Photo Credit: Ayana Wildgoose
In May 2024, just days after celebrating his 100th solar return, the legendary Marshall Allen continued a legacy of immense musical achievement by setting out for another new frontier. Now, the fruits of his centennial year will finally arrive with New Dawn, the great composer, wind pioneer and Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader’s debut solo album, set to release via Mexican Summer on Feb. 14. To preview the wisdom and spirit captured in his first release under his own name, Allen has shared the album’s title track, featuring vocalist Neneh Cherry.
Allen’s solo debut was recorded in his longtime home of Philadelphia, with close collaboration from fellow Arkestra member and lifelong friend Knoel Scott. “Knoel’s energy became the driving force behind the project,” New Dawn producer Jan Lankisch shares in a release. “He knew Marshall better than anyone, and his deep understanding of Marshall’s compositions guided the selection of material for the album.”
On New Dawn, Allen shows true reverence for the influence of his friends and forebearers while communicating an urgent sonic message all his own. Away from his constant collaborators in the Arkestra, which he joined in 1958 and came to lead in 1995, the cosmic jazz master himself becomes the central focus on this project. In the spotlight, Allen’s subtle personal inflections give voice to the depth of feeling and history in his finely honed style.
“We have created a record that showcases Marshall Allen’s musical versatility,” Lankisch reflects, “including a surprising calmer side we may not have heard before.”
“New Dawn” introduces the album with a perfect demonstration of Allen’s more tender artistic sensibilities. Softly circling strings and poetic verses from Cherry, written by Scott, lift up the composer’s alto saxophone solo, which drifts from tenderly lyrical to wide-eyed and exploratory. After more years of fearless and vital artistic innovation than anyone, Allen’s music is still full of wonder and uniquely capable of revealing a world beyond words. Further selections from the seven-track project will doubtlessly elaborate his initial statement, culminating in a multifarious portrait of a truly singular artist.
New Dawn is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Watch the stirring documentary-style music video for the title track below, and read on for the album’s complete tracklist.
New Dawn – Marshall Allen
1. Prologue
2. African Sunset
3. New Dawn (feat. Neneh Cherry)
4. Are You Ready
5. Sonny’s Dance
6. Boma
7. Angels and Demons at Play