Albert Ayler Music

"Lorrach/Paris" is a collection of two live shows from November 1966-- five tracks from the Lorrach, Germany, and three from Paris, France. The two shows find Ayler's band, featuring himself on tenor sax, his brother Don on trumpet, violinist Michel Sampson, bassist William Folwell (in his first recorded work with Ayler) and drummer Beaver Harris (who was brought to Europe when Sunny Murray wouldn't go) in full flight, well recorded, and performing admirably.

By this point, Ayler had totally eschewed the free jazz vein he started in in favor of theme-based performances, decepitively simple marches with harmonized themes used as launching grounds for improvisation and expression. The brothers state the themes on their horns, often intermingling melody and countermelody, with Sampson riding counter to both of them (in a fashion reminiscent of departed bassist Gary Peacock). Supprorting this is the rather unconventional rhythm section-- Folwell is difficult to hear, but appears to be sitting in a somewhat rhythmic variant of what Sampson is doing, whereas Harris provides a platform-- his work is more rhythmically founded than previous drummers and plays straighter beat and rhythmic patterns-- it sounds as though his playing is more in the Ed Blackwell school than the Sunny Murray one. It works at times, but sometimes you really wish he'd do something more inventive.

Generally, two kinds of pieces are performed-- those with improv sections and those without-- the former state themes with intertwining, harmonizing horns and Sampson in counter, the latter do the same but feature an open improv section. Both have their merits, and the intensity of the playing is downright stunning. Truth to be told, if the bass was audible and the drumming was a bit more exciting, this would be five stars, as it is, it's quite a set. Recommended.

"New York Eye and Ear Control" - this has to be the best free jazz album title ever.
Not the best of free jazz group efforts though (even though I'm a great Roswell Rudd fan and there's some formidable Rudd moments on this recording), as I always found Ayler a little hard to stomach in a multiple reeds setting - Cherry's and Tchicai's subtle interplay ostensibly fared much better under Archie Shepp's guidance; I'd say the New York Contemporary Five (Cherry, Shepp, Tchicai plus Don Moore on bass and J.C. Moses on drums) was the defining quintet of the early free jazz age, look up their awesome live album (Copenhagen 1963, and ready for re-re-issue!) for ultimate proof.

After Ornette Coleman's 1960 landmark recording "Free Jazz", it seemed very common to find large group improvisations occuring. Albert Ayler's "New York Eye and Ear Control" is one such example of this. Recorded as the soundtrack to a film (that was performed to the music rather than the music to the film) by Michael Snow, Ayler augmented his working band of bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray with trumpeter Don Cherry and alto saxophonist John Tchicai of the New York Contemporary Five and Roswell Rudd of the New York Art Quartet. The session consisted of freely structured improv, with no apparent themes developed beforehand. The result is less than overwhelming.

Peacock and Murray freely associate, over which the horns all perform. Rudd and Tchicai sound terribly tentative, and neither seem to have much to say except when Ayler leads. Cherry manages a few intriguing licks (partiuclarly the introductory track "Don's Dawn"), but by and large is best in response to Ayler. Ayler, for his part, is overwhelming, way up front, and extremely aggressive. The problem is that Ayler's best improvs all launched his march-like themes, and without this touchstone, he seems to push the themes in on his own. This adds an implied structure that the rest of the band isn't ready for, and remarkably pits Ayler in opposition as being the one who occasionally enforces structure.

Net result-- it's an interesting listen, and playing with Cherry would be critical for Ayler's future, but the music itself feels like nothing. I never fully understand how this gets such favorable comments, I find the music nearly unlistenable (and I loved both "Free Jazz" and Ayler's other work). If you need to have this, get it, otherwise I'd pass it over for Ayler's better work.

The soundtrack to Michael Snow's all but forgotten film "New York Eye and Ear Control," now stands as a document of the New York's mid-60s avant-garde jazz scene. This disc, originally released on the ESP label, brings together some of the movements biggest players -- Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray. While this record is most often associated with Ayler (probably because he is the biggest name and it is his Trio at the time plus three) it is truly a collective group effort, with Rudd and Tchicai surprisingly stealing the show. Unfortunately, the Ayler-Cherry collaboration does not live up to its potential, but it is still worth exploring the "Eye and Ear."

