New Dawn has arrived. The debut solo album from Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen is out today, setting multiple Guinness World Records in the process. At 100 years and 265 days old, Allen is now certified as the oldest person to release a debut album, surpassing the previous record-holder (Colin Thackery, aged 89 years and 272 days when Love Changes Everything dropped in 2019) by more than a decade. Guinness has also named Allen the oldest person to release an album of new material. The previous record was held by Tony Bennett, who was 95 years and 58 days old when his second collaboration with Lady Gaga, Love For Sale, came out in 2021.
If you heard the Neneh Cherry-featuring title track, you know New Dawn is not just a cheap bid at some fun statistics. Allen recorded the album in Philadelphia last year in close collaboration with his friend and Arkestra bandmate Knoel Scott, who reportedly poured a lot of passion into curating the tracklist and bringing the music to life. With a band including Michael Ray, Cecil Brooks, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Bruce Edwards, and George Gray, they tracked a smattering of Allen compositions that had never been recorded.
Listen to the album below.
New Dawn is out now on Mexican Summer/Week-End. Allen will play two album release shows, 4/5 in Brooklyn at Roulette and 4/9 in Philadelphia at World Café Live.
