Free Jazz Music

. . . one should jump at the chance to pick up anything by this giant of European free jazz. When it comes in such a remarkably compelling setting, acquisition becomes a no-brainer.

Really, the brilliant, iconoclastic wind-meister Leimgruber in the company of giants Marilyn Crispel (piano) and Fritz Hauser (percussion) should at the least arouse curiosity--if not instant procurement-desire--in any knowledgeable jazz fan. Add wild cards Hildegard Kleeb and Elvira Plenar on various treated and untreated pianos, and you have an avant-garde outing of the first water.

And the participants seldom fail to deliver at the absolute highest level. The thing that perhaps sets this disc apart from other out jazz excursions is not only its strange instrumentation (three pianos, wind, and percussion), but its oddly effective deployment of such weirdness: the participants find themselves in all sorts of odd deployments with their bandmates--duo, trio, quartet, and full-band settings. This makes for an endlessly shifting and entirely attractive soundscape and aural palette, unique in the history of New Music/out jazz recordings.

Coruscating, brilliant, éclat-suffused musical dynamism of the highest accomplishment. Must be heard by anyone with even the slightest affinity for avant-garde jazz/New Music.

Having slammed Max in my 'Survivors' review (well, half-slammed, anyway) let me redeem myself by telling you that this is one of the most original jazz -- and I suppose world music -- CD's of the past year. The sound of the ehru is enchanting, and Jang's piano playing is complementarily exotic. For the most part Max eschews conventional, cymbal-based swing drumming and plays melodically on his drums. In that sense it is similar to -- and a natural extension of -- his solo compositions for drumset. This is a nifty example of the intersection of three very individual performers, and it's amazing how natural it feels.

Why not 5 stars? One gets the sense that this line-up is somewhat limited musically, and, though I hate to say it, this is most likely due to the limited nature of the ehru. It's a beautiful sound but it doesn't seem to be too versatile, at least in the context of small-group jazz. Repeated exposure will most likely reveal a growing sameness in some of the tracks. I imagine this is why there is a shuffling of players throughout the program as some tracks feature only two out of the three in various combinations. Hopefully, if the Trio plans on another CD they will find another dimension to explore in their group sound. But don't let this reservation dissuade you, I heartily recommend it.

If you love Ayler (and I do!), you should own Bells/Prophecy. Bells is essentially a 19 minute free jam with his extended band that was featured on Witches and Devils. Prophecy is a live performance of the Spiritual Unity album, with one additional track. It features the Ayler Trio (Ayler, Peacock and Murray)and is a bit looser than Spiritual Unity, but just as powerful.

Anyone who's a fan of Ayler should really seek out the aforementioned Spiritual Unity, along with Vibrations and New York Eye and Ear Control, the latter two which are sadly out of print. These are essential documents of the vision, raw emotion and intensity that was Albert Ayler.

Albert Ayler was a remarkable musician, even if he was somewhat limited in scope. Much of his most creative period was captured by ESP during the mid sixties in New York, where he almost single handedly created the style of energy jazz that dominated the free jazz scene for almost a decade. Though Ayler only worked in this style for a few years, abandoning it for his larger group work of the late 60's and then finally for an avant-soul music during the last year of his life, these albums have prooved to be some of the most influential recordings to come out of the 60's avant garde.

Bells/Prophecy is an excellent album in this style. However, to me, it is less essential than other Ayler albums of the period. One of the biggest problems with the Ayler style was that it was basically limited. Ayler improvised in two manners on these albums, the big toned, gospel influenced ballad manner and the frenetic, overblown free jazz freak out manner. As amazing as these two styles were, they began to show their limitations around the time that this recording was made, so much so that many Ayler recordings of this period tend to sound the same. Add to that the fact that Ayler was using mostly the same personnel on these albums and they begin to sound interchangable. You can hear Ayler straining against the framework at times. In fact, soon after this album was recorded, Ayler started working with his late 60's band, in which he took his radical changes in style and placed them in a context of an almost primitive New Orleans pre-jazz band.

So yes, this would be a good album to own if you are interested in Ayler, but I would recommend one of the other ESP albums first as an introduction to this music...perhaps New Work Eye and Ear Control or Vibrations, both of which are stunning albums.

