The Jessamine Vine

Healing force music of the past decade

2010-01-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

It is the time of year for "best of" lists and, not surprisingly, this year these lists are often attempting to identify the best albums of the past decade. Although many folks pan the usefulness of these lists, I do like to see what albums other folks have really enjoyed, and they serve as a great starting point for discussion and exploration. So, here is my attempt at listing the albums of the past decade that I have found particularly inspiring. This is not meant to really be a "best of" or anything so grandiose, as I am certainly not qualified (or presumptuous) enough. It is just a bunch of albums released during this past decade that were more than merely enjoyable for me. Healing force music....inspiring with high emotional impact. These albums, like all good albums for me, have become intertwined with this time in my life, and will likely forever evoke certain memories and feelings...

My only other criteria for inclusion was:

1) Limiting the list to music that was created during the past decade.

4) In keeping with the spirit of this blog the music falls somewhere within or along the periphery of this thing that some folks call "jazz."

Some healing force music of the 2000's

Scrapbook. 2003. William Parker Violin Trio - William Parker, Billy Bang, and Hamid Drake. Folksy melodies that at least for me evoke the spirit of Ayler. Truly beautiful and uplifting music. I am surprised that more people don't talk about this one, and I have yet to see it on anyone's "best of" list. I've certainly played this one more than any other release of the past decade.

Beyond Quantum. 2008. Anthony Braxton, Milford Graves, and William Parker. Vibrant, sophiscated, and virtuoso - yet highly emotional. Stunning free jazz that demonstrates how relevant this sort of music is today. The disc has made it into the player almost weekly since I picked it up.

The All-Star Game. 2001. Marshall Allen, Hamid Drake, Kidd Jordan, Wiliam Parker, and Alan Silva. Searing free jazz. I enjoy anything with William Parker and Hamid Drake together, but this one has been particularly inspiring for me. Not for the timid, there isn't a lot to hold on to during this ride. Great for long runs.

Born Broke. 2007. Peter Brotzmann and Peter Uuskyla. Peter Brotzmann can be a bit hit or miss for me, but this duo release contains some breathtaking music. Passionate and full of an array of emotions, this is another one that commonly found its way into my ipod for long runs. A two-disc set, I have yet to run long enough to listen to the entire thing during one run...but perhaps in 2010.

And now... 2004. Revolutionary Arts Ensemble - Leroy Jenkins, Sirone, and Jerome Cooper. I've just discovered the Revolutionary Ensemble this past year, and I'm still digesting their 1970s output. Telepathic, emotive, and uplifting stuff. This one has closed out 2009 for me...

Spirits. 2000. Pharoah Sanders, Adam Rudolph, and Hamid Drake. Actually recorded in summer of 1998, this meditative live date was released in 2000. Both hair-raising and serenely beautiful, Pharoah improvises over a wonderful percussive backdrop. For anyone familiar with Pharoah's early work, this one is definitely worth repeated listens.

On a different day, I'd probably include a few more, and there is plenty of music from this past decade that I have yet to hear. I'd love to hear any recommendations....

Bring on 2010.....back to the Ayler exploration shortly...

A concert of the year two thousand

2009-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

George Stell sent me a copy of Michael Zwerin's review of the February 25th, 1967 concert by Albert Ayler and his group at the Village Theatre. The review is quite humorous and, in my opinion, more informative than other Ayler concert reviews of the period. It was quite possibly the source of the "Stell" misspelling as well (see previous post). Since I have been unable to find it posted elsewhere on the internet, I am providing it below.

Space Friends

---by Michael Zwerin---

the village VOICE, March 9^th 1967

"Public relations has come to the avant-garde. Last week, I received two press releases in the mail. The first, under the letterhead, “The Ornette Coleman Trio—Ornette Coleman, violin, alto and tenor saxophone, trumpet; David Izenzon, bass; Charles Moffett, drums,” announced a “major presentation of the current season. The Ornette Coleman trio will appear in a joint concert with the Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet…at the Village Theatre on March 17^th.” The other proclaiming “For Immediate Release—from the New Music Feature Service,” invited me to a concert, also at the Village Theatre, on February 25. It was signed, via Xeroxography, “Albert Ayler.”

I went. Public relations, however, ended with the release because the concert looked like a total economic disaster. The theatre was maybe 10 percent filled and a good deal of those seemed to be the Ayler family. The 25^th was a very cold night and the prices were an absolutely frigid $3, $4, and $5. There had been little advertising other than the posters in front of the theatre, which has a capacity of about 2500. Whoever booked it was an optimist with a poor memory because only two months ago, when Ayler played the Village Vanguard, even that little room was far from packed. Audiences seem to stay away from Albert Ayler—a shy, sad-looking little man who has something to say.

The Albert Ayler Octet—Albert Ayler, alto and tenor saxophone; Donald Ayler, trumpet; Michel Sampson, violin; Beaver Harris, drums; Bill Folwell and Alan Silva, basses; Joel Friedman, cello; and Call Cobbs, harpsichord. Beforehand, in the lobby, Cobbs said he wasn’t playing because he had just found out there was no harpsichord in the place. “The music wouldn’t sound right on a piano,” he explained. So strike him, and add George Steele on trombone.

Also add Mary Parks on MC—an avant-garde chick. “Good—evening—space friends,” she said, her golden gown sparkling reflections no doubt from Venus, “tonight—we—will—hear a—concent—of—music—of the—year two—thousand.” With free punctuation she got the concert started 45 minutes late, not apologizing for the delay either. I thought of John Cage’s line about “the importance of being on time for anyone involved with the art of music.” But there’s a logical unreality to Albert’s music—kind of like a Ray Bradbury story—which seems to penetrate people even before he starts playing and the waiting was perfectly okay with everybody.

The tunes, all written by Albert, have names like “Light in Darkness,” “Heavenly Home,” “Spirits Rebel,” and “Truth is Marching In.” They are fiercely tonal, resembling primitive marches or folk songs, and use only three chords, if that many. Improvisation is abstract, spaced by recapitulation of the theme, usually played Germanically by Don Ayler’s trumpet along with a Liszt – cadenza – gone-wild on Sampson’s fiddle. Albert solos most of the time—on some tunes the others do not play at all other than behind him or on the ensembles.

Scot LaFaro revolutionized the jazz bass before he was killed in an automobile accident in the late ‘50s. Instead of just walking , he played swift, complex, melodic obligatos and since then many bass players have delusions of violins. They began using the bow more often and, whether arco or pizzicato, forever lean way over the instrument, both hands near the bridge, eeking the most unlikely harmonies from their instrument. Truly astounding. The only trouble is that, with the increased importance of percussion in the new jazz, the audience usually can’t hear their cascades of notes. At the Village Theatre, though, the trouble was stupid balance, unfortunately common with the avant-garde, because Beaver Harris is one of the better free drummers, keeping a pulse, no matter how abstractly, and keeping it with sensible dynamics.

