KNOEL SCOTT FEATURING MARSHALL ALLEN
CELESTIAL (Order Now)
Fully immersed in the new London jazz scene, we are all Sun Ra and the Arkestra fans. In 2018, we went to Cafe Oto in East London to see the Arkestra, under the leadership of Marshall Allen since Sun Ra’s passing to another sphere in 1993. We were amazed to see and feel the vibrancy of this group, which has been running since the 1950s.
That was when we fantasised about bringing Knoel and Marshall to Haarlem’s Artone Studio for a Night Dreamer Direct-to-Disc session. Neal managed to connect and start the discussions but due to Covid, travel bans, lockdowns and its other disturbances, it wasn’t a reality until 2022. Marshall had just turned 98…
We did not know what to expect.
On 18th & 19th July 2022, Marshall Allen, Knoel Scott and Chris Henderson - all of whom are Arkestra members or alumni, were joined by Charlie Stacey (piano) and Mikele Montoli (double bass) in Haarlem. Charlie had recorded his solo album ‘The Light Beyond Time’ for Night Dreamer at Artone and both he and Mikele have been regular collaborators with Knoel Scott.
We were nervous receiving these legendary musicians at a time when we were still worried about people of such advanced ages possibly catching Covid-19, plus we were in one of the 2022 heatwaves with extraordinarily high temperatures. Was the air-con in the studio going to cope? What level of performance were we to expect? The pre-session stress levels on our side were high.
Once in Haarlem, the energy, creativity and drive of this group of musicians was extraordinary. The interplay of the American Jazz legends with their younger European followers was incredible to witness. Charlie Stacey, as he has shown with Yussef Dayes, is an exceptionally effective pianist who unobtrusively manages to weave all of the pieces together.
Knoel Scott was a man on a mission, with a number of vocal and instrumental tracks ready to go. Changing from different saxophones to flute and singing, he was a force to be reckoned with, full of near neurotic energy.
Marshall Allen appeared to be quietly serene, in peace; we weren’t sure what to expect, until everyone was literally blown away by his energetic Alto playing and his creation of otherworldly sounds with the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI). What was going to be a tribute record all of a sudden had the chance of becoming a beautifully unique performance.
Chris Henderson on drums naturally complements and structures the free flowing, improvisational flair, and from time to time brings it back to a semblance of a beat.
Soon our worries had ebbed away, and we knew this was going to be a very special session.
TRACKLIST
A SIDE
Les Funambules 7:00
K. ScottCelestial 11:14
K. Scott, Arnold Art Jenkins
B SIDE
Conversation With The Cosmos 9:47
M. AllenMakanda 4:50
K. Scott
Blu Blues 5:07
M. Allen