Given the unbridled urge for artistic and political freedom in the 60s it's no surprise that so many avant-garde jazz artists were attracted to the idea of collective improvisation. It spoke to an egalitarian sensibility, a desire for the revolutionary, and an almost mystical belief in the power of Spirit and Art that certainly fit with the times. Unfortunately, many of the most recognizable versions of this collective improvisation never seem to live up to the promise of the idea. Ornette's Free Jazz record, while important as a historical statement, doesn't really quite work as music. The same also goes for Coltrane's Ascension, which often collapses under the sheer weight of all those horns! But this date is different. Perhaps it is the smaller number of participants, or their collective sensibilities, but this group turns in one of the most integrated, subtle and enjoyable examples of New York Collective Energy Jazz on record.

Credit must go to the sensitivity of all the players. Ayler takes the lead, by virtue of his huge tone and sonic roar. Cherry is equally inventive, but more melodic as was his wont. And both Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai are lyrical players who use a lot of space in their playing. As a result, the album is more transparent than either the Coleman or the Coltrane albums. The interplay between musicians is greater. The horns dovetail each other's phrases or set up balanced counterpoint. There doesn't seems to be any jockeying for dominance, as can happen in some collective situations. Each member leaves artistic room for the others. Gary Peacock is big toned and rock solid in the bass and Sunny Murray is quite simply a wonder, spreading his pulse out in every direction, creating a feeling of urgency without regular beat.

It is often fashionable for some critics to posit an influence of drugs and acid rock on the musicians of free jazz. But it is important to remember that this music was recorded in 1964...right at the start of the British invasion. Hendrix was still a struggling blues musician, the Greatful Dead hadn't been born yet and Janis Joplin was singing country music in her Texas high school. Free jazz was a precusor to the rock of the late 60's not the other way around. And, as far as I know, few if any of the musicians used serious drugs. In fact, few of them used any at all. This music is about something other than the drug culture of the 60's. It goes down deeper into culture, relating to humankind's earliest musical/mystical experiences.

This CD (contrary to the misleading title listed on amazon.com) is in fact the entire two volume release of "Nuits de la Fondation Maeght" on one CD. The last recorded performance from Albert Ayler, this shows him returning closer to the form of the mid-60s than his late '60s flirtation with rock music.

Accompanied by Call Cobbs (piano), the nearly inaudible Steve Tintweiss (bass), and unsympathetic drummer Alan Blairman, Ayler manages to overcome a number of obstacles and puts together a great performance. Cobbs performs largely in a gospel (or almost baroque) vein, and is very much in concert with Ayler's idiom as the leader wails, largely avoiding the polyphonics he was known for in favor of more linear lines, exclusively on the tenor. He plays with a fire and passion, exploring the extreme upper register of the instrument. Unfortuantely, neither Tintweiss nor Blairman seem particularly interested in playing what Ayler is playing-- this is most readily apparent on "Holy Family", one of the few songs where the bass is audible-- its as though the two of them are playing a totally different song, in particular Blairman.

Still, even without any real support, Ayler and Cobb manage a staggering performance-- Ayler is particularly passionate on searing theme statements for "In Heart Only", "Spirits Rejoice", and "Truth is Marching In", and the two turn out a stunning pairing (regardless of the out of place accompaniment) on "Spirits" (which sounds to me like variations on "New Ghosts" from "New Grass"). Mary Parks shows up for one track, the set closer "Music is the Healing Force of the Universe"-- her presence is additive and the song is decent enough.

Overall, this is a decent live record-- it could be better were the bassist and drummer in step with Ayler. Sonicaly, this edition is superb, the sound is crisp and clean, stunningly so for a live recording of this era. This is not a good place to begin digging for Ayler, but for fans, even those who dislike his late period, this is a great recording.

albert ayler's late career was marred by bad decisions, unwise choices in musical direction, and tragedy. but in these final two performances in france, 1970, he and his band trail through the night weaving a dense and beautiful pattern of illumination. if there was inner turmoil within himself or his band members...it's certainly hard to tell based on the strength of these performances. the drums roll along with purpose while the bass carves out solid frames of deep feeling. the piano weaves in and out of the air, stealing moments of fragile space, all the while ayler's sax soars and billows above the rumble with the call of a divine power. i imagine these are the kinds of songs played by a salvation army made up of ghosts and spirits. hard edged free-jazz collides with dixieland anthems and gospel melodies embrace drunken hobos whistling a long forgotten tune. mary parks' vocals grace the final song "music is the healing force of the universe" and although the lyrics may induce a small chuckle, the song carries itself and it's audience along for the ride. a truly great live cd that never fails to take the listener to new heights.