Anyway, Folwell and Silva made a hell of a visual impression, scooting all over their instruments. I’m pretty sure they were playing some impressive stuff. As a matter of fact, a couple of duets between them, with everybody else tacited, were very lovely and exciting. And one tune featured Albert plus only the cello and two basses. It was cloud-like and dewy music. Albert, who did not squeak on this one, was brilliant in his abstractions, instinct supplying all of the criteria needed. And the three strings were empathetic to perfection.

Now, about Albert’s squeaks…Squeaking is nothing new of course. Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips did that years ago. It’s a way of transmitting energy—but it’s too easy a way and I mistrust it. Besides, it hurts my ears. Albert’s squeaking is the low point of his playing. He starts doing it without continuity and stops abruptly without form—an insert, out of context. Few tenor players can get around up there as he can, but if he wants to hear those sounds, why not take up the piccolo or something.

Donald Ayler’s trumpet playing impresses me as being pure chance—no choice—a random combination of fast-flipping valves and embouchure adjustments. Every solo sounds alike. He rarely holds a sustained note. When he does, however, a pleasant sound comes out (I mean that as a compliment). More of that would be nice.

Albert’s music is strangely warm and loving. The freneticism I once minded so much seems less pronounced now than two years ago. Maybe I am better tuned to him—or possibly he has matured some. Either way, I was wrapped up in the music and stayed until the end of his concert, something I’ve never wanted to do before.

But without more artistic handling, Ayler will continue to be only the obscure underground hero he now is. That’s a shame too, because, given the chance to hear it, a lot of people could find his music important."

Science, jazz, and the “unknown” trombone player

2009-07-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

And the rest was history. Well, not exactly. Pick up a copy of Albert Ayler's "Live in Greenwich Village" album or read a review of the February 25th, 1967 concert at the Village Theater and you will probably find “George Schnell" or "George Steele" credited as the trombone player. Both are incorrect. The trombonist was George Stell, now an emeritus professor of physics at Stony Brook University. The errors appear to have originated in the initial reviews of the concert and have been repeated through the years; in fact, to my knowledge the misspelling has not been corrected on any release of the material. However, Revenant did get the spelling correct in their "Sightings" section of the wonderfully researched book that was included in the Holy Ghost Box Set; so rest assured that the truth is slowly marching in....

A few examples collected from reviews and comments on the Village Theater performance highlight the uncertainty that seems to have existed at the time regarding the mysterious trombone player:

“At the end was a piece involving all the afore-mentioned musicians plus an unannounced trombone player, whom I was not able to hear because of lack of amplification.” - Elisabeth van der Mei in Coda, May 1967, p. 28-30 (see entire review here)

“Two-thirds of the concert was actually performed by a septet. The harpsichord player, Call Cobbs, listed on the program, failed to appear. For the last three numbers, trombonist Steele joined the group.” - George Hoefer, Down Beat Vol. 34 No. 10, 1967 (see entire review here)

“The group, including a trombonist named either George Schnell or Steele (depending upon the source), Freedman sitting in for Sampson, and Alan Silva in for Grimes, also played the Village theater in February.” – Todd Jenkins, Free Jazz and Free Improvisation, 2004.

George Stell contacted me last week. He thanked me for getting his name correct in my review of the Greenwich Village album. Admittedly, I unknowingly got his name correct because I used the credits listed at the superb discography over at www.ayler.org. Patrick Regan, the studious caretaker of that comprehensive web site, noted the incorrect spelling of George’s last name back in 2002 (follow this link and scroll down to August). Below is a brief excerpt from an interview that George did with Ben Young at WKCR back in 2002, where Ben explains the mistake and then George and Steve Tintweiss go on to discuss another mislabeling problem common to Ayler's music - the taxonomy (to use an appropriately scientific term) of his songs.

(direct link to audio file, if player above does not work)

George and I corresponded a bit via email last week, and he was nice enough to answer a few of my questions about his life story, his experiences with Albert, and his life before and since those interesting times in 1966-67. I am fascinated by his story, as his life is an interesting mix of passions – including both jazz and science. He has had a highly successful career as a theoretical physicist, educating students and performing pioneering research on the molecular structure and mechanics of fluids; in fact, the photograph at the top of the post is from an issue of the Journal of Statistical Physics that was dedicated to him back in 2000 (Journal of Statistical Physics, Vol. 100, Nos. 1/2, 2000).

With his permission, I summarize and reproduce some of his responses to my questions below:

_______________________

How did you meet Albert? Care to share some memories of your time with him?

“I was an avid listener to an FM radio program that disk jockey Ed Beach had every morning. I tuned in one morning in the middle of a Gary Peacock chorus, which caught my attention, and then Albert came in on the recording and it blew my mind. Found out where he was playing and went there with my trombone, introduced myself, and sat in. Perhaps it was at the Judson Memorial Church? Probably. I played with him there a couple of times – can’t quite recall. Albert said he had a show coming up at the Village Theater that he would like me to play. We ‘rehearsed’ in a nightclub in Brooklyn the day before the 2/25/67 show after meeting at Mark Parks’ apartment – Albert, Don, Alan Silva, Beaver Harris, and me. We just blew freely for a couple of hours.”

“I have strong memories of Al’s conversations at that rehearsal. He remarked that despite the very positive reception he had gotten in Europe, he felt he had to return to NYC to be at the center of things.”

“I played the 2/25/67 Village Theater show, at which Al played magnificently, as you can hear on the recording. For me it was a mixed bag. I got to meet and talk with Joel Freedman, and chat more with Don, but there was no microphone set-up that I could use, and I felt ill at ease, standing between Sampson with his microphone and an adjacent microphone that someone else was using—I can’t recall whom. You can tell by listening to the few tunes on which I was recorded that I am part of a rather muddy-sounding background rather than one of the well-recorded instruments.”

“By the way, Don was reserved but very friendly. I learned years later that he was said to have deep emotional problems, and that Al worried about him, etc., but that wasn’t at all apparent during the times in 1967 that I saw him”

How many shows did you play with him?

“Probably a total of only 4 or 5 times. I was teaching and doing research full time as a faculty member of the Physics Department at Brooklyn Polytech, and I had started making preparations for a year’s leave-of-absence as a visiting professor at the University of Paris during the 1967-68 academic year. Busy, busy, busy.”

