Saturday, February 6, 2021

Giger Lenz Marron - 1977 - Beyond

Giger Lenz Marron
1977
Beyond



01. Beyond 8:32
02. Quinar 5:58
03. Flying Wheel 4:39
04. Alyrio 5:29
05. Antep 7:39
06. Blues For Chaturlal 7:03

Double Bass, Electric Bass – Günter Lenz
Drums, Percussion – Peter Giger
Guitar, Baglama – Eddy Marron



Formed by former Dzyan members Peter Giger and Eddy Marron, along with jazz bassist Günter Lenz, this super trio offered a more jazz oriented yet similar music to Dzyan, but with a jazzier feel. Without the electronics and weirdness of Dzyan, their music centred around Peter Giger's flowery percussion and Eddy Marron's multi-guitars and ethnic saz, and was much more jazz-fusion based. Giger.Lenz.Marron dabbled with unusual time signatures and lots of experimentation with Eastern musics and off-beat rhythmic structures.

Beyond wase released on Giger's his own Någarå label, and stylistically speaking, pick up right where the Dzyan vehicle left off. There are differences. Just like Dzyan, you will hear searching group improvisations, hints of Eastern rhythm and instrumentation, druggy, reverb-laden guitar forays, and plenty of crossover from the above. But Giger Lenz Marron has fewer pedestrian handholds, less that is familiar, and seemingly no rules except for limitations imposed by the instruments themselves. It's like the ingredients of a Dzyan album, but set in a different project removed from whatever restriction was imposed by the group moniker. Although not a major pit stop on the timeline of such prolific musicians as these, the GLM trio interests me for its freedom of form as well as its connections to several trends that first emerged ten years prior. It proves that jazz is a many faceted thing that will continue to be wrought anew by the creative hands and minds that shape it.

Dzyan - 2010 - Mandala (SWF-Session 1972)

Dzyan
2010
Mandala (SWF-Session 1972)




01. Resurrection (9:49)
02. Dragonsong (11:33)
03. Mandala - Transmigration (2:08)
04. Steel's Electric (6:30)
05. Daddy Groove (8:43)
06. Saz (8:08)
07. Celestial City (4:23)

Lothar Scharf / drums, percussion, timpani
Reinhard Karwatky / electric bass, contrabass, percussion
Eddy Marron / electric guitar, baglama
Gerd "Bock" Ehrmann / tenor sax
Jochen Leuschner / vocals, congas, percussion

Recorded "live" to analog 2-track at SWF-Studio U1, Baden-Baden (Germany), October 27, 1972




This was a posthumous release originally recorded live in studio back in 1972 but not released until 2010. I was a little nervous about this one only because I found the 1972 debut to be a little hit and miss for my tastes and this live recording came between that one and the followup "Time Machine" which I really like. And while the syle here may be more like the debut this one is a winner folks. Already since the debut the band has a new drummer and lead guitarist on this live recording. Not a bad thing though as the great Eddy Marron plays lead guitar on here, and he would also play on their next studio album "Time Machine". Interesting that the lead vocalist and sax player would also leave before "Time Machine" was recorded. I should also mention that only one track on here can be found on their studio albums making this a must for DZYAN fans.
"Resurrection" is the almost 10 minute opener. Lots of dark atmosphere to start on this one as sounds come and go. Some heavy outbursts a minute in including sax. The song finally kicks into gear before 3 1/2 minutes as the tempo picks up. Vocals around 4 minutes for the first time. Love the instrumental section before 5 1/2 minutes as the guitar starts to let it rip. Nice heavy rhythm section here too. This lasts for just over a minute then the vocals return. Atmosphere ends it. A good tune but my least favourite of the bunch. "Dragonsong" is the only track on here found on another album by them (debut) . Killer intrumental work as the vocals come in. Great sound ! This is the longest tune at 11 1/2 minutes. Love the sax playing over top when the vocals stop. Vocals are back after 4 1/2 minutes. Excellent guitar work 6 1/2 minutes in as Eddy lights it up for an extended period. A drum solo follows before 8 1/2 minutes. The music kicks back in a minute later. Big finish on this one. "Mandala-Transmigration" is a short two minute piece that is very atmospheric with no melody.
"Steel's Electric" is a jazzy offering with intricate drum work and lots of sax leads. Crunchy bass lines too on this one. The guitar comes to the spotlight before 4 minutes and Eddy is fantastic as usual. An awesome instrumental. "Daddy Groove" is laid back as the sax rips it up over top. Vocals follow in a bluesy style. The vocals give way to another hair raising solo from Eddy that starts before 4 minutes and continues until after 5 1/2 minutes when the vocals return. The vocals get pretty passionate at times. Another great track. "Saz" has a distinct Eastern sound to it with trippy percussion as well. Vocals 5 1/2 minutes in. A groovy track. "Celestial City" is also from 1972 but a live recording from an open-air concert. The sound isn't as good but it's fine. Love when it kicks in after 2 1/2 minutes and Eddy plays at the speed of light. The drummer is trying to keep up with him and the bass player too. Too much !

