Home » Jazz Articles » Nasir Dickerson
Jazz Articles about Nasir Dickerson
Sun Ra Arkestra: Lights on a Satellite

by Joshua Weiner
As befits a being whose life encompassed much of the Solar System, from his origins on Saturn to his long earthly sojourn that ended in 1993, Sun Ra composed, played and recorded an astronomical panoply of musical styles across six decades. Lights On A Satellite, a new double album released by Germany's In+Out Records, presents a varied program that serves as a dual tribute to both Ra and Marshall Allen, the recent centenarian who has directed the Sun Ra Arkestra ...
Continue ReadingSun Ra Arkestra: Living Sky

by Stefano Merighi
Mentre la Enterplanetary Koncepts continua a sfornare inediti della Sun Ra Arkestra, il roccioso Marshall Allen--che va per i 100 il prossimo anno...-riesce a concepire di tanto in tanto nuove produzioni. Dopo l'apprezzato Swirling, ecco Living Sky, inciso a Philadelphia nel 2021, ancora sotto lo choc del COVID. E appare proprio come una seduta di musica dolcemente terapeutica questa raccolta di brani tenui, riposanti, deliziosi. Il gruppo raduna 19 elementi, che sotto la guida di Allen imbastiscono una ...
Continue ReadingNasir Dickerson’s Light Shines Bright!

by J. Michael Harrison
"Let It Shine" begins with a powerful poem (see below) that's beautifully sung by vocalist Danielle Nichole. It offers a warm and comforting gateway into the title selection of talented multi-instrumentalist Nasir Dickerson's album Let It Shine. For decades Nasir, his parents and siblings have been a source of inspiration, a bright light, and a tremendous asset to many in the Camden and Philadelphia area. So, no one should be surprised that the title composition of his 2022 release is ...
Continue ReadingSun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen: Living Sky

by Mark Corroto
In 2022, Sun Ra has been gone nearly thirty years, but thanks to maestro Marshall Allen his Arkestra has survived. Allen had been a member of Sun Ra's band since the late 1950s and it has been under Allen's leadership since 1995. Fans that have enjoyed the Arkestra in concert certainly hoped for the band to record and it wasn't until the splendid Swirling (Strut) was released in 2020 that wish was fulfilled. The Marshall Allen-led the Arkestra's second offering, ...
Continue ReadingSun Ra Arkestra directed by Marshall Allen: Living Sky

by Chris May
When Sun Ra aficionado and Omni Sound Records founder Ahmet Ulug reached out to Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen to commission a new album from the band, he gave Allen a tight brief. Ulug said that he wanted something: Spiritual and hypnotic... down tempo, melodic and grooving... Music that is accessible and healing." Even though the crisis the world endured in 2020 and 2021 called out for such music, Ulug's directions to the veteran sonic-warrior may seem ...
Continue Reading