Sun Ra Arkestra in Switzerland June 22 - 23, 2012

The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen will be involved in a unique program at the Uncool Festival in Poschiavo, Switzerland on June 22 - 23, 2012. A 20 piece Sun Ra Arkestra (including violin & cello Arkestra members) will be enhanced by guest performers on harp, viola, violine, and dance to form a 25 piece ensemble providing music for two unique world premiere musical theater programs that are titled "Oedipus" and "Akhenaten". The concept and text for these theater programs is the creation of the Uncool Festival Director Cornelia Mueller. The original music for the title songs on this project is composed and arranged by Marshall Allen, the Musical Director of the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen. Marshall Allen will add the kora to his standard instrumentation of alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, and EVI for this event. This will be the first time in over 25 years that Marshall Allen has performed on the kora within the Sun Ra Arkestra
.

There have only been two other occasions in the Sun Ra Arkestra's 56 year history where a string section and guest performers have played a major role in an Arkestra performance. The first instance was the October 27, 1990 performance of the Sun Ra Arkestra with a Symphony Orchestra in Paris, France - which was recorded on the "Pleiades" CD release (Leo 210 / 211). The second manifestation was the "Space is the Place Spectacular" on December 31, 2000, which was a concert at the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia, PA following a month long residency of 10 Philadelphia based string musicians with the Sun Ra Arkestra.

One other significant Arkestral string related project was the 1966 landmark Sun Ra Arkestra recording "Strange Strings" (Saturn LP 502 & Atavistic CD ALP263CD) where Sun Ra gave 10 members of the Arkestra string instuments and challenged them to do the impossible and play what they did not know. That recording set a benchmark within avant-garde jazz history that was unprecedented and has not been matched since by any jazz artist.

The 2012 Uncool Festival will co-reside with the 17th Sun Ra Convention by Hartmut Geerken. The 2012 Uncool Festival is dedicated to Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Michael Ray, who will conclude the festival with a solo trumpet concert on Sunday, June 24, 2012. The "Oedipus" and "Akhenaten" performance schedule involving the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen is:

Friday, June 22, 2012 at 10:00 pm - "Oedipus" - Piazza Cumun, Poschiavo, Switzerland

Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 10:00 pm - "Akhenaten" - Piazza Cumun, Poschiavo, Switzerland

More details about this Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen appearance can be seen at:

http://www.uncool.ch/2012/program.php

For more information about the Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen, including Tourdates, CD Releases, Arkestra Member Bios, Multimedia, Weblinks, and Arkestra Booking Information, please visit:

http://www.thesunraarkestra.com

Greg Drusdow

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