Spirits Rejoice

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

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)

Live in Greenwich Village

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