The 2012 Jazz Celebration featured guest artist was Marshall Allen--alto saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and arranger. Mr. Allen started on the clarinet at age 10. Stationed in Paris during World War II, he played with pianist Art Simmons and saxophonist Don Byas, and he toured and recorded with James Moody during the late '40s. Upon honorable discharge, Mr. Allen enrolled in the Paris Conservatory of Music, studying clarinet with Delacluse.
Marshall Allen is recognized all over the world as the premier avant-garde saxophonist, appearing in solo concert in London in 1995, duet with Terry Adams in 1997 in Canada, and featured in articles in JazzTimes (12/02), Signal to Noise Magazine, and innumerable other music magazines and radio and TV interviews. He is frequently called upon to give master classes, lectures, and demonstrations of Sun Ra's musical precepts, and he keeps himself accessible to all who have an interest in Sun Ra's legacy.
