2024 Centenarian Jazz Icon
Marshall Allen
The century-old saxophonist/bandleader was right-hand man to the legendary and legendarily out-there Germantown icon Sun Ra during his time on Earth. Since Ra departed for other dimensions, Allen has kept transmitting their brand of otherworldly wildness into the cosmos. Allen and his Arkestra are torchbearers for free, experimental, uncontainable jazz, and part of the reason nobody needs to say “Keep Philly weird.” Our weird is forever.