Dzyan - 1975 - Electric Silence

Dzyan
1975
Electric Silence



01. Back To Where We Come (8:57)
02. A Day In My Life (4:03)
03. The Road Not Taken (4:54)
04. Khali (4:55)
05. For Earthly Thinking (9:38)
06. Electric Silence (4:30)

Eddy Marron / acoustic, 6- & 12-string guitars, sitar, baglama, tambura, Mellotron, vocals
Reinhard Karwatky / 4- & 8- string basses, 4- & 5- string double basses, Super String synth, Mellotron
Peter Giger / drums, percussion

Recorded and remixed at Dierks Studios, Stommeln, Germany, October 1974.




Dzyan's third and last album, still as a trio and recorded in the Dierks studios and released on the legendary Bacillus label. Graced with a grotesque cartoon-like artwork, the album remains very much in the line of the previous two albums, even if they return to shorter track format resembling their debut album.

Opening with the reflective 9-mins Back Where We Came From, Electric Silence starts very strongly with Giger's marimbas and gongs, preceding Marron's slow increasingly-present guitar wails before Giger takes it over again. By the half of the track, the group is now in full flight with Karwatky's bass giving a Nucleus base on which both Giger and Marron can expand and improvise. Indian music is the main influence of A Day In My Life, just as on the previous album Kabisrain. Closing up the first side is The Road Not Taken (a reference to Time Machine artwork cover?), which is downright dissonant and comes close to atonal music if it was not for Marron's guitar wailing like an Indian sitar.

The flipside starts with an Indian-laced Khali (who'd have thought with such a name, right? ;-), where mellotrons are in the background. The same mellotrons pave the 9-min Earthly Thinking's intro over dissonant wooden block percussions first and steel drums second, then ensues a wide improvisation with only Karwatky staying wise and providing a base, thena drum solo ending in total sonic chaos with both Marron and Karwatky also going nuts. Closing with the album's title track (my fave) where the Mahavishnu Orchestra impressions return, reminiscing of the previous' album title track. Compared with their previous works his album does have a more ethnic feel (mostly Indian), but aesthetically- speaking it is just as Dzyann-esque as their previous two.

Just as excellent as their first two albums, Electric Silence closes Dzyan's recording career with an impeccable album and rounding up a very even discography where all three albums are equal in quality. It would be hard for me to choose just one album, meaning that you'd have to discard two choices as good as the one you've taken. So if anything, I'd suggest you start chronologically

Dzyan - 1973 - Time Machine

Dzyan
1973
Time Machine



01. Kabisrain (7:59)
02. Magika (8:45)
03. Light Shining Out Of Darkness (3:13)
04. Time machine (17:47)

Eddy Marron / acoustic, 6- & 12-string guitars, baglama, vocals
Reinhard Karwatky / bass, double bass, Super String synth
Peter Giger / drums, percussion


