Saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Marshall Allen has released the official video for “New Dawn,” featuring Neneh Cherry. A joined Sun Ra’s Arkestra in 1958, and he has led it since Ra’s passing in 1993. At the age of 100, he is releasing his first solo album. Allen worked with fellow Arkestra member Knoel Scott to craft the album, which was recorded two days after his May 25, 2024, centennial birthday. “New Dawn” is the title track from the album, which showcases Allen’s versatility as an innovator of avant-garde jazz. Cherry was last heard on The Versions, which was a remix album of her music released in 2022. Allen and Cherry have created a smoky piece of classic jazz made for slow dancing. New Dawn comes out February 14th. 

Sun Ra’s Arkestra has released the single “Baby Won’t You Please Be Mine.” The song is the second single from their album, Lights On A Satellite. The Arkestra recorded the album to acknowledge Marshall Allen’s 100th birthday this year. Allen has played his alto saxophone in the Arkestra since 1958 and has led the band since Sun Ra’s 1993 passing. Lights On A Satellite pays homage to his legacy as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, bandleader, teacher, and keeper of Sun Ra’s flame. Sun Ra wrote “Baby, Won’t You Please Be Mine” in 1955, and Allen discovered it six years ago. Tara Middleton’s vocals, with their Billie Holiday-like phrasing, suggest that the song was written for Holiday or with her in mind. Allen became a centenarian last May, and the new album celebrates that rare milestone as well as Sun Ra’s legacy. The video of the band performing “Baby, Won’t You Please Be Mine” was filmed in June at the Power Station Studio A in New York City.