What did you do before and after your work with Albert?

“I left Ohio after graduating from Antioch College in 1955 to spend an academic year in Chicago teaching at the Chicago division of the University of Illinois. I did that because I wanted to play jazz with Marty Grosz and Frank Chace there. In the summer of 1965 I came to NYC to begin my Ph.D. work in mathematics at NYU, where I graduated in 1961. I hung around NYU as a staff mathematician for a couple of years, and then, in 1965, joined the faculty in Physics at Brooklyn Polytech. In 1969, I became a faculty member at the state University at Stony Brook, where I taught engineering and chemistry. I still have that affiliation, although I retired from classroom teaching a few years ago.”

Are you still making music?

“Yes, both free jazz and mainstream, but have no steady gig. I sit in with friends in NYC groups to keep my chops up, drop in at “ABC No Rio”, played with Gene Janas for while, etc…”

_______________________

While doing the research for this post, I stumbled on a portion of the 2002 WKCR interview that I excerpted above. Much more information related to George's time with Ayler is discussed in this fantastic interview; hopefully WKCR will eventually post their archives online so that this becomes widely available. However, until then, below are a couple of excerpts of George talking about how he played his trombone in the context of Albert's music.

(direct link to audio files if above players do not work: file 1, file 2)

Of course, George's comments in the above interview prompted me to listen to "Universal Thoughts," from "Live at Greenwich Village" several times this week - the one track on the album where George Stell was recorded. Although the trombone is clearly part of the "muddy-sounding background," it is audible and George's contribution is undeniable. A close listen (headphones recommended) even reveals the "chattering" sound that George discusses in the first clip from the WKRC interview above. I certainly hope that I have the opportunity to hear more of George's playing in the future - perhaps the annual Vision Festival in New York should extend an invitation to him?

The note from George also prompted me to spend some time this week digging a bit more into the history of Ayler's music, and the additional knowledge of the human elements and interactions that led to such powerfully emotive art lends an additional richness to the way I experience the music. Interestingly, it also has led me to some introspective thinking about music and science, and general thoughts regarding the balancing and intermingling of multiple passions in one's life. Finally, it caused me to revisit some of Ayler's music with fresh ears and come away with something new. I sure am glad that I accidently spelled George Stell's name correctly....

"Music has always fascinated me. On the one hand it is devoid of information in a certain sense.....of objective information. Yet it carries this powerful, powerful message that is quite mysterious and wonderful." - George Stell

Spirits Rejoice Revisited

2009-06-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, I picked up the 2006 ESP remastered "Spirits Rejoice."

When I commented on this album previously, I noted that I had only heard MP3 files of an earlier release. At that time, I mentioned that I was not that impressed with the sound quality. Last week, while running along a forested trail in northern Wisconsin I finally had a chance to really listen to the 2006 release (on headphones). Maybe it was the clean air, maybe it was the uplifting charge I get from running, maybe my spirit was rejoicing in the sounds and smells of spring in the forest of northern Wisconsin - most likely it was all of these things - but this album has never sounded better to me. Truly transformative music. The sound quality of the remaster is astoundingly better than the previous release. Go buy it if you have never heard it. If you have heard it, replace your old version. Do it now.

Vibrations

2009-05-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

My 22-month old daughter has learned how to get a record onto the turntable and start it. Of course, yesterday she tried to put a cassette tape on the turntable, so she still has plenty to learn. I have a few old 45’s that are pretty beaten up, so I let her experiment with them. Once the music starts, she quickly communicates her endorsement or critical disappointment, with the latter typically displayed by a guttural noise akin to a cat trying to hack up a hairball. I blame her mother. However, she expresses her approval by doing a strange dance – bending her arms at the elbows, swaying them, and bouncing around. Again, I blame her mother. Or at least I’d like to, but I am pretty sure she is doing a pretty spot-on portrayal of her dancing father. And of course you can't help but dance around the room with her, imitating her dancing style, which likely results in a vicious positive-feedback loop. But I guess middle-school dances are a long way off.

So far she has given the hair-ball-wretch review to singles by Crosby, Stills, and Nash (who can blame her really?), David Bowie, and Emerson Lake and Palmer. However, she dances like crazy to Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” Again, I blame her mother.

A couple days ago, I put Charles Lloyd’s “Forest Flower” LP on the turntable. I’ve listened to this album several times after picking it up in the used bin a couple years ago, finding it pleasant but not particularly moving. However, I stumbled into a really positive review of it recently so I decided to give it another chance. I was working on other things, so admittedly it didn’t have all of my focus, but I was really surprised at how much I was enjoying it. I didn’t remember the driving energy and passion of this album! How did I miss this! Then the announcer came on at the end of the record, with a voice like Alvin the Chipmunk. This time, I blame my daughter. Yes, I played the entire record at 45 rpm instead of 33 rpm, because that is where the setting was left after the last "Black Dog" dancing session. I listened to a bit more of the Charles Lloyd record at normal speed and it is much less exciting. If you have a copy of this album, definitely give it a spin at 45 rpm.

Anyway, I actually have been listening to quite a bit more than bad Crosby, Stills and Nash, vinyl-pop laden takes of “Black Dog,” and hopped-up Charles Lloyd. Although I haven’t had time to post on this blog for a couple months, I have had plenty of time for free jazz, so that brings me back to Ayler….

In the fall of 2006 I noticed “Vibrations” available for download at the Itunes store for around 6 dollars. The availability and price surprised me and given that the “money was (still) not strong enough,” for the real thing I purchased the download. Albert Ayler, Gary Peacock, Sunny Murray, and Don Cherry….six dollars well spent. Someday I’ll get the CD or the vinyl.

Albert Ayler, Vibrations

Freedom (among others), 1964

Albert Ayler: alto and tenor saxophones

Don Cherry: trumpet

Gary Peacock: bass

Sunny Murray: drums

“Vibrations” was recorded in Denmark on September 14, 1964, about two months after “Spiritual Unity” and “New York Eye and Ear Control.” Don Cherry joins the Spiritual Unity trio and the result is an exhilarating, fast-paced, free-for-all frolic, structured by the repetitive simple melodies so associated with Albert. At least for me, the emotional feel of the album is not quite as varied as the previous albums of 1964, and I think this is mostly because Don Cherry’s trumpet adds a bright and upbeat quality to the music – even when Albert seems to be taking things to deeper and darker emotional places. The album is must-have for any Ayler collection, and not a bad place for the uninitiated to begin. Get it. Play it. Maybe even play at 45 rpm. You can blame me.

