Albert Ayler Music

Except for Masonic Inborn (Part 1), this album feels embarrasing. A disappointment from the otherwise brilliant Albert Ayler. The track Island Harvest actually nauseates me, probably because of Mary Maria's irritating vocals. But, as I mentioned before, Masonic Inborn (Part 1) is actually quite an interesting track, but it's not worth buying the album for. Don't make the same mistake I did by starting out with this one. Love Cry or Live At Greenwich Village is much better. It's unfortunate that this was his last album, too.

Anyone who compares Mary Maria Parks' vocals to Yoko Ono is absolutely tone deaf! Get real people! This woman carries a tune just fine, where Yoko Ono doesn't carry a tune in her luggage (or at least she CHOOSES not to)! If you want to hear some "out there" jazz with truly difficult vocals you need to listen to Sonny Sharrock's wife Linda belt it out on MONKEY-POCKIE-BOO or BLACK WOMAN, from the same year as HEALING FORCE. Now THAT's controversial vocals! Undoubtedly, "Drudgery" is the highlight here, but "A Man is Like a Tree" sounds like a revisitation to "Dancing Flowers" territory with vocals; and what's wrong with that? "Masonic Inborn" is interesting for sure, but 12 minutes of double Free Jazz bagpipes could be considered trying for some; though the end is quite nice. "Island Harvest" is a little twee, with it's poignant lyric of "Is all your work in vain? Is life a losing game? You only reap just what you sow" it definitely feels spookily apt on the final recording before Ayler's death. "Oh, Love Of Life" is an intruiging departing shot, that leaves us to wonder where Albert might have gone had he lived; Mary sings better than Albert on this session (while he sings better on NEW GRASS) but it's refreshing to hear his voice. The title track is a great beginning to an album of fledgling experiments, yet this is not a masterpiece for first-timers to taste, but a buffet for die-hards, of all the directions Ayler might have continued to refine and explore. By the way, why is it EVERY time a musician has a new relationship with a woman, SHE gets blamed when he changes direction? How short-sighted, demonizing and stereotyped can you get? You're not giving any of these women a realistic chance AND your implying some fairly rude things about these men's supposedly infantile character and their creative process. The list of women who've supposedly 'derailed' careers is getting absurdly long at this point; Yoko Ono, Alice Coltrane, Mary Parks, Betty Davis... The 'Yoko Ono' analogy is dead people; let's drop it and enjoy these fledgling experiments.

this (orig. Impulse catalog no. AS-9191) album was one of two early '70s Impulse! LP releases--the other entitled "The Last Album" Impulse AS-9208--culled from the same Aug. 26th-29th, 1969 recording sessions at Plaza Sound Studios, NYC of Ayler's group with the same personnel.

for fans of the excellent blues guitarist (from the group Canned Heat) Henry Vestine, "The Last Album" features a brief 'Untitled Duet' of his electric guitar with Ayler's bagpipes.

"The Last Album" was briefly made available during 1997-98 as an extremely-limited-edition '20bitK2' remastered mini-LP sleeve replica CD import from Japan (MVCZ-122). (perhaps Universal/Impulse may reissue it domestically in the series presented here... to properly complement "Music Is The Healing Force"...)

Fans of drummer Muhammad Ali's playing on Frank Wright's ESP albums or Alan Shorter's rare "Orgasm" session are sure to enjoy "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe". Only the last track (#6) here--the honking blues, 'Drudgery'--is not in a free jazz rhythmic idiom (a similar blues workout, 'Toiling' appears on "The Last Album").

the great pianist Bobby Few is also well featured on most tracks, along with dual bassists Bill Folwell and Stafford James. A beautiful-sounding free jazz ensemble: hear 'Birth of Mirth' or 'Water Music' from "The Last Album".

aside from Mary Maria's passionate vocals, Albert Ayler himself sings here on 'Oh! Love of Life' (and the similar 'Desert Blood' which appears on "The Last Album").

These two albums deserve to be heard together for appreciation of Ayler's musical message.

