Jazz Articles about Charles Gayle

Charles Gayle 3: Abiding Variations

by Derek Taylor
September 1, 1999

Often denigrated and lauded in equal measure, Charles Gayle is perhaps the most iconoclastic jazz musician of the 90's. His penchant for fundamentalist-grounded religious diatribes and earlier bouts with homelessness frequently garner as much press as his monolithic musical prowess. He is a master at inciting both heated vocal reaction and awe-struck, gaping stares among his listeners. Thankfully on most of his recordings his controversial personal behaviors are submerged and his music is left to speak volumes for itself. Such ...