Buy it at Amazon

Music is the healing force of the universe

2009-03-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

I picked up “Lorrach, Paris 1966” in a local CD shop during the spring of 2006 (which I now realize was lucky given that it is apparently out-of-print). By early summer I was getting anxious to explore more of the man’s music. I was particularly excited to sink my ears into some of the work he did with Don Cherry. I had picked up a copy of Don Cherry’s “Symphony for Improvisers” when I lived in Madison, but after a few listens it just didn’t hold my interest; however, early that summer I gave it another try. Perhaps my brain chemistry had been permanently altered by all the free jazz I had been listening to for the past couple years, but this time the album really resonated with me. The disc remained in the player for much of the summer, oftentimes in rotation with "Lorrach, Paris," and even made several road trips with me.

But Don Cherry would have to wait. My wife and I went to Borders bookstore one weekend, and I checked to see whether they happened to be carrying any Ayler. Expecting to find nothing in such a mainstream place, I was surprised to find that they had a copy of “Music is the healing force of the universe.” Given that I was holding this in my hands, I figured Albert's work with Don Cherry could wait. I had some idea what I was getting into (I did own the Holy Ghost box set which contains several late-period Ayler selections).

Albert Ayler, Music is the Healing Force of the Universe

Impulse!, 1969

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone, vocals, bagpipes

Bobby Few: piano

Stafford James: bass

Bill Folwell: bass, bass guitar

Muhammad Ali: drums

Mary Maria Parks: vocals

Henry Vestine: electric guitar

Recorded in late August of 1969, “Music is the healing force of the universe” is quite a mixed bag. Gone are the march-like themes and the oscillating energy of “Love Cry” and the staggering live work of 1966-67. The first song on the album is the title track, and the music itself is fantastic. Bobby Few’s distinctive style provides waves of tinkling piano and Albert’s playing is emotionally moving and at times raw. He takes several trips into the upper register. Muhammad Ali provides a spectacular underpinning for the music. However, that said, Mary Maria’s vocals nearly ruin the piece. What was Albert thinking? Blinded by love? I just can’t find anything enjoyable about her singing.

Some singers are really good at taking relatively shallow lyrics and make them sound important. Take for example, the somewhat vacuous lyrics of “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison: “You can take all the tea in China. Put it in a big brown bag for me. Sail it right around the seven oceans. Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea. Because she's as sweet as Tupelo honey. She's an angel of the first degree. She's as sweet as Tupelo honey. Just like honey from the bee.” Just like honey from the bee? Seriously? Yet when Van Morrison sings this stuff, he somehow makes it seem profound. Mary Maria on the other hand, manages to take relatively shallow lyrics and make them even more empty.

Of the songs where Mary Maria sings, the title track is actually the most appealing; in fact, I can enjoy it if I tune her out (which is hard at first, but gets easier after repeated listening). The two other tracks she sings on, “A man is like a tree,” and “Island Harvest” are downright awful. On “Oh! Love of Life” Albert himself provides the vocals, and although I don’t find his undulating, wide vibrato, saxophone-like vocals offensive, I don’t find this song interesting or compelling either.

The second track, “Masonic Inborn Part 1” is perhaps the reason that this album is worth owning. “Masonic Inborn” finds Albert Ayler on bagpipe (!) (actually two bagpipes, overdubbed) with the ethereal accompaniment of Bobby Few’s piano and the free drumming of Muhammad Ali. This is fantastic stuff – I would have been happy with a whole album of free-jazz bagpipe songs!!

The final track on the album, “Drudgery” features a straight-ahead blues chord progression and a steady rock beat. Although it is fun to hear Albert play in this context, and he is quite competent in this setting and even stretches it out a bit toward the end of piece, I can’t get very excited about the music. Coming after three miserable tracks, the piece doesn’t have to be very good to exceed expectations – and it does manage this. However, after repeated listening it becomes increasingly tiresome.

Buy it at amazon

Lorrach, Paris 1966

2009-02-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

“Red-dee…settt….go,” shouts my daughter as she leaps off the headboard above our bed and face-plants on the bed. Good parenting, eh? Watching her do this repeatedly, I am in awe of her fearlessness. She could easily keep doing this for an hour, or at least until she makes a less-than-soft landing and needs kisses. Each time she climbs back up on the headboard I tell her to be careful, and she repeats “ca-fulll” several times. I can only assume she is mocking me, because she is anything but careful.

It has been a very busy and stressful month, and the next few months don’t look like they will be much better. It is only March (in a few hours) and my summer schedule is already rapidly filling up with commitments as well, which is rather depressing.

Even though it has been busy, I have managed to listen to some music over the past few weeks and this next album has been a real highlight. “Lorrach, Paris” beautifully captures “the dynamite sound” of 1966, a time when Albert and his companions were literally exploding with creativity and passion.

Albert Ayler, Lorrach,Paris 1966

Hat Hut, 1966

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Donald Ayler : trumpet

Michel Sampson: violin

Bill Folwell: bass

Beaver Harris: drums

"Lorrach, Paris 1966" represents selections from two concerts in November 1966 (Lorrach, Germany and Paris, France). The music is similar to "Slug's" and "Greenwich Village." It is oscillating, screaming, melodious, and fearless. I really like the percussion of Beaver Harris; in my opinion he successfully drives this music forward in a very different way than Sunny Murray. There are even some nice drum solos on this album, something I don't recall on the other 1966-67 releases. I can't really say much more about this; the music speaks for itself. This is a must-have disc for Ayler fans, and as good a place as any for an introduction.

As I listen to this, I can't help but wonder what it would have been like to witness these shows in person, and particularly how I would have reacted if I had no experience with this sort of music (and I imagine that at least some in the audience were completely unaware of what they were getting into). I like to to think I would have been like my daughter, jumping off the headboard and hoping for a soft landing. More likely I would have been like her father, shocked by the craziness. "Ca-full."

I guess this might be out of print, which if true is a real travesty. Looks like a few very pricey used CDs are available through amazon.

Slugs' Saloon

2009-02-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

Most of my “deep” music listening occurs in the evening or during the few days a week that I work from home. Although I often play music in my office at work, I am rarely brave enough to expose my colleagues to the energy-rich goodness of free jazz sensu Ayler. Typically I don’t push things much past Eric Dolphy, mid-period Coltrane, early Cecil Taylor, etc. For my more energy-intensive material I have a room in the finished basement of our very tiny house where these activities can take place. However, given the thin walls and my wife’s sensitive ears, listening to any music loud is typically not good for overall family morale, so if I want to really listen to something at high volume I typically use headphones. This next album benefits greatly from headphones, primarily because the sound quality is rather sub par, likely because it was essentially a bootleg recording.