I recently picked up this album even after hearing the overwhelming amount of bad press. All i can say is that i dont see what everyone is so worked up about. Aside from the hightend production value provided by impulse this cd is just another link in the progession of a true genius. I happen to think that mary maria complements this album pretty damn well. I think that she does a good job of imitating the vibrato of ayler and blends in with the spirit and texture of the album. I have heard some people compare her performance to yoko ono and that shows where people are comming from. If your attempting to compare albert ayler to the beatles your point is flawed from the start. No matter how "out there" the beatles got, how can you compare a catchy rock band to a free jazz spiritual powerhouse like ayler. The thing that surprised me was that allthough his music at times goes in a slightly diferent direction than classics like spiritual unity and others, was that the majority of this record is high energy free jams. Just cause it has vocals people seem to miss the merit of this recording. How could any one say that he sold out? Just cause the last song has a blusey feel to it? Ayler sounds great on every song and his tone is as expressive and honest as it ever was. This might not be his best work but it is still a highly moving stop in his musical and spiritual development. If you already have gems like spiritual unity, spirits, etc i dont see why you wouldnt pick up this enjoyable record. It may have a slightly diferent feel but it is not at all out of character.

In August of 1969, Albert Ayler, who had alienated what little audience he had with his r&b experiment "New Grass", returned to the studio to record again. Performing with a group of jazz musicians, the music was more or less in the form of other free jazz music out there, but with vocals laid on top of it-- it's unusual therefore that people who criticize "New Grass" as r&b lump this one in with it simply because of its use of vocals.

So looking at the album, the backing band-- pianist Bobby Few, bassists Bill Folwell and Stafford James, and drummer Muhammed Ali set up a sort of framework similar to that of late-period Coltrane or even the music Pharoah Sanders would record in the following couple years. Over this, Sanders performs in a mixed vein-- embracing still some of the gospel and r&b sounds he picked up on the last record, he drifts a bit more into a jazz territory, swinging more than on any other record, but sticking by and large to the natural range of the instrument and employing polyphonics as a matter of course. It's actually somewhat strange, barring the vocals and the last track, this is relatively indistinguishable from any other free jazz of the period, which is invariably where I find fault with it-- Ayler always pushed the boundaries, and while this is a good record, it's a bit lifeless.

It could be because of the backing band, they're certainly stubborn in setting up the sound of a free jazz record, and that sort of strands Ayler with little choice but to play in that mode, and again it's not that anything is particularly bad, it just isn't as jarring as his other work. Opener "Music is the Healing Force of the Universe" features a call-and-response pattern between Ayler and vocalist Mary Maria-- he squeals and wails and she intones her lyrics, "Masonic Inborn", an instrumental, finds Ayler exploring the ocarina and the bagpipes-- it's an interesting piece, but by and large a failure as it barely holds together. Both "A Man is Like a Tree" and "Island Harvest" feature vocals from Maria-- the former is pretty unexciting straight free jazz, the latter has another bizarre call-and-response style, with Ayler and the band playing in opposition to the vocal, and it works out to a nice enough piece. "Oh! Love of Life" finds Ayler singing, and falls a bit short of maintaining interest-- his vocal style is actually quite like his older sax style-- ignoring conventions of pitch and temperment for pure expressiveness. It makes for an interesting listen, but all in all isn't too engaging.

What does catch one's ears though is the stunning "Drudgery"-- a blues with guitarist Henry Vestine (of Canned Heat) added to the band, both Vestine and Ayler wail away powerfully-- Ayler is inspired, exploring the range and potential of the instrument in ways he doesn't on the rest of the album.

In the end, it's an interesting coda, but Ayler still hadn't found what he was looking for in vocal music. I suspect most folks who are looking into this will find something to like, but it's not as essential as some of his other work.

This album is worth it for the opening introduction alone. Albert expresses his feelings of freedom, having arrived in Scandanavia. The set is with a trio of much "straighter" players, including Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, and makes for a great juxtapostion of A's out of tune wailing over jazz standards.

Recorded when tenor saxophonist Ayler was a young GI stationed in Denmark, where he hooked up with some fine local jazz players, this truly landmark free jazz album is as formative and fresh as the day it was recorded in 1963. Ayler's re-interpretation of various standards is a total revelation, with an unprecedented degree of emotional honesty and self-disclosure that's exceedingly rare in recordings generally. "Summertime" alone is worth the price of admission - Ayler's tone is massive/OTT and yet so tender/expressive all at once - and no one could fail to be impressed by the breadth of his musical vision. The relatively "conventional" raw material here allows one to gauge his artistry in a proper perspective, unlike his his largely unfathomable and impenetrable later compositions, which are 100% "out there". I would particularly recommend this album to anyone new to "free jazz" (if not jazz itself) who's considering sampling its wares. A good companion disk is fellow horn player Pharaoh Sanders's 1969 release, "Karma" (available on Amazon), which also features very passionate, lyrical and melodic blowing, especially the recently covered classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan". Expand your earmotional boundaries and get these great disks!!

