The Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Don Glasgo, will share the stage with special guests alto saxophonist Marshall Allan, trumpeter Michael Ray and the world-renowned Sun Ra Arkestra in a special concert tomorrow in Spaulding Auditorium.
In trying to coax out of them what the audience might expect to hear this weekend, I got the impression that we shouldn't expect anything.
The first set will be mostly swing, but "because it's Ra, it's not typical swing," Glasgo explained. "There will be some interesting, quirky, different sounds."
Ray said he hoped it "might clear the air of what swing actually is."
At the moment, the pieces in the second set of the concert are apparently almost entirely up for grabs. The works will be chosen after the first set and will probably include some compositions from the Arkestra's newly released "A Song for the Sun."
"Even with all the arrangements, there was always room for the surprise element -- or what they call the impossible," Allan said.
Allan and Ray have been roommates for over 40 years, mostly while under the leadership of keyboardist, bandleader and visionary Sun Ra in his Omniverse Solar Myth Outer-Space Astro-Infinity Cosmo Drama Intergalactic Arkestra.
Ray referred to this as "Ra-jail."
The members of the Arkestra shared a house, They were expected to be prepared to rehearse at any given movement and to follow Ra's leadership unquestioningly. Ray said that initially his own ego was an obstacle.
However, the experience changed him. "Since I went through that door I've been around the world with my eyes, my ears, my spirit open," Ray said, adding that Ra "opened them sometimes he had to use a can opener."
According to Ray, Sun Ra thought that "knowledge is laughable when attributed to a human being," and instead saw himself as a spiritual leader and a catalyst, capable of changing everything while himself remaining unchanged.
Since Ra passed away in 1993, Allan has assumed direction of the group. He continues communicating with Ra's spirit, while putting his own spin on the music.
"There's something that tells me he's there [in the house Allan, Ray and a few other members of the Arkestra still occupy] because it's a house of music and creativity," Allan explained.
Allan and Ray are both extremely versatile performers and have worked with a variety of musicians including Phish, Diggable Planets, Kool & the Gang, and Medeski, Martin, & Wood.
"My style is all styles. To be creative you have to try everything," Allan said.
Both men have made several visits to Dartmouth over the past decade.
"The attraction of Hanover as a 'great landing-zone' especially in a business which drops you in lots of less than idyllic settings, Ray said, adding that "it's the best hood in the country."
He said that looks forward to working with members of the Coast, whom he calls "some of the best non-music majors in the country." The Arkestra last performed with the Coast ten years ago in February 1990.
Glasgo said that the student performers' status as non-majors is something he likes best about Dartmouth musicians. "They are more willing to follow and experiment because they have fewer preconceptions than music school students," he said.
Allan and Ray hope to stimulate the ensemble by playing music "like nothing they've heard before" Ray said.
