Blacks' Myths featuring Marshall Allen

“Intergenerational performance is essential to keeping our traditions alive. Bringing elders and younger artists together on the same stage generates an ecosystem of continuity, care, and accountability.”

- Ariella Villefrance | 651 ARTS Inaugural Curatorial fellow

This Black History month centers improvisation, lineage and intergenerational exchange. A two-night celebration bringing together legendary and visionary artists whose work reflects Black music and evolving continuum – shaped through collaboration, care, and freedom of expression.

Blacks' Myths featuring Marshall Allen
February 12th | Doors 7:30pm | Performance 8pm

651 ARTS welcomes Blacks’ Myths, the music and research project led by bassist Luke Stewart with drummer Warren Trae Crudup, exploring the myth-story and historical presence of Blackness on Earth and beyond. This special performance includes Marshall Allen, the 101-year-old saxophonist and longtime leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, whose contributions have shaped the language of Afrofuturist sound for generations.

About Blacks’ Myths

Blacks' Myths is the music and research project lead by Luke Stewart with drummer Trae Crudup, featuring an array of collaborators, mining the history and the myth-story of Blackness and People in the world and beyond.

About Marshall Allen

Marshall Allen’s inventive and distinctive saxophone playing, as well as his band arrangements, have made him a major force in jazz going into his hundredth year. He is best known for his work with Sun Ra, not only recording and performing with him from the 1950s to Sun Ra’s passing in 1993, but also for taking over the leadership of the Sun Ra Arkestra for the past 30 years.

Allen grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and began taking clarinet lessons at the age of ten. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army, joining the 92nd Infantry Division, also known as the “Buffalo Soldiers,” and played clarinet and alto saxophone in the 17th Division Special Service Band.

About the 651 ARTS Curatorial Fellowship

The 651 ARTS’ Curatorial Fellowship is an intentional recognition and continued dedication to the curatorial vision and rich programmatic legacy, echoed throughout the lineage of the organization’s leadership.

This fellowship serves as a commitment to supporting the vision of Brooklyn’s contemporary artists of the African Diaspora, and in this inaugural season, Ariella Villefranche was charged with the artistic program offerings of Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

Curatorial Statement

Intergenerational performance is essential to keeping tradition alive. Bringing elders and younger artists together on the same stage creates continuity, care, and accountability. This series reflects my desire to continue building programs that honor musicians and their work with intention and respect. My father instilled in me a deep and enduring love for music, and I strive to channel that love into how I care for artists, audiences, and the stories we tell. The music is our history.

I am deeply grateful to 651 ARTS for trusting and believing in my vision, and for supporting this celebration of Black creativity, legacy, and imagination.

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