Several months after his first recording session in mid-January 1963, Albert Ayler recorded for a radio broadcast in Copenhagen with a pickup band of the some of the best known Danish musicians. Having one session under his belt and having just played with Cecil Taylor (an experience which Ayler described as finally finding people he could play with), Ayler was determiend to push forth his music. Certainly, playing with a visionary like Taylor, who iss so unrelenting in his music, must have helped. The net result is that on this recording, even with a more sympathetic backing, Ayler sounds in opposition to the rest.

For his part, it's really a continued evolution from "The First Recordings"-- many of Ayler's trademarks are at leat partially present, skirting in-tune as necessary to gain full expression, some overblowing, the beginnings of the wide vibrato he would be so famous for, and some of the harmonic register of the tenor sax all find their way into the music. Ayler's tone is its usual monsterous presentation, fat and agressive, and most importantly, expressive. His backing band on the date though just seems to miss it totally at times. Pianist Niels Bronsted and drummer Ronnie Gardiner don't ever seem to quite figure out what it is Ayler is up to, and while bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, who was only 16 at the time of this recording, fares much better in meeting Ayler at his own game, one gets the impression that Pederson isn't entirely comfortable with the setting. Still, a virtuoso of his level (even at such a precocious age) finds a way.

As pointed out by another reviewer, perhaps the most interesting piece on here is the spoken introduction by Ayler. Providing a brief biographical sketch with directness and honesty. To hear him talk of feeling free in the Scandanavian countries, and his assertion that "one day, everything will be as it should be" is quite touching, and it really brings home just how much derision Ayler must have experienced at home, whether for his music or his skin color.

The music itself is by and large standards-- mostly material associated with Miles Davis. The standout cut without a doubt is "Summertime"-- Ayler is relentlessly expressive, overpowering at times, speechlike in his cries and grunts and moans, pouring his soul into his horn. Bronsted's solo, while pleasant enough, feels positively lifeless in comparison (it doesn't help that Pederson steals the show from him on accompaniment either). Also well worth a listen is "Billie's Bounce", which finds Ayler playing in a pretty straight hard bop vein and it probably holds together as well as anything else on the record. Still, Ayler's problem communicating with the rhythm section are clear on both "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "On Green Dolphin Street"-- the former finds him wailing away on soprano drifting in and out of key to meet his expression, the latter finds him trying to develop ideas and being reeled back in consistently by the rhythm section (curiously enough, both pieces where Ayler seems constrained feature remarkable arco solos from Pederson, both of which hint at ideas that Ayler was attempting, showing the young bassist the most willing of the backing band). Also of note are codas to both "Billie's Bounce" and "On Green Dolphin Street" that find Ayler stretching for ideas over Pederson (in the former case) and Pederson and Gardiner (in the latter) to great effect. Without the pianist there, even Gardiner seems to meet Ayler halfway.

This is further illustrated on the closing cut, "C.T.", which finds Ayler in a pianoless trio setting, improvising in a freer setting, with both Pederson and Gardiner in close lock with the leader. Both sound a bit unsure at times, and both occasionally think they're moving the way Ayler does only to find themselves stranded, but at other times, they work in such great sympathy with the leader (check out around 4:30 where Ayler picks up the bassists Middle Eastern infused theme and the trio just explodes) that the piece is a reasonable success.

Sonically, this is a good recording-- it was a broadcast and even as an older jazz reissue, it sounds quite good.

Like "The First Recordings", this isn't really essential music in Ayler's catalog, although it is somewhat more successful than the earlier sessions. Those seeking examples of Ayler's early music should first check out "Spiritual Unity" or "Virations" (the latter with Don Cherry), but this does make for a decent listen and the converted will want it.

"My Name Is Albert Ayler", has the pioneer avant garde reed player performing a stunning "Summertime", plus "Green Dolphin St", "Bye Bye Blackbird" on soprano, and "Billies Bounce" with a straight ahead rhythm section.

