The Sun Ra Arkestra, originally founded in Chicago in the mid-fifties, settled in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia after moving out of the Lower East Side in 1968. Comprised of talented musicians, the Arkestra practiced tirelessly in a row house turned Sun Ra Arkestral Institute. The band, under Sun Ra’s leadership, embarked on inter-dimensional travel through music, touring the world and leaving a trail of gig posters in their wake. Sun Ra passed away in 1993, but his legacy lives on through Marshall Allen, his saxophone players, and new members like violinist turned singer Tara Middleton. Allen, who recently turned 100, continues to spread Sun Ra’s message of creating a better world through music and equations.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/07/01/the-sun-ra-arkestras-maestro-hits-one-hundred