Jazz Articles about Golia / Josephson / Kaiser / Keneally / Morris / Smith / Walter

Golia / Josephson / Kaiser / Keneally / Morris / Smith / Walter: Healing Force: The Songs of Albert Ayler

by Troy Collins
October 8, 2007

Revered for his uncompromising 1960s New Thing innovations, seminal free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler's often maligned cross-over work from the end of the decade received widespread criticism. Seeking a wider audience, Ayler's final efforts often presented the lyrical contributions of his girlfriend, Mary “Maria" Parks in more traditional blues-based settings.

Widely misunderstood and commonly misinterpreted as a commercial sell-out, Ayler and Parks' collaborations featured her “universal consciousness" lyrics delivered with boundless, amateurish enthusiasm, while Ayler restrained his outré ...