Ayler has a great sound on soprano that may sound like he is blissfully ignorant of the requirements of the music, but I find that in part to be the source of the great joy this recording delivers. As for the chord changes and form, on closer examination, though it seems Ayler may navigate through specific instances via "mind-over-matter", he still has a very good broad sense of the form. He doesn't get lost. The result is childlike play in the best sense of the word.

"My Name Is Albert Ayler", has the pioneer avant garde reed player performing a stunning "Summertime", plus "Green Dolphin St", "Bye Bye Blackbird" on soprano, and "Billies Bounce" with a straight ahead rhythm section.

Ayler has a great sound on soprano that may sound like he is blissfully ignorant of the requirements of the music, but I find that in part to be the source of the great joy this recording delivers. As for the chord changes and form, on closer examination, though it seems Ayler may navigate through specific instances via "mind-over-matter", he still has a very good broad sense of the form. He doesn't get lost. The result is childlike play in the best sense of the word.

This album is worth it for the opening introduction alone. Albert expresses his feelings of freedom, having arrived in Scandanavia. The set is with a trio of much "straighter" players, including Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, and makes for a great juxtapostion of A's out of tune wailing over jazz standards.

Recorded when tenor saxophonist Ayler was a young GI stationed in Denmark, where he hooked up with some fine local jazz players, this truly landmark free jazz album is as formative and fresh as the day it was recorded in 1963. Ayler's re-interpretation of various standards is a total revelation, with an unprecedented degree of emotional honesty and self-disclosure that's exceedingly rare in recordings generally. "Summertime" alone is worth the price of admission - Ayler's tone is massive/OTT and yet so tender/expressive all at once - and no one could fail to be impressed by the breadth of his musical vision. The relatively "conventional" raw material here allows one to gauge his artistry in a proper perspective, unlike his his largely unfathomable and impenetrable later compositions, which are 100% "out there". I would particularly recommend this album to anyone new to "free jazz" (if not jazz itself) who's considering sampling its wares. A good companion disk is fellow horn player Pharaoh Sanders's 1969 release, "Karma" (available on Amazon), which also features very passionate, lyrical and melodic blowing, especially the recently covered classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan". Expand your earmotional boundaries and get these great disks!!

Several months after his first recording session in mid-January 1963, Albert Ayler recorded for a radio broadcast in Copenhagen with a pickup band of the some of the best known Danish musicians. Having one session under his belt and having just played with Cecil Taylor (an experience which Ayler described as finally finding people he could play with), Ayler was determiend to push forth his music. Certainly, playing with a visionary like Taylor, who iss so unrelenting in his music, must have helped. The net result is that on this recording, even with a more sympathetic backing, Ayler sounds in opposition to the rest.

For his part, it's really a continued evolution from "The First Recordings"-- many of Ayler's trademarks are at leat partially present, skirting in-tune as necessary to gain full expression, some overblowing, the beginnings of the wide vibrato he would be so famous for, and some of the harmonic register of the tenor sax all find their way into the music. Ayler's tone is its usual monsterous presentation, fat and agressive, and most importantly, expressive. His backing band on the date though just seems to miss it totally at times. Pianist Niels Bronsted and drummer Ronnie Gardiner don't ever seem to quite figure out what it is Ayler is up to, and while bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, who was only 16 at the time of this recording, fares much better in meeting Ayler at his own game, one gets the impression that Pederson isn't entirely comfortable with the setting. Still, a virtuoso of his level (even at such a precocious age) finds a way.

As pointed out by another reviewer, perhaps the most interesting piece on here is the spoken introduction by Ayler. Providing a brief biographical sketch with directness and honesty. To hear him talk of feeling free in the Scandanavian countries, and his assertion that "one day, everything will be as it should be" is quite touching, and it really brings home just how much derision Ayler must have experienced at home, whether for his music or his skin color.

The music itself is by and large standards-- mostly material associated with Miles Davis. The standout cut without a doubt is "Summertime"-- Ayler is relentlessly expressive, overpowering at times, speechlike in his cries and grunts and moans, pouring his soul into his horn. Bronsted's solo, while pleasant enough, feels positively lifeless in comparison (it doesn't help that Pederson steals the show from him on accompaniment either). Also well worth a listen is "Billie's Bounce", which finds Ayler playing in a pretty straight hard bop vein and it probably holds together as well as anything else on the record. Still, Ayler's problem communicating with the rhythm section are clear on both "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "On Green Dolphin Street"-- the former finds him wailing away on soprano drifting in and out of key to meet his expression, the latter finds him trying to develop ideas and being reeled back in consistently by the rhythm section (curiously enough, both pieces where Ayler seems constrained feature remarkable arco solos from Pederson, both of which hint at ideas that Ayler was attempting, showing the young bassist the most willing of the backing band). Also of note are codas to both "Billie's Bounce" and "On Green Dolphin Street" that find Ayler stretching for ideas over Pederson (in the former case) and Pederson and Gardiner (in the latter) to great effect. Without the pianist there, even Gardiner seems to meet Ayler halfway.