As Dzyan's first album was more or less a studio/one-time project, the first line-up did not survive the album's release. So the group was reduced to a very-different trio with only Karwataky remaining from the previous one. In came Giger on drums and percussions and Eddy Marron on guitars. Graced with a full psych artwork representing their tree-bordered paths, this album is one of Germany's most acclaimed instrumental jazz-fusion album. It was recorded in the Dieter Dierks studios and released on the very collectible Bacillus label.
Made of three tracks, the first side starts on the superb 8-min ethnic-sounding Kabisrain with a distinct Indian influence. The following almost 9-min Magika is much harder to swallow/ingest as it starts out on a wild drum intro, and it never really lets up until its end. The tracks often veers dissonant and limit atonal, but does remain accessible (more so than Crimson's Moonchild or Providence) to most and in its second part the guitar does take the track into more conventional improv grounds, but still remains uneasy reminding some of Nucleus's Belladona works. The third (and much shorter) Light Shining Out Of Darkness is quite a change as it veers Flamenco-jazz in a way that Metheny or DeLucia would not disown. Easily the album's most accessible track.
A sidelong monster title track with its 18 minutes fills the flipside. The track can be seen as a manic Mahavishnu Orchestra meeting a brass-less Nucleus. If the track remains relatively on the subject, avoiding useless lengthy soloing, it does not avoid some lengths especially that Marron's guitars are the only fronting soloing instrument. However the track veers around the 1é-min mark and presents a very repetitive riff that makes the last 6 minutes a bit minimalist, but also a bore.

While Dzyan's second album is well in the line of their first album, it is more "concise", precise and urgent than the debut album.

Dzyan - 1972 - Dzyan

Dzyan 
1972 
Dzyan


01. Emptiness (9:39)
02. The bud awakes (2:57)
03. The wisdom (10:21)
04. Foghat's work (6:31)
05. Hymn (1:12)
06. Dragonsong (7:31)
07. Things we're looking for (1:52)
08. Back to Earth (4:11)

Jochen Leuschner / lead vocals, congas, percussion
Harry Krämer / acoustic & electric guitars
Gerd-Bock Ehrmann / tenor sax
Reinhard Karwatky / bass, double bass, arranger
Ludwig Braum / drums, percussion

With:
Günter Kühlwein / organ & electric piano (2,3,7)

Recorded at Rhein-Main-Studio, Frankfurt/M. 1972.




Named after the Indian sacred book of creation, this (at first) studio experiment recorded very quickly their first album (within two months of their creation) and it was released on the small Aronda label in April 72. Graced with an impressive artwork, the quintet's album develops an impressive sung jazz-rock that embodied almost every aspects of the genre, but there is a general Canterbury feel pervading through the album.
Dzyan's jazz-rock spectrum ranges from the full-blown early fusion ala Nucleus (the opening Emptiness) to the much rockier Dragonsong, the electronic and cello Hymn and the very vocal Bud Awakes (where the group shows an excellence sense of harmony). The first side of the albums holds two major tracks (one of which is slightly ethnic-sounding and strange: Wisdom) sandwiching a short one and is clearly my favourite. The excellent Fohat's Work (not really Gong here, although the sax.) is maybe the album's most accessible track with clear-cut solos, while Dragonsong has vocals that can resemble Wyatt's in SM's Third or Rock Bottom, but this dramatic piece can be considered like the highlight of the album as Bock's sax reminds of Malherbe and Karwalky's bass lines are driving the track at 100 MPH cruising speed. Comes a short Wyatt-esque interlude and then the album closes on the Rocking Back To Earth, indeed making come back from a great fusion trip as the artwork indicates.
By the time of their second album's recording, the group was completely different, being just a trio with only bassist Karwalki (who was the main writer anyway) left, but the sound of the group remained jazz-rock but veered much more towards experimental jazz mixed with ethnic music. Although this debut album is non-representative of Dzyan, it might just be their most accessible