Uwishunu.com

Tonight Ars Nova Workshop is presenting a special musical collaboration between two of Europe’s leading free-jazz musicians, Frode Gjerstad and Paal Nilssen-Love, and Marshall Allen, the leader of the the Philadelphia-based Sun Ra Arkestra. The performance is sure to be one filled with high-energy improvisation and moments of transcendence.

Frode Gjerstad, a Norwegian saxophonist and clarinetist, was inspired to play free jazz by recordings of the great American musicians Eric Dolphy and Albert Ayler. He came to prominence in the “Ëœ80s and has more than 20 recordings as a leader under his belt

Drummer Paal Nillsen-Love, also of Norway, grew up immersed in jazz. When he was five years old, his parents opened a jazz club, which they ran for seven years. Nillsen-Love began his recording career in the early “Ëœ90s and hasn’t looked back. He’s collaborated with such varied musicians as Ken Vandermark, Peter Brotzmann, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto.

84-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen is a man who needs no introduction to Philadelphia jazz fans and music lovers the world over. He joined Sun Ra’s Arkestra in Chicago in 1958 and led the group’s reed section for the next 40 or so years. As a member of the Arkestra, Allen was one of the earliest and most interesting voices in the free jazz movement of the “Ëœ60s. In 1998, after the passing of Sun Ra and saxophonist John Gilmore, Allen became the group’s leader and continues to share Sun Ra’s music with the world.

Any opportunity to hear Marshall Allen perform is a gift and should not be missed. But this event is even more special: these three musicans have never performed together before, and it’s likely they never will again.

Gjerstad / Nillsen-Love Duo featuring special guest Marshall Allen
Thursday, August 28, 8 P.M., $12 general admission

Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 S. 18th St, Philadephia, PA
www.arsnovaworkshop.com