I listened to “Slug’s Saloon” several times after I first downloaded it from emusic, but a couple weeks later I stumbled into a copy of Lörrach, Paris 1966, and it soon replaced this one in the player primarily because of the better sound quality. So although this album has regularly rotated through my listening queue I honestly didn’t listen to it very deeply until this past week. However, I have listened to this album at least a dozen times this week; in fact, it is essentially the only music I have listened to, except for a Pete Seeger album that my wife and 19 month old daughter have been playing upstairs. I am traveling today, and the frantic preparation for this trip and lack of sleep during the past few nights have left me feeling rather exhausted and a bit down. I just listened to this album again on the airplane, and as I sit here awash with the lingering jubilance it has created, staring out on the awe-inspiring mountains of Colorado, I am feeling incredibly uplifted.

Albert Ayler, Slugs' Saloon

1966, ESP

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Don Ayler: trumpet

Michel Sampson: violin

Lewis Worrell: bass

Ronald Shannon Jackson: drums

Recorded live at Slugs' Saloon on May 1st, 1966 the album is similar in feel and delivery to "Greenwich Village" as well as "Lörrach" which I will discuss more in my next entry. In my opinion, it is a little more frenetic in feel than these other two releases, and the most striking difference is that imparted by Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums. Stylistically his drumming is quite a contrast to Sunny Murray’s and somewhat different from Beaver Harris’s as well. Often Jackson seems to drum “with” the melody, and his drumming is in some ways more “march-like” which obviously suits these pieces well. He doesn’t really keep a strong beat per se but the drums are certainly more aggressive. I think I prefer the sorts of things that Sunny Murray brought to the mix, as well as the template that Beaver Harris would provide later in 1966, but this is still a very enjoyable album. Albert and company were really at the height of their powers during this time period. If you can get past the sound quality, which really isn't hard, this is wonderful stuff.

Below is a relevant audio clip, again taken from the radio show that ESP put together. Bernard Stollman talks about the album and how he acquired the tape of the show.

Buy it directly from ESP

Buy it from amazon

New York Eye and Ear Control

2009-02-01T09:20:00.000-08:00

The next of my three emusic downloads was "New York Eye and Ear Control," a raucous collective improvisation that is notable for its lack of recurring march-like themes. For me this album has been a bit difficult to sink my ears into, and I fully anticipated that it would again be difficult to engage with it. Without the occasional structure imposed by the recurrent themes, I have felt a bit like I'm in the middle of Lake Superior, without a raft on an overcast day, trying to figure out which direction to swim. However, this week I jumped in, told myself I didn't need a raft or my compass (and yes sometimes I still use a compass), and forced myself to intensively tread water with this thing.

Albert Ayler, New York Eye and Ear Control

1964, ESP

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Don Cherry: trumpet

John Tchicai: alto saxophone

Roswell Rudd: trombone

Gary Peacock: bass

Sunny Murray: drums

I have been pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of this album; in fact, it has become increasingly enjoyable with each listen. Prior to this week, I would have described the album as unstructured cacophony, with little apparent interaction among the musicians, filing it away with other less-than-successful efforts at collective improvisation. However, upon repeated listening the album has really started to grow on me, and I can't believe that I overlooked how strikingly successful the group interaction really is. Once I allowed myself to float along, and really become a part of this spontaneous musical landscape, I found myself in awe at how downright amazing these guys really were. I have discovered this recording for the first time this week.

"New York Eye and Ear Control" was recorded on July 17th, 1964 by Paul Haines for Michael Snow's avant-garde film of the same name. The gathering took place only a week after "Spiritual Unity" was recorded, and the same trio is supplemented here by three top-notch and highly creative musicians: Don Cherry, John Tchicai, and Roswell Rudd. The first track, entitled "Don's Dawn" is only a minute long and features Cherry playing especially smoothly on trumpet with very sparse accompaniment, most prominently Gary Peacock on bass. A lyrical, short piece, it is quite a contrast to the subsequent two tracks, which are each over 20 minutes long and are comprised of mostly unstructured collective improvisation. These two longer tracks ebb and flow in intensity, at times are quite spacious, and for the most part Ayler dominants the proceedings. There are moments when Ayler states what sounds like the fragment or the beginning of a march theme, but each time it is quickly disposed of. The interaction among the musicians is at times awe inspiring, and this is truly a collective effort.

Disorienting? Yes.

Cacophonous? Yes.

Unstructured? Yes.

Spontaneous? Absolutely.

Beautiful? At times strikingly so.

Inspiring? Tremendously.

Do I care which direction I should swim anymore? No.

Below are a couple of relevant audio clips, again taken from the radio show that ESP put together. The first is Bernard Stollman talking about the album and the participants, and the second is Sunny Murray talking about the album and Albert.

Buy it directly from ESP.

But it from amazon.

Spirits Rejoice

2009-01-29T19:15:00.001-08:00

My wife and I each had "change jars" before we met, a jar to collect random change and a place to go when you need a couple of quarters for the laundry. I imagine that most folks have something similar. After we started shacking up together, we of course merged our jars. At that point both of our jars represented years and years of collected pennies, nickels, and dimes. Quarters were notably absent; in fact, the only quarters to be found were Canadian quarters, which often do work for routine American transactions, but of course won't work at the laundromat where the machines are more observant than the average American.

Anyway, for my birthday in fall 2005 we decided to take the jar to the bank, have them run it through their sorting machine, and spend the money on something fun for my birthday. Of course "something fun" was "music" to my ears! To my surprise, all that change actually tallied up to more than $100. I'd been salivating over the newly released Albert Ayler box set, "Holy Ghost," forcing the folks at Borders to take it from behind their locked glass cabinet on multiple occasions (like most things in Madison, the Borders was much better than they are in other areas, and actually carried a pretty diverse selection of music). With my 100 dollars from my "piggy bank" I marched in there and asked them to open up that glass cabinet for the last time. I went home with 10-discs, a book, and the rest of that beautifully packaged box set.

The "Holy Ghost" box set gave me enough Ayler to digest for many months, carrying me through the fall of 2005 and into the late spring of 2006. My five-disc CD player was full of these discs during this time period. However, I'm not going to review the box set right now. Since it spans Albert's entire career, and a lot of it is inferior in sound quality to the other releases, it makes the most sense to review it after I have gone through everything else in my collection.