This is further illustrated on the closing cut, "C.T.", which finds Ayler in a pianoless trio setting, improvising in a freer setting, with both Pederson and Gardiner in close lock with the leader. Both sound a bit unsure at times, and both occasionally think they're moving the way Ayler does only to find themselves stranded, but at other times, they work in such great sympathy with the leader (check out around 4:30 where Ayler picks up the bassists Middle Eastern infused theme and the trio just explodes) that the piece is a reasonable success.

Sonically, this is a good recording-- it was a broadcast and even as an older jazz reissue, it sounds quite good.

Like "The First Recordings", this isn't really essential music in Ayler's catalog, although it is somewhat more successful than the earlier sessions. Those seeking examples of Ayler's early music should first check out "Spiritual Unity" or "Virations" (the latter with Don Cherry), but this does make for a decent listen and the converted will want it.

"My Name Is Albert Ayler", has the pioneer avant garde reed player performing a stunning "Summertime", plus "Green Dolphin St", "Bye Bye Blackbird" on soprano, and "Billies Bounce" with a straight ahead rhythm section.

Ayler has a great sound on soprano that may sound like he is blissfully ignorant of the requirements of the music, but I find that in part to be the source of the great joy this recording delivers. As for the chord changes and form, on closer examination, though it seems Ayler may navigate through specific instances via "mind-over-matter", he still has a very good broad sense of the form. He doesn't get lost. The result is childlike play in the best sense of the word.

"My Name Is Albert Ayler", has the pioneer avant garde reed player performing a stunning "Summertime", plus "Green Dolphin St", "Bye Bye Blackbird" on soprano, and "Billies Bounce" with a straight ahead rhythm section.

Ayler has a great sound on soprano that may sound like he is blissfully ignorant of the requirements of the music, but I find that in part to be the source of the great joy this recording delivers. As for the chord changes and form, on closer examination, though it seems Ayler may navigate through specific instances via "mind-over-matter", he still has a very good broad sense of the form. He doesn't get lost. The result is childlike play in the best sense of the word.

I find Albert Ayler's NEW GRASS to be his most happy-go-lucky record. Perhaps it's this sense of joy that threw so many fans of his at the time of it's release. But as other people have pointed out; he blows like there's no tommorow on this thing! I personally think "New Generation" and "New Ghosts" are classic Ayler tunes and play them all the time. I must be more tolerant of oddball vocals, as these don't bother me much, though I'll admit Mary Maria Parks made some improvement between this album and the next year's "Music Is The Healing Force." Someone mentioned that one of the singers on this was a bit of a mystery, and some research reveals that she might be THE Rose Marie McCoy; one of the most prolific songwriters of the 20th century. She wrote more than 850 published songs in her 60+ year career. McCoy wrote a number of R&B songs in the early 50s which Ruth Brown recorded. "Ever Since My Baby's Been Gone," "Love Contest," "Mambo Baby," and "One More Time" can all be found on Ruth Brown's Greatest Hits 2 disc set titled "Miss Rhythm." McCoy penned songs for Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Bette Midler and Ray Charles. Elvis Presley recorded McCoy's "I Beg of You" and "Trying to Get to You." One of Ike and Tina Turner's biggest hits was McCoy's "Gonna Work out Fine." Ms. McCoy worked with several other writing partners, including Charlie Singleton and Sylvia McKinney of the duo, Mickey & Sylvia. In 2006, when American Songwriter Magazine paid tribute to nine all time great songwriters, Rose Marie McCoy was the only female named. Technical ephemera, to be sure, but possibly interesting to some people. Get the classics before this, but don't let the staunchly serious guilt you into avoiding this one; it's fun!

