The Sun Ra Arkestra

The Sun Ra Arkestra touches down at The Pearl in Vancouver, BC on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Founded in 1950s Chicago by pianist and composer Sun Ra, the Arkestra opened new paths in big-band jazz, folding swing, hard bop and early synthesizers into freer, space‑minded forms. Across decades in New York and Philadelphia, the ensemble forged an Afrofuturist language where written arrangements meet collective improvisation, chants, percussion and costumed stagecraft.

Now a 14‑piece unit led by longtime saxophonist and bandleader Marshall Allen, the Arkestra carries Sun Ra’s vision forward on stage. Sets move from be‑bop lines to open‑ended exploration, with vocals, dancing and brass fanfares threading pieces from Jazz in Silhouette to Space Is the Place. Recent albums like Lights on a Satellite and Swirling earned Grammy nominations, showing a group still writing new chapters more than 70 years on. A rare Vancouver appearance from a band that keeps big‑band music searching, playful and very much alive.