For long i had the tapes and the old records; there is a lot more on the tapes. I got them from the radio. you couldn't imagine the revolution in sound.
i recomend these songs to anyone who want to know what was the spirit of 68

When I first picked up this CD and saw that it was the first recording effort for the Chad Anderson Quintet, I thought it would be yet another "clunky" project. Boy, was I surprised!

The sensitivity of this group really comes across in the widely varied tunes they composed and performed. Their interpretations are extremely tasteful--and their musicianship surely made listening to this CD for the first time a true pleasure. I have listened to it over and over; each time it gets better--I hear something new--and continue to be amazed at the musical ability of the group members and the way they are able to play so "tightly" at times and so musically "loose" at others.

To start, Chad Anderson has accomplished a major coup to assemble these young musicians for this session. Plus, he found just the right way to blend each member's personal compositions into the CD's makeup. I look forward to more recordings from this group. One recommendation would be for them to record a group of standards with which most of us are familiar, as well. That way, we could compare their styles and their interpretations with other recordings in our collections.

Chad Anderson, as the drummer for this project, displays terrific musicality, sensitivity, and flexibility throughout each number. He seems to know what's going to happen before it occurs, then accents that instant in just the right way. Chris Parker on piano is, quite obviously, a highly seasoned pianist and composer, because he doesn't over-play and overshadow the group. This is not always easy, but Parker pulls it off in style.

The bassist, Jonathan Wires, though, gets five stars for his mastery of the string bass -- not just from the craft of his musicianship and his stellar compositional capacity, but for his interpretations. He is like an artist wielding a brush who is painting a masterpiece--and we, the listeners, are on-hand for the occasion. Jonathan plays as though he is seasoned well beyond his years.

All in all, this CD gets a top rating. Surely, this group will give us more!!

You know that feeling of hopeful expectation when you listen to a cd for the first time. Well, "People Here" doesn't disappoint. The music is engaging and challenging, and not at all predictable. The different tracks vary in content and style and yet they all hang together.

Oscar Peterson once said of his phrasing, "It's not just a series of notes played in a particular manner, it's a place I go to". Well, these guys go to some great places ...some new, some familiar ...and I feel privileged to accompanying them.

Upon subsequent listenings, you really appreciate the musicianship of each member of this quintet, and how he supports and blends so effectively with the others. These guys work really well together.

And, the CD is not just a collection of track, it's a production in itself. It plays well from start to finish. Very, very well done! I'm not nearly finished exploring all the nuances of this terrific CD, and yet I look forward to hearing more from this burgeoning musical force.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

Ayler was fleshing out his group at this point from a trio to the larger ensembles utilized on the impulse! recordings. Like most ESPs this is a very short set, not that that should matter when the music is so strong.

I give this recording 4 stars in relation to other Ayler releases. Personally, I think The three essential Aylers are Spiritual Unity, Greenwich and Love Cry. Those new to ayler should start with one of those and after you've discovered the beauty of his work, dive into the rest of his ESP discs.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

It's wonderful that with the ESP label's demise, others are making available classic titles like Sun Ra's "Heliocentric Worlds," Ornette's "Town Hall Concert," and Ayler's "Spiritual Unity" and this title, "Spirits Rejoice." While "Spiritual Unity" explores Ayler's music in a trio setting, "Spirits Rejoice" uses additional horns, two basses and even harpsichord on one track (Scarlatti eat your heart out!). The result is a fuller sound more akin to Ayler's Impulse recordings "Greenwich Village" and "Love Cry," yet all its own. The band on the album's five songs ("Spirits Rejoice," "Holy Family," "D.C.," "Angels" and "Prophet") is brother Don on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto (hopefully his great ESP album will be reissued too), Sunny Murray on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock on bass, with Cal Cobbs sitting it on "Angels." Those new to Ayler's music be ready for some of the most expressive, personal, searching avant-garde jazz ever, and it is completely distinct and original. Although this is an import, the price is much more reasonable than those Japanese Blue Notes. Since most domestic CDs cost this much anyway, there should be no hesitation with this purchase.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

Ayler was fleshing out his group at this point from a trio to the larger ensembles utilized on the impulse! recordings. Like most ESPs this is a very short set, not that that should matter when the music is so strong.

I give this recording 4 stars in relation to other Ayler releases. Personally, I think The three essential Aylers are Spiritual Unity, Greenwich and Love Cry. Those new to ayler should start with one of those and after you've discovered the beauty of his work, dive into the rest of his ESP discs.