I was hesitant to get this at first becuase of all the controversy surrounding it but as i got to know it I realized that it is just another great addition to the ayler library. This is definately diferent from his other albums but he doesnt hold back at all. His playing is still avant garde its just in a different context. In many ways his playing is more advanced due to the natural progression of a practacing musician. I enjoy the r & b grooves but i like aylers playing even more. His sound is just as good as it ever was an he still stays in character the whole time. The first song is actually totally free with ayler breaking new ground with multiphonics and other avant sax tecniques. You can actually hear how this one track was an influence to later saxaphone players like Brotzmann or Parker. So if you are a ayler fan and you have the neccecities like vibrations, spiritual unity, and live at greenwich village than dont let the negative press stop you from enjoying this different yet totally fun record.

An album that perhaps deserves reevaluation, Albert Ayler's "New Grass" is often dismissed as a commercial sellout. Stories vary, but its generally believed Impulse! producer Bob Thiele requested Ayler perform with a rock band, and Ayler agreed on the condition that he be allowed to select the band. Still, given the content of the record and the fact that no other Impulse! artists in 1968 were in such a position, it seems highly unlikely that Thiele would make such a request. Jeff Schwartz, in his excellent online biography of Ayler, suggested that Ayler wanted to reach a wider audience with a spiritual message as he felt his time to present such a message was limited. I tend to be inclined to agree with this-- certainly the band Ayler assembled (Call Cobbs on piano, organ and electric harpsichord, Ayler's bassist of the past several years, Bill Folwell, on electric bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums) finds more of an r&b groove, and with an unknown pair of vocalists ("The Soul Singers", consisting of Ayler's girlfriend and songwriting partner Mary Maria and someone named Rose Marie McCoy) and Ayler himself contributing vocals, this isn't exactly a commercial record.

So what is it? It's an oddity-- Ayler seems committed to reaching this r&b sound, and certainly the pieces are in r&b form-- his rhythm section excels at this-- Cobb, Folwell and in particular Purdie lock into a tight groove and really sound fantastic, and Ayler, who to some extent grew up with these kinds of sounds around him, digs deep and plays more lyrically and melodically than he ever has. But his playing is still aggressive, forceful, full of overblows, harmonics, and explorations of the altissimo register. And the fact is, if you get over that his music IS so drastically different from how it used to be, his soloing IS fantastic. The vocals are another matter-- the leads, even by Ayler, are decent enough, but I find the backing vocal arrangements (usually chanting-like vocals of choruses and so on) irritating at times. On several songs, this is saved by and large by sweetened up horn arrangements by someone named Bert Decoteaux, which takes the edge off.

The best cuts on the record feature catchy r&b melodies, fantastic exploratory playing from Ayler, and a great groove. "New Generation" opens with a fierce tenor solo where Ayler sinks way deep into the r&b groove and never looks back and features probably the best vocal Maria would deliver on the album. "New Ghosts", an r&b rewrite of Ayler's famous "Ghosts" theme is superb-- opening with an oddly treated vocal from Ayler, it then moves into an r&b variant of the great theme, and really it works better than expected. And "Heart Love", while it suffers from totally irritating backing vocals, features a great melody and some superb performances all around.

Is it a masterpiece in the way Ayler's earlier records are? Not really, but it is a really good record, and certainly an oddity in his catalog. This reissue puts the CD in a digipack with the original liner notes reproduced, and it benefits from remastering, even moreso than the previous Japanese issue did (in case you had that, the upgrade is worthwhile). In the end, an album deserving reevaluation-- take it for what it is, Ayler playing r&b, and you'll probably enjoy, it's good music regardless of genre. Recommended.

I find Albert Ayler's NEW GRASS to be his most happy-go-lucky record. Perhaps it's this sense of joy that threw so many fans of his at the time of it's release. But as other people have pointed out; he blows like there's no tommorow on this thing! I personally think "New Generation" and "New Ghosts" are classic Ayler tunes and play them all the time. I must be more tolerant of oddball vocals, as these don't bother me much, though I'll admit Mary Maria Parks made some improvement between this album and the next year's "Music Is The Healing Force." Someone mentioned that one of the singers on this was a bit of a mystery, and some research reveals that she might be THE Rose Marie McCoy; one of the most prolific songwriters of the 20th century. She wrote more than 850 published songs in her 60+ year career. McCoy wrote a number of R&B songs in the early 50s which Ruth Brown recorded. "Ever Since My Baby's Been Gone," "Love Contest," "Mambo Baby," and "One More Time" can all be found on Ruth Brown's Greatest Hits 2 disc set titled "Miss Rhythm." McCoy penned songs for Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Bette Midler and Ray Charles. Elvis Presley recorded McCoy's "I Beg of You" and "Trying to Get to You." One of Ike and Tina Turner's biggest hits was McCoy's "Gonna Work out Fine." Ms. McCoy worked with several other writing partners, including Charlie Singleton and Sylvia McKinney of the duo, Mickey & Sylvia. In 2006, when American Songwriter Magazine paid tribute to nine all time great songwriters, Rose Marie McCoy was the only female named. Technical ephemera, to be sure, but possibly interesting to some people. Get the classics before this, but don't let the staunchly serious guilt you into avoiding this one; it's fun!

