The Sun Ra Arkestra live at Nottingham Contemporary. Photo: Sam Kirby
As a part of the Alien Encounters season, Nottingham Contemporary are housing an exhibition celebrating the work of legendary jazz musician and Afro-Futurist, Sun Ra. A week of events to coincide with the exhibition culminated with a live performance by the Sun Ra Arkestra, the group originally formed by Sun Ra and now led by veteran saxophonist, Marshall Allen.
Entering the stage in otherworldly costumes which shimmered under the Contemporary's bunker lights, the Arkestra invited the crowd on a cosmic journey, epitomised by opening vocalist Tara Middleton's foreboding lyrics, damning the darkness in the sky. It was only so long before Marshall Allen unleashed his signature EWI (electronic wind instrument). Spurting an entrancing flurry of high-pitched glitches emblematic of the Arkestra's avant-garde space-jazz sound, the synthesiser is best described as the love child of an oboe, and a clanger.
After the interval The Arkestra performed Angels and Demons At Play. A hypnotically simplistic marriage of double-bass and flute chords sat perfectly over Middleton's rhythmic cooing of 'ohh' and 'ahh', lulling the crowd into a trance-like calmness.
It is always said that there is calm before a storm, and, as prophesied, the storm arrived- in the form of the Arkestra's maestro, Marshall Allen, for a solo display of his legendary free-flowing talents. His alto saxophone ripped and squealed as it meandered sporadically on a sonic orbit. Hollers of “Yeah, play it man!" could be heard from the band in support of their leader.
The Sun Ra Arkestra live at Nottingham Contemporary. Photo: Sam Kirby
The interchangeable nature of The Arkestra has seen a multitude of musicians perform since its mythological inception. Following the death of Sun Ra and John Gilmore, the group have released two albums under Allen's stewardship. The next song, Swirling, was one of his compositions, to which Knoel Scott leaped and bounded across in the stage performing his unique 'space dance'.
The cosmic journey rose to crescendo with a rousing rendition of Rocket Number
9, underpinned by a crowd-pleasing clap-along trombone beat that prompted the musicians to step off the stage, and slowly parade through the crowd while exclaiming intergalactic chants of “ZOOM ZOOM, up in the air!” and “next stop Mars!”.
Making their final departure behind the curtains, wondrous applause filled the Contemporary. The lights came on to reveal a crowd abuzz with chatter. It was clear that the Arkestra's cosmic journey provided the audience with a catharsis that only the most potent jazz can induce.
The Sun Ra Arkestra performed at Nottingham Contemporary on Sunday 25 October 2015.
The Alien Encounters exhibition can still be caught until Thursday 31 December 2015.
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