This CD is well worth buying just for the 5 tracks which constitute 'Prophecy'. This trio (Albert Ayler-tenor sax, Gary Peacock-bass, & Sunny Murray-drums) played music which breathes as one single unity. Like birds flying as one in the sky - they move as one. In a word it is 'Natural' music - originating from within the innermost spiritual levels of these pioneering musicians. Ayler's style comes from his innermost soul - which he bares unstintingly like one who wears his heart on his sleeve. Here was a man who'd found his own 'sound' and direction and his creativity simply flowed through him. His style even influenced the latter period of John Coltrane & early Pharoah Sanders. Albert was about feelings in his music and also acting as a kind of trance-medium. His playing style therefore is close to that of 'speaking in tongues'. Something beyond his mere mortal self is invoked and floods his music. Playing the sax with a wide vibrato, his sound ranges from the raucous to the harmonic overtones sweetly speaking of other-worldiness. There is a wonderful freedom in this music. Itis the perfect compliment to their CD release 'Spiritual Unity' which, by contrast, is a studio album. Yet that CD's nonetheless 'spiritual' for all of that. The recording and the balance is good on this 'live' album. Albert seems irrepressible! Starting with his march-like tunes he soon enters the 'stream of consciousness' that is his very human sax playing. Whilst his playing is free it is never uncontrolled. Honks and shrill harmonics blend into a uniquely intuitive voice and all add up to an intense inner journey into regions seldom explored by others. Sunny Murray's rhythmless playing is remarkably light, placing quite some emphasis upon his cymbal work and snare drum. Gary Peacock is beautiful - as ever. Seemingly racing all over his bass, his deftly light touch is similarly uninhibited and yet thoughtful, pensive and liberated. This music was considered outrageous in its time and it is no less easy to listen to now 36 years later! But it is a record of a remarkable period in social history and many of us would do well to include something of those very special liberating energies into our modern life via these unique and wonderfully free musical improvisations. Very highly recommended. A true classic of the genre.

I really don't understand what the previous reviewer calls 'superb sound quality' or something. This is very much a bootleg recording, as regards the sound quality. In fact both concerts sound just like rubbish, which is a shame, because the first tracks are excellent. One can more or less guess that Mrs. Ayler, Peacock and Murray are playing at the top of their games. Listening to this album is just like walking in the mist. A shame, really.

"Bells / Prophecy" combines two live shows, originally released separately on ESP, "Prophecy", recorded in June 1964 for Albert Ayler's then working trio (Ayler on tenor, Gary Peacock on bass and SUnny Murray on drums), and "Prophecy", recorded in May of 1965 after Ayler returned from Europe with an expanded band, including his brother Don Ayler on trumpet replacing the departed Don Cherry, alto saxophonist Charles Tyler, bassist Lewis Worrell, and Sunny Murray on drums. I'll address the two sets separately.

The "Prophecy" show is an exciting one-- Ayler had worked with Murray with Cecil Taylor and on his previous studio record (released as either "Spirits" or "Ghosts"), and Peacock was part of his working band, and it's really a testament to these two men, neither of whom had played with Ayler for more than several months, that they both "get" his music and integrate themselves in it-- Murray presents a framework of sorts on which the other two perform-- implying rhythms, beats, but never actually stating them, whereas Peacock mostly plays counter to Ayler (by their studio session a month later, Peacock would find a way to inhabit a rhythmic function in addition to this counterpoint role). "Ghosts, First Variation" is probably the best example of this, Ayler states his memorable theme explosively and Peacock hangs back, playing a countermelody and letting Murray fill as much space as possible. The performance as a whole remains in this sort of light, and while "Prophecy" seems to meander a bit aimlessly, it comes reeling in on "Ghosts, Second Variation" (which is really a piece called "Spirits" blended with elements of the "Ghosts" theme) in its explosive and exciting playing.

"Bells" is a bit less exciting as a piece than it is revelatory for establishing direction for Ayler-- his bands for the next several years would include his brother Don on trumpet and other musicians in addition to his rhythm section -- most interesting though is the change in style the piece manifests during its time-- the first two parts of the track are Ayler's compositions "Holy Ghost" and "No Name" (the latter features some positively dreary-- in a good way-- soloing from Ayler with Murray in total sympathy) before moving into "Bells" proper. The piece involves a number of march-like themes that are almost always played, even when someone is soloing its not uncommon to hear a theme in the foreground or background by one or more horns. This is by and large the direction Ayler would start pursuing for the next several years, with horns providing the rhythmic foundation his drummers so often leave behind. The result is intriguing, although Ayler would get better at it on future recordings.

This reissue, from ESP-Disk in New York again for the first time in a long time, features superb remastered sound comparable if not better to any of the issues that have come out of Europe. Regardless of sound though, the performances have their moments but Ayler has done better, both in his early and his middle period.

This is a thoroughly awesome album. I received it for my 12th birthday - what a gift. Thank you Pete.