After a cross-country move for a new job, which included the purchase of a house, the "money was not strong enough" (to quote Albert) to continue my Ayler exploration in the same manner as I had in Madison. Although I am not a fan of purchasing MP3 files, because I like the packaging and extra information you get with a CD or vinyl record and I certainly would prefer to have my music in the best fidelity possible, at about this time I saw that emusic carried several Ayler albums, including three that I had not yet heard. At that time emusic was offering 50 free downloads just to join (I think they have now reduced it to 25), and amazingly they allowed you to quit after your free downloads without ever paying anything. Although this seemed really strange and I still feel a little guilty for doing it, it was a way for me listen to these albums that I certainly could not afford at this point in my life. As the money becomes "stronger" I hope to replace these digital files with the CD release (or track down the vinyl, but most Ayler on vinyl is incredibly pricey). The first download I listened to was "Spirits Rejoice."

Albert Ayler, Spirits Rejoice

ESP, 1965 (Remastered CD 2006)

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Don Ayler: trumpet

Charles Tyler: alto saxophone

Henry Grimes: bass

Gary Peacock: bass

Sunny Murray: drums

Call Cobbs: harpsichord

"Spirits rejoice" was recorded on September 23, 1965 at Judson Hall in New York. However, it was not a concert recording; instead Judson Hall was rented for this session because of the apparently good or at least interesting acoustics (as discussed by Bernard Stollman in the audio file embedded at the end of this post). I have to admit, I am not that impressed with the sound quality on the album, although as noted by Bernard it was apparently recorded at twice the usual speed to obtain very high fidelty. I don't know whether my slight disappointment with the sound quality is due to the MP3 format, the quality of the particular release that I have, or my own ears. The album was apparently remastered for the 2006 ESP release, and I have read that the sound quality is quite good on this. Although the album is relatively similar to "Bells" in feel, not surprising given it was recorded 4 months later and with a very similar group, including Charles Tyler on alto saxophone. However, here Henry Grimes is playing wonderfully free bass and Call Cobbs is featured on harpsicord on the majestic "Angels." The contributions of these musicians clearly provide a developmental linkage between "Bells" to Albert's 1966 and 1967 work.

The album starts off with the aptly titled title track, which includes some really high-energy and ecstatic free improvisation. The second track is Holy Family, a short piece with a fast and catchy melody, and this is a pretty straight performance. In fact, you could play this track for your less Aylery friends and they probably would only raise one eyebrow. D.C. is a rather chaotic number that jumps pretty quickly into some earth-shattering improvisation; however, late in the piece there is also an imaginative interchange between Murray and Grimes that lasts for about a minute and a half, which serves to dissipate some of the energy before the theme is restated and the piece comes to an end. This latter segment, with Murray and Grimes engaged in some unconventional talking to each other, has become a real highlight for me on repeated listens. "Angels" is beautiful, as it is on "Live in Greenwich Village" although the harpsichord is pretty far back in the mix on this album so I find myself cranking the volume way up to really appreciate the track (I'd be interested to hear more about the new ESP remastering of this and whether the harpsichord is brought forward). The album concludes with a vibrant and screeching rendition of "Prophet." All in all, this is stuff that will really piss off the neighbors - but for those of us with the acquired ears this is as joyous as music gets.

Below, listen to Bernard Stollman talk about the session. This clip is from a longer segment focused on Albert Ayler and his music that can be listened to at ESP's web site.

Witches and Devils

2009-01-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

Eventually I will blog on things less Aylerific. However, for now I am having a lot of fun with this project, and I intend to see it through by continuing to work my way through my Ayler collection in the order that I first heard the albums. Perhaps a more logical approach would have been to review them chronologically, but I don't relate to this body of work in that way and this blog is not meant to be an academic account of these matters, but instead a tool for me to explore my own relationships to this and other music and art. And besides, we wouldn't want too much structure! Although I hope that my reviews and thoughts will trigger some people to check this music out, either for the first time or to revisit it with open ears and mind, the primary goal of this blog is personal exploration.

For each album that I have reviewed so far, I have re-listened to it at least 3 or 4 times. I have purposely not reacquainted myself with the history of the recording or read any reviews (including re-reading the linear notes of the albums themselves) for the first couple passes through the album. After that, I have read the readily available reviews, as well as the linear notes of the albums (if available), and then listened to the album a couple more times. This has been a fantastic experience, forcing me to really "listen" to these recordings - truly feeling them and occupying the space within them. In addition, writing about these albums has served as an impetus to really grapple with the context and history behind each recording, as well as the personal context and history of my initial and ongoing discovery of this music.

Like "Bells / Prophecy" I picked up the next album somewhere on State Street in Madison, although it escapes me which particular music shop. I really liked that town and I miss the culture and intellectual environment - and particularly the great music. I do remember that I bought this album on a warm day in early fall 2005, and we had a good friend that I had not seen for several years visiting us for the weekend. After lunch and a few beers on state street, we stopped at the record shop and "Witches and Devils" was on the shelf. Later that evening, I tried to convince my friend of the virtues of this music. I don't know if I was successful, although he did end up leaving town with a burned copy of some late-period Coltrane. He never did tell me his thoughts on it though... of course I can only assume that words alone could not describe its transformative impact.

Albert Ayler, Witches and Devils

Freedom, 1964

Albert Ayler: Tenor saxophone

Norman Howard: Trumpet

Henry Grimes: Bass

Earle Henderson: Bass

Sunny Murray: Drums

"Witches and Devils" (versions of this album were also released as "Spirits") was recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York City on February 24, 1964 - about five months before "Spiritual Unity." Although Sunny Murray again creates the freeform backdrop for these pieces, the rest of the band is different, with Henry Grimes playing bass on three of the four pieces and Earle Henderson playing bass on two of the pieces. The title track is the highlight of the set for me, probably because it is somewhat different stylistically from the other tracks. It is a dark, slower paced piece full of mournful solos by Albert, featuring two basses that provide beautiful interaction with Murray's subtle and immensely imaginative drumming, and some equally mournful and heart-wrenching trumpet work by Norman Howard. The musicians, and particularly the bassists and Murray employ plenty of space throughout, and this serves to enhance the dark feel of the piece. The song was apparently written by Norman Howard, likely explaining its stylistic differences with the rest of the album. His trumpet playing is the perfect compliment to Albert's playing on this piece, with his exaggerated Ayler-like vibrato enhancing the atmosphere of impending doom. The stereo mix also adds to the enjoyment, with Sunny Murray and two bassists near center and Albert and Norman speaking from the left and right respectively. The track is truly worth the price of the album.