I was hesitant to get this at first becuase of all the controversy surrounding it but as i got to know it I realized that it is just another great addition to the ayler library. This is definately diferent from his other albums but he doesnt hold back at all. His playing is still avant garde its just in a different context. In many ways his playing is more advanced due to the natural progression of a practacing musician. I enjoy the r & b grooves but i like aylers playing even more. His sound is just as good as it ever was an he still stays in character the whole time. The first song is actually totally free with ayler breaking new ground with multiphonics and other avant sax tecniques. You can actually hear how this one track was an influence to later saxaphone players like Brotzmann or Parker. So if you are a ayler fan and you have the neccecities like vibrations, spiritual unity, and live at greenwich village than dont let the negative press stop you from enjoying this different yet totally fun record.

An album that perhaps deserves reevaluation, Albert Ayler's "New Grass" is often dismissed as a commercial sellout. Stories vary, but its generally believed Impulse! producer Bob Thiele requested Ayler perform with a rock band, and Ayler agreed on the condition that he be allowed to select the band. Still, given the content of the record and the fact that no other Impulse! artists in 1968 were in such a position, it seems highly unlikely that Thiele would make such a request. Jeff Schwartz, in his excellent online biography of Ayler, suggested that Ayler wanted to reach a wider audience with a spiritual message as he felt his time to present such a message was limited. I tend to be inclined to agree with this-- certainly the band Ayler assembled (Call Cobbs on piano, organ and electric harpsichord, Ayler's bassist of the past several years, Bill Folwell, on electric bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums) finds more of an r&b groove, and with an unknown pair of vocalists ("The Soul Singers", consisting of Ayler's girlfriend and songwriting partner Mary Maria and someone named Rose Marie McCoy) and Ayler himself contributing vocals, this isn't exactly a commercial record.

So what is it? It's an oddity-- Ayler seems committed to reaching this r&b sound, and certainly the pieces are in r&b form-- his rhythm section excels at this-- Cobb, Folwell and in particular Purdie lock into a tight groove and really sound fantastic, and Ayler, who to some extent grew up with these kinds of sounds around him, digs deep and plays more lyrically and melodically than he ever has. But his playing is still aggressive, forceful, full of overblows, harmonics, and explorations of the altissimo register. And the fact is, if you get over that his music IS so drastically different from how it used to be, his soloing IS fantastic. The vocals are another matter-- the leads, even by Ayler, are decent enough, but I find the backing vocal arrangements (usually chanting-like vocals of choruses and so on) irritating at times. On several songs, this is saved by and large by sweetened up horn arrangements by someone named Bert Decoteaux, which takes the edge off.

The best cuts on the record feature catchy r&b melodies, fantastic exploratory playing from Ayler, and a great groove. "New Generation" opens with a fierce tenor solo where Ayler sinks way deep into the r&b groove and never looks back and features probably the best vocal Maria would deliver on the album. "New Ghosts", an r&b rewrite of Ayler's famous "Ghosts" theme is superb-- opening with an oddly treated vocal from Ayler, it then moves into an r&b variant of the great theme, and really it works better than expected. And "Heart Love", while it suffers from totally irritating backing vocals, features a great melody and some superb performances all around.

Is it a masterpiece in the way Ayler's earlier records are? Not really, but it is a really good record, and certainly an oddity in his catalog. This reissue puts the CD in a digipack with the original liner notes reproduced, and it benefits from remastering, even moreso than the previous Japanese issue did (in case you had that, the upgrade is worthwhile). In the end, an album deserving reevaluation-- take it for what it is, Ayler playing r&b, and you'll probably enjoy, it's good music regardless of genre. Recommended.