Albert Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" represents the first real codification of the sound which he would work in for the next several years-- while "Bells", recorded three months prior began introducing this sound, "Spirits Rejoice", from September of 1965 fully embraces it. Relying on multiple horns and march-like (or gospel-like) melodies, the music is deceptively simple, serving as a launching point for improvisation. The thing that's intriguing is that for pieces that are by-and-large considered difficult, Ayler's melodies are catchy and get stuck in your head, and by and large this is the pinnacle of the direction his career has been heading.

Performing exclusively on tenor sax, Ayler is joined by two other horns-- his brother Don on trumpet and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler. Don provides an interesting foil for Albert-- whereas Cherry provided a foil in delicacy to Ayler's aggressiveness and Cherry's predecessor Norman Howard adopted Ayler's wide vibrato, Don pursues an aggressive mode that avoids emulating his brother's vibrato. Unfortunately the third horn in Charles Tyler is virtually inaudible. The remainder of the band is bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock (the latter recording with Ayler for the last time) and drummer Sunny Murray. The bassists maintain a dialog with each other, providing a foundation, a countermelody, and almost a pillow to work on-- this role had previously been filled by Murray, who seems now concerned largely will accent and space and almost a direct beat statement rather than pure implication.

The pieces are by and large ecstatic-- generally avoiding the lyricism found on earlier records for excited call and response pieces ("Spirits Rejoice", which is almost a carefully constructed variant on "Bells" and the gospel-like theme "Holy Family") or aggressive explosivenes ("D.C" and "Prophet"). On the latter two, Don Ayler in particular solos powerfully and aggressively, managing to step out of the shadow of his brother, even if only briefly. The only cut that breaks this sound is titled on here "Angels" (although previously referred to as "Prophecy"). Featuring Call Cobbs on poorly recorded harpsichord (and with Don Ayler and Charles Tyler laying out), Albert digs in deep in a ballad form and expresses himself in a lyrical manner that belies the usual suspicions that he's incapable of straight playing as he stays pretty far inside on his beautiful soloing.

Edit: An important note-- vastly improved sound quality is available on the 2006 remaster of this recording from the recent-resurrected ESP-Disk record label, that's the one you want.

Ayler's music is exciting and this is really quite a good example of it, it's not quite the masterpiece some of his earlier work (free jazz summit "Vibrations") is, or quite as good or essential an example as "Live in Greenwich Village", but its really quite a good record. Recommended.

It's wonderful that with the ESP label's demise, others are making available classic titles like Sun Ra's "Heliocentric Worlds," Ornette's "Town Hall Concert," and Ayler's "Spiritual Unity" and this title, "Spirits Rejoice." While "Spiritual Unity" explores Ayler's music in a trio setting, "Spirits Rejoice" uses additional horns, two basses and even harpsichord on one track (Scarlatti eat your heart out!). The result is a fuller sound more akin to Ayler's Impulse recordings "Greenwich Village" and "Love Cry," yet all its own. The band on the album's five songs ("Spirits Rejoice," "Holy Family," "D.C.," "Angels" and "Prophet") is brother Don on trumpet, Charles Tyler on alto (hopefully his great ESP album will be reissued too), Sunny Murray on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock on bass, with Cal Cobbs sitting it on "Angels." Those new to Ayler's music be ready for some of the most expressive, personal, searching avant-garde jazz ever, and it is completely distinct and original. Although this is an import, the price is much more reasonable than those Japanese Blue Notes. Since most domestic CDs cost this much anyway, there should be no hesitation with this purchase.

In ways sometimes difficult to appreciate, Albert Ayler had John Coltrane's number because, for all the commitment present in Coltrane's variant of free jazz (and all the fact that, technically speaking, Coltrane before going completely off his nut could play Ayler right under the table), Ayler was far the less self-conscious of the two. If you can imagine an obvious music experimenter who had no pretense about being one, who just kept a foot planted firmly on the earth (not for nothing did some critics make a point of finding the core of the blues in Ayler's signature work with greater readiness) and never let it get loose, at least in his earlier years, Albert Ayler was he. He was also probably the only one of his peers and elders who didn't give a damn who figured out he had a sense of humour in his playing, either, and for all that the free jazzers prattled about how their stuff was 200 percent melody, Ayler was one of the few players who actually sounded as though he lived it as gospel. That's a major part of what keeps "Spiritual Unity" one of the few pure free jazz albums from the height of that movement's thrust that actually sounds like anything but a brain-bending period piece.