The rest of the album is fantastic, and it is clear that this album represents the time when things really came together for Albert, primarily because he finally found truly competent and equally visionary supporting musicians. The final three tracks rely more on the march-like themes that Albert would continue to use as springboards for free improvisation for the next few years. There is plenty of space and jagged upper-register reaching solos, and the solo on "Holy, Holy" (although this melody is recorded on "Spiritual Unity" as "The Wizard") ranks among the most moving that I have heard. The album is recorded in great sound quality and is essential. As an aside, Ayler also recorded an album of spirituals at the same session but I have yet to track this one down. Hopefully I will pick up a copy soon.

I also really need to purchase the recently reissued "Burn Baby Burn" by Norman Howard. Listening to this album during the past few days has really turned me on to the way he attacks his solos and the deep emotion with which he plays.

Buy it at amazon (it looks to be out-of-print but there are used copies available)

Buy the "Spirits" release (same album) from amazon (new copies are available)

Bells / Prophecy

2009-01-26T19:00:00.001-08:00

My next Ayler acquisition was "Bells / Prophecy" a combination of the two similarly titled live ESP albums. The two albums don't really feel right on the same release, as the line-ups and music are radically different, and recorded about a year apart during a highly transitional period. I didn't have any reason to pick up this title as opposed to any other; in fact, to someone just entering this world I would likely reccommend a few others before this title. However, as with anything that Ayler did during the 1964-67 time period, this is challenging, captivating, and rewarding music. I bought this title in a little independent CD and record shop on State Street in Madison - for no other reason than because it was on the shelf and I had a little money burning a hole in my pocket. Ah, the days when the only real expense was the monthly rent. I'll review the original releases separately below (and I think you can still purchase these separately, although it certainly makes more economic sense to pick up this combined package).

Albert Ayler, Prophecy

1964, ESP

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Gary Peacock: bass

Sunny Murray: drums

"Prophecy" was recorded on June 14th, 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York with the "Spiritual Unity" trio of Ayler, Murray, and Peacock. This was less than a month before they would enter the tiny ESP studio and record their groundbreaking album. The music on this date is very similar in feel to "Spiritual Unity," although the trio stretches things out a bit more. I've heard some folks describe it as less a less focused performance than what was captured on "Spiritual Unity," or even downright meandering, but I don't agree with either characterization. The trio is certainly exploring more territory here, whereas "Spiritual Unity" seems to represent more of a distillation of these live experiments, but the results are just as exciting, although the trio is perhaps not as startlingly telepathic as they are on the studio album. However, they seem to more thoroughly explore some musical territory in this live setting. The biggest drawback is the somewhat marginal sound quality (this was a tape recording of the show), and audience chatter and general background noise (clinking of glasses, etc) is a slight distraction from the music, although the album is not at all unlistenable. The sound quality is the primary reason for the 4 instead of 5 star rating. For fans of "Spiritual Unity" this required reading.

Below listen to a clip from Benard Stollman, founder of the ESP label, on how he received the audio tape. The unreleased part of the tape was finally released on the Holy Ghost box set, which I will eventually discuss. This clip is from a longer segment focused on Albert Ayler and his music that can be listened to at ESP's web site.

Albert Ayler, Bells

1965, ESP

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone

Donald Ayler: trumpet

Charles Tyler: alto saxophone

Lewis Worrell: bass

Sunny Murray: drums

"Bells" finds Albert moving closer to the sound that is so magnificently captured on "Live in Greenwich Village," although without the defining violin foundation. This live show was one of the early live vettings of Albert's new direction and his brother Don's trumpet playing. Recorded on May 1st 1965 at New York's Town Hall, there are only 19 minutes of music here (hence the pairing with Prophecy), and this was originally released as a one-sided LP. The music is continuous for the 19 minutes, and this raucous medley of repetitive marches represents at least three songs: Holy Ghost, No Name, and Bells. The first five minutes are comprised mostly of very intense free improvisation and on my first listen I was admittedly a bit nervous that I would be able to make it through the entire piece, given the level of shronking chaos. Don's skittery trumpet leads the way intitially, and adds tremendously to the feel of this music thoughout. "Skittery" is the simplest and most accurate description of Don's playing that I have heard, and I borrow the term here from Val Wilmer, who recently used it in Don's obituary. The piece mellows a bit after the first five minutes and branches out to explore the more structured musical territory of repetitive, march-like themes - although spontaneous, free improvisation occurs throughout. If you need to clear a crowded room, the first thirty seconds of this album ought to do it.

Below listen to a clip from Benard Stollman, founder of the ESP label, on the "Bells" concert at Town Hall and the original LP release. This clip is from a longer segment focused on Albert Ayler and his music that can be listened to at ESP's web site.

Bu y it at amazon

But it directly from ESP

Live in Greenwich Village

2009-01-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned previously, the album "Live in Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings" was the document that the Madison Public Library chose for my introduction to Mr. Ayler. Of course, the first disc skipped incessantly and the second disc wouldn't play at all. After spending a couple months becoming familiar with "Love Cry" and "Spiritual Unity," and starting to explore other artists in this new (to me) music that apparently lies somewhere at the cusp of what many folks tend to call "jazz," I finally purchased a copy of "Live at Greenwich Village."

Like much music for me, there are points in this album where melodies or brief intonations must have become etched in my brain in tandem with particular events or images from my life, forever linking the two. The music on this remarkable 2-disc set, recorded mostly in 1966 and 1967 (one track from 1965) became the backdrop for the summer of what was an exciting time in my life... preparation for a month-long adventure into the north woods of Upper Michigan which was to be followed by my marriage to the love of my life, the amazing women who continues to tolerate ( and sometimes even encourages) my many obsessions, including my passion for this strange music. At times when I listen to the album, I return to a particular day in summer 2005; a day I spent listening to this album while packing equipment and supplies in excited anticipation for the month-long UP adventure that my soon-to-be wife and I were about to embark on. There are a few high-pitched scratches of Sampson's violin that even bring back the smell of that old apartment like it was yesterday, a strange musty smell intermixed with the old campfire smell of my camping gear.

Albert Ayler, Live in Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings

Impulse, 1965, 1966, 1967 (1998 CD)

Albert Ayler: alto and tenor saxophone

Alan Silva: bass

Beaver Harris: drums

Bill Folwell: bass

Call Cobbs: piano

Donald Ayler: trumpet

George Stell: trombone

Henry Grimes: bass

Joel Freedman: cello

Lewis Worrell: bass

Michel Sampson: violin

Sunny Murray: drums

"Live from Greenwich Village" is over two hours of rollicking marches, dirges, and triumphant wails recorded live in fantastic sound quality, as you would expect from a major label like Impulse. For most of the pieces, a beautiful and unique foundation is laid down by the strings - the violin of Michel Sampson and/or the bass of Alan Silva, Bill Folwell, Henry Grimes, and/or Lewis Worrell. Like Ayler's earlier work, most of these songs are structured around simple march-like themes, but the strings and Don's trumpet lead to a much denser sound. The album starts at a pretty high intensity, with "Holy Ghost" and Albert freely improvising over what sounds to me like some sort of vocal droning (but perhaps something else?). This is followed by a wonderful dirge-like march "Truth is Marching In." The third track is truly spectacular, a deeply emotional piece called "Our Prayer" that was written by Don Ayler. Don takes the melody on trumpet, with the violins building and releasing the intensity of the song throughout and Albert lending short punctuated cries on the sax. Most critics have blasted Don for his lack of "technical skill," but the emotional power of this song and Don's ability to convey it are truly moving - I'll take this song over anything Wynton Marsalis has ever done. "Spirits Rejoice" and "Divine Peacemaker" are both triumphant marches with extended, stratosphere-shaking free improvisations. The final song on the first disc, "Angels" is a duo piece, Albert with Call Cobbs on piano - it is stunningly beautiful and it is fascinating to hear Albert in this kind of setting. The second disc begins with "For John Coltrane," a moving and fitting tribute to the legacy of John Coltrane, who died in 1967. The piece manages to be mournful and jubilant at the same time, and for me is a real highlight of the set - although picking highlights from this collection is difficult. The remainder of the second disc is just as good as the first, continuing to use simple march-like themes as a springboard for improvisation and emotional exploration. Tell your friends. Play it for your enemies.

Buy it at amazon

Spiritual Unity

2009-01-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

I’ll continue with the Albert Ayler theme that I started last time. “Love Cry” was my first real introduction to this crazy, life-affirming music. After a few weeks of having the disc on continuous rotation (much to my wife’s horror), I was ready to continue with my education. I read everything I could find about Albert Ayler, and quickly realized that “Spiritual Unity” was the album that many would consider his masterpiece. I ordered the disc directly from ESP, and waited patiently for its arrival.

Albert Ayler, Spiritual Unity

1964, ESP

Albert Ayler: Tenor saxophone

Gary Peacock: Bass

Sunny Murray: Percussion

On July 10^th of 1964, Albert Ayler, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray walked into the tiny studio of the newly formed ESP label. The result was “Spiritual Unity” - a concise, confident, and beautifully crafted musical statement. Words can’t really do this album justice, the interaction among the musicians – Sunny Murray’s drumming and Gary Peacock’s bass in particular, is astounding. Murray doesn’t keep time in any traditional sense; his subtle drumming interacts and intertwines with Peacock’s bass and creates a subdued, undulating undercurrent for Ayler’s sax. Loose marching themes are played by Ayler, and you'd swear that you have heard these simple melodies before. The themes are stated and restated, then deconstructed, then torn to shreds, then left completely behind with screams of jagged improvisation... and then the themes are restated. The results are mesmerizing.

The recording engineer apparently fled the control booth during the recording to avoid the chaos. For reasons unknown, he also thought that the recording was a demo and recorded it in mono instead of stereo. I found this out after I had owned the album for several months, listening to the entire thing twice every day on my bus commute to work (it was exactly the right length), and I honestly never noticed that it wasn’t in stereo – which is amazing particularly since I was listening to it on headphones. The communication among the musicians is so spellbinding I didn't notice. Play it loud.

Click on the player below to hear a 5-minute long clip of Bernard Stollman, founder of the ESP label, speak about his first meeting with Albert Ayler and a description of the Spiritual Unity session. This clip is from a longer segment focused on Albert Ayler and his music that can be listened to at ESP's web site.

Buy it directly from ESP

Buy it from amazon

Love Cry

2009-01-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

Back in 2004, I really discovered jazz. Sure, I'd owned "Kind of Blue" and "Giant Steps" for some time and found them to be generally enjoyable. But I wasn't yet moved to seek this sort of music out, still finding more inspiration in other forms. Living in Madison, Wisconsin at the time my girlfriend (now my wife) clued me in to the beauty of the public library and the immense collection of music that they loaned out. I was blown away by the collection of music in the Madison system and used it as an opportunity to explore a range of music that I would not have heard otherwise. My girlfriend also gave me a book at about this time, called "100 jazz musicians" or something like that. Jazz musicians were listed in alphabetical order, and each was given a one or two page spread. As luck would have it, Albert Ayler was included in the book and was on one of the first few pages that I opened to. I read his bio, was intrigued by his tragic story, and made a mental note to see what the library had of his.

The library only had one Ayler album, and it was "Live in Greenwich Village." I checked it out. What came out of the speakers later that night was like nothing I had ever heard. However, the discs were badly beaten up (the problem with the public library) and the first disc skipped frequently and stopped playing about half way through. The second disc was unplayable.

Albert Ayler, Love Cry

1968, Impulse Records (CD 1991)

Albert Ayler: alto, tenor, vocals

Don Ayler: trumpet

Call Cobbs: harpsichord

Alan Silva: bass

Milford Graves: drums

The next day I went to the CD store to see if they had the album. They didn't. However, they did have one Ayler album - "Love Cry" for $9.99. The album is melodic, rhythmic, chaotic, loose, shocking, emotional, and inspiring. The sound is strange, particularly the tracks where Cal Cobbs plays harpsicord. The harpsichord lends an antique and disjointed sort of feel, like the music is somehow dated and old, yet everything else, particularly Albert's sax and his brother Don's trumpet, screams that this is something new - especially during the second half of the album. The album begins with the title track, which harkens to reveille, and it is followed by a series of loose marchs that speed up and slow down at whim, and provide a springboard for very short improvisations. The first six tracks were all recorded at a session in August of 1967, and they all have a very similar feel. I find myself joyfully humming along during the these tracks.

However, the second half of the album is where the real magic happens. These tracks (which include several alternate takes not on the original LP) were all recorded in February of 1968, and feature more extended improvisation and emotion, and Albert's sax is his ragged best - screaming, crying, and and splashing sounds like paint on a canvas. Donald's trumpet is repetitive and hypnotic.

Alan Silva on bass and Milford Graves on drums propel these schizophrenic and swirling marches along, and during the second half of the album provide the Ayler brothers with a template for unbridled improvisation. This is a unique and beautiful album, under-appreciated by many, including some Ayler fans. However, I find it impossible not to get swept up in these marching medleys and melodies - grinning, screaming and crying all the way.

Buy it at amazon

The Jessamine Vine....

2009-01-19T19:38:00.001-08:00

Sporadic ruminations, mostly comments/reviews of music. Perhaps also other art forms...