Even well into his second century, practically ageless wonder Marshall Allen continues to record, perform, and defy any conventional logic. Who else remains as a live performer and bandleader at 102? 101: An Aural Odyssey (Ropeadope/ Third Way Cultural Alliance, 2026), helmed by the iconic bassist Jamaladeen Tacuma, was primarily recorded in 2025 during the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN, with additional post-production in Philadelphia and Mexico City. Allen on alto saxophone, Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI), and kora revels in the company of such luminaries as Immanuel Wilkins, Nels Cline, and his fellow Sun Ra Arkestra members, guitarist DM Hotep and vocalist Tara Middleton. Other contributors include Braxton Bateman (trumpet, drums, piano), Roberto Verastegui (keys), Malcolm Charles (drums, keys), Ru-DEEP (electric guitar), and King Noli (drums, keys).
Though Tacuma and Allen lived in adjacent Philadelphia neighborhoods, the two did not meet until 1981 when in a serendipitous sharing of a train car from NYC they ended up discussing Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, and the need to preserve creative Black music. Tacuma was particularly interested in Sun Ra’s collaboration with Walt Dickerson, a vibraphonist who had initially turned Tacuma on to the Arkestra. But then came decades of relative silence with Tacuma and Allen not crossing paths until 2015 when the former invited the latter to headline the Creative Outsiders Festival. Since then, however, the two have collaborated on several projects, including Allen’s 2025 debut as a leader. They discussed more projects, with 101 coming together rather spontaneously and fortuitously at Big Ears.
The album has eleven tracks, reflecting a few different group configurations, with Allen participating in eight of them. “Bass Thrust” features Tacuma on his usual electric bass and, rather surprisingly given his renown as a saxophonist, Immanuel Wilkins on upright acoustic bass. After the bass duo set the groove over a bed of electronics, courtesy of Cline and Charles, Allen delivers his jagged, staccato lines on alto, mostly in a series of sharp bursts. Tacuma leads the way with a thick bassline in “Slingshot Effect,” one of the three without Allen. Beyond that, the previous unit stays intact, with Wilkins switching to his customary alto, sending splinters, or perhaps shards, of light through the foggy electronics served up by Cline and Charles. “The Vernacular of the Cosmic” is a trio with Marshall blowing his EWI like no other, in concert with Wilkins’ alto and Charles drums. Yes, it’s too pat, but the sound is indeed cosmic.
“Well of Being” is another track riding on Tacuma’s strong-as-oak bassline while Allen and Wilkins both blow their altos along with trumpeter Braxton Batemen. It’s a free funk tune that is easily one of the hardest-hitting tracks on the record. Following a teasingly brief interlude of Marshall, Wilkins, and Bateman on their respective horns, the expansive “The Deepest Love” is the first of two to feature the Arkestra’s vocalist, Tara Middleton. It also features the aforementioned ensemble from the first few tracks in a dramatic piece that brings in the keyboards and strings orchestration by Verastegui. Middleton’s vocals soar lightly above the mix of twin altos, EWI, and Cline’s ever-present guitar and electronics.
Tacuma and Charles (on drums) again take the funky route of “Extraterrestrial Groove” as Allen injects his shrieking jabs. Wilikins is more measured in his attack, developing a fesity dialogue with Cline’s guitar runs. The aptly titled piece removes any lingering doubts about Tacuma being one of the most formidable electric bassists performing today. “Funky Robot” further cements that thought, with the ensemble strutting forward without Allen and Wilkins. It’s Bateman’s turn to shine, backed by the twin guitars of Cline and Ru-Deep amidst a sea of electronics from Tacuma, Cline, and Charles’ keys.
Cline steps out with a burst of string picking in a duet with drummer Charles on “Cosmic String Slinger.” The core ensemble reassembles for “Meteor Gathering,” one of the more straightforward – though thoroughly angular. The ever-present and prevalent Tacuma and the kinetic Bateman (now on drums) keep the boiler hot. The closer may be the most intriguing of all. Allen plays the kora to far more subtle but solid support from Tacuma’s bass as Middleton recites spacey spoken words on “Ancestral Astral Traveler.”
After a career that spans longer than many lifetimes, Allen’s debut, New Dawn (Week-End, 2025), was a delight. But his age has seemingly not slowed the saxophonist down at all. Instead, he has seemingly only further continued to grow and develop. The highly textured and varied acoustic-electronic mix of 101: An Aural Odyssey is yet a further evolution in a career full of surprises.
‘101: An Aural Odyessy’ is out now on Ropeadope Records/Third Way Cultural Alliance. It can be purchased on Bandcamp.
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