Then again, when you've got a pair of partners as unrattlable as bassist Gary Peacock and drum colourist Sunny Murray, you'd damn well better keep a foot planted on the earth, because if you try going too far over the line between experimentation and nutsh@t for its own sake, about the only thing you're going to get for your trouble is nowhere fast. Not that Ayler was exactly accessible, but his refreshing lack of self-consciousness is precisely what put him several cuts beyond the 1960s jazz deconstructionists - and still keeps him there, pretty much. Practically his entire catalogue is worth hearing, but "Spiritual Unity," his jarring enough debut, sustains a kinetic surety level in its own league. He never exactly lacked for that, but neither did he ever again make it sound quite as though his existence depended entirely on it.

1. Ghosts (First Variation) 5:16
2. The Wizard 7:24
3. Spirits 6:50
4. Ghosts (Second Variation) 10:01

Albert Ayler, tenor sax
Gary Peacock, bass
Sunny Murray, drums


This is an incredible album. It's amazing in its abundance of pure, sacred sound energy, as are all of Ayler's recordings, especially with this group (Gary Peacock, bass, Sunny Murray, drums). This is stream-of-consciousness meditative music. If you are into that kind of thing, then look no further.

A point of interest is how early this recording is in relation to a lot of other free-jazz: July 1964. There was a huge underground free jazz thing happening at that time, but a lot of people weren't aware of it.

I think that this was Ayler's best group. Gary Peacock was very young at the time, I believe only 19 or 20. He was one of a handful of bass players who were using the "new" technique, which was to play with all four fingers instead of the usual one or two. This technique is probably most well-known by those familiar with Scott LaFaro, as he was one of the first to use it. However, most of the free-jazz bass players had studied it, too: Cecil McBee, Richard Davis, Art Davis, Henry Grimes, Peacock, and others.

Sunny Murray was a very significant figure at the time as well. He was the first "free" drummer; that is, the first drummer to play regardless of time constraints. Although all the other avant-garde drummers caught on to this very quickly, Murray was for sure the first. Other notable drummers who played in this style are Rashied Ali (probably the greatest), Beaver Harris, Andrew Cyrille, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and Milford Graves, most of whom played with Ayler at some point.

Ayler's music changed a lot in 1965 and especially 1966. I love all the 1964 recordings because they are wild and free, while still possessing a certain casualness that makes you want to listen to them over and over again. It's sort of like he's saying "Yeah, I'm doing this! Why don't you get with it?" This is amazing stuff!

Spiritual Unity is just under 30 minutes long. Thirty minutes of tremendous, emotional, delirious intensity. The theme of "Ghosts" is like a folk-song, immediately arresting in its naïve simplicity. Ayler uses the child-like motif of its theme as a vehicle to express both disintegration and liberation.

His anguished, restless quest for sonic sensations beyond the saxophone's conventional realm of sound is underpinned by the pointillistic plucking of Gary Peacock's phenomenally voluminous bass and Sunny Murray's ethereal percussive sprinkling cymbals.

An unmeasured response to this recording might lead one to judge it broken and dishevelled - but the depth of attention from Peacock and Murray to the nuances and subtle shifts in Ayler's delivery on "Spirits" reveals an intimacy that puts this trio right at the forefront of the free jazz movement, and the record a seminal one in the jazz of the 1960s.

A lot of free-jazz recordings suffer from lack of listenability, usually because many of them are played by too large ensambles with individual players fighting for space rather than achieving a common goal. And though purists may disagree, listenability is every bit as relevant to the avant-garde as it is to pop. Period. I'm not opposed to noise (I love it), but noise needs context. And Aylers context is melodies. Noise + melodies = PUNK. This trio recording is a delight to listen to. Not that it's easy listening. But you can hear how much in tune with eachother these musicians were. Allthough Ayler carries the melodies, there is equal importance on Peacokcs booming bass, Murrays skitting drums and Aylers sax, hense creating a unity so rare in other ensambles. Aylers best known composition, Ghost, is so daring and beautiful and sets the tone for the rest of the record. Aylers melodies draw from old folk tunes, gospel and spirituals, but allthough the themes are religious, it does not mean YOU have to be to enjoy the spiritual feeling of this record. It jumps, it kicks, it weeps and it overcomes. Such beauty and how very, very punk.

This record is certainly not for everyone. It is for anyone who loves passionate, intense and completely free musical expression. Ayler, bass master Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray sound here like they are on a voracious search. And the destination could be eons away, but the search is an awesome ride. An exhilarating and exhausting ride, that could leave "smooth jazzers" cringing with disgust, but so what? What do they know? Let yourself be taken away, let the power flow through your veins. This is completely uncompromising expression. This is not elevator music. It's real, you can feel the sweat, the blisters on the fingers of the musicians, the abandon with which they commit themselves. No compromise.