Jazz Articles about Albert Ayler

like 585

Albert Ayler: Prophecy/Bells

by Clifford Allen
July 14, 2005

Albert Ayler Prophecy/Bells ESP-Disk 2005

Despite a rather brief period of artistic flourish (c. 1964 - c. 1967), tenor man Albert Ayler has probably, next to Coltrane and Cecil Taylor, held the most sway on the direction of improvisation from a 'thematic' or 'phrase-based' approach to that of a purely sonic one. Ayler melded bebop dexterity and the grotesqueries of juke-joint R&B tenor squawkers to an inordinately fast and decidedly physical, experiential ...

like 451

Albert Ayler Trio: Spiritual Unity

by Rex Butters
July 5, 2005

1964 proved to be a watershed year for Albert Ayler, who recorded enough material for ten albums, three for ESP alone. With drummer Sunny Murray a lone constant, Ayler exchanged Henry Grimes for Gary Peacock on bass midyear, briefly adding Don Cherry for some of the most memorable excursions he would commit to tape, including the expanded group that scorched through New York Eye and Ear Control. Almost a month to the day after capturing the Ayler/Peacock/Murray trio live at ...

like 331

Albert Ayler: Live on the Riviera

by James Taylor
April 24, 2005

Albert Ayler's saxophone sound was raw and unfettered. Ayler's life, like his sound, was the personification of the blues. Sorrowful and excitable, both mournful and full of life, Ayler's sound was the sound of the human voice set free. That's why critics are afraid of him--like all revolutionaries, Ayler said things people don't like to hear. As part of ESP's recent relaunching and reissue campaign, Live on the Riviera is a testament to the underappreciated brilliance of ...

like 810

Albert Ayler: New Grass

by Trevor MacLaren
November 29, 2004

Albert Ayler New Grass Impulse! 1968

If there is one word that is poison in the minds of jazz fans and critics, it's sellout. If any musician, for whatever reason, decides to change their sound in a way that could be considered commercial, they have committed the deadliest of sins. So many debate and whine over whether an artist is a sellout, but really, what the hell difference does it make? None. ...

like 877

Albert Ayler: Holy Ghost

by A. Henkin
October 31, 2004

Albert Ayler Holy Ghost Revenant 2004

Albert Ayler was a mysterious figure. His recording career was relatively brief, beginning in 1962 and ending in 1970, with several of the entries live performances released many years after his passing. His demise itself was a bizarre circumstance. Revenant Records, by all accounts the most ambitious and thorough of all box-set minded labels, has now released a nine+ CD set of Ayler whose mystery ...

like 198

Albert Ayler: Backwards And Forwards

by Nic Jones
May 20, 2004

By March of 1965, when the first of the Village Vanguard recordings were made, Albert Ayler's career as a leader was less that five years old. He'd covered a lot of ground. It was also only thirteen years since he'd worked in Little Walter's band, yet in that time he'd moved as far away from the mainstream of African American popular music as it was possible to be, at least that was an impression. The reality of the situation was ...

like 235

Albert Ayler: Forwards And Backwards

by Nic Jones
February 10, 2004

By March of 1965, when the first of the Greenwich Village recordings were made, Albert Ayler's career as a leader was less than five years old. He'd covered a lot of ground. It was also only thirteen years since he'd worked in Little Walter's band, yet in that time he'd moved as far away from the mainstream of African-American popular music as it was possible to be. At least that was an impression. The reality of the situation was rather ...