Marshall Belford Allen is a native Kentuckian born in Louisville on May 25 1924 He is most famously known for his avantgarde jazz and free jazz work with bandleader keyboardist Sun Ra with whom he recorded from the late 1950s until Ras passing in 1993 Allen plays the alto saxophone oboe piccolo flute and EVI Aside from Sun Ras Arkestra Allen recorded with Paul Bleys band in 1964 and Olatunjis group in the mid1960s Allen has been the Arkestras bandleader since the deaths of Ra and John Gilmore