In the current Philadelphia Weekly:
Sun Ra Arkestra
Sun., May 24, 8pm. $10. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave. 215.739.9684 www.johnnybrendas.com
Pianist, bandleader and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial Sun Ra (Herman Poole Blount) died in 1993, but he remains an “Afrofuturist” black culture icon whose influence always extended beyond avant-garde jazz. His example looms particularly large in Philadelphia, where he lived from 1968 until the end. So the Sun Ra Arkestra plays on, now under the direction of its longtime alto saxophonist Marshall Allen, who maintains Ra’s old Germantown house as a band residence and rehearsal space. This week’s gig is one of several events tying into “Pathways to Unknown Worlds” [pdf], a Sun Ra art exhibit at ICA. Allen, in addition, turns 85 at midnight, so stick around for your free “moon pie.” — David R. Adler
Comments are closed.