding an easy swing groove, the sparkly-robe-clad members kept the mood buoyant.
In the context of Vision Festival, an annual event devoted to the often dead-serious ’60s-derived wing of free jazz, Allen & Co. brought a refreshing levity. This contrast was especially evident in the opening set, which teamed Allen with Edward “Kidd” Jordan, a veteran saxist who favors a gritty, post-Coltrane approach, as well as the bassists William Parker and Henry Grimes (doubling on violin), and drummer Hamid Drake. While Jordan’s false-register shrieks and relentless flow brought to mind a fire-and-brimstone preacher, Allen—frequently soloing on an Electronic Wind Instrument, a kind of breath-driven synthesizer capable of emitting a wide array of sci-fi bleeps and bloops—came off as a friendly spellcaster. Like his mentor Sun Ra, his mystical excursions may seem esoteric, but in the end, they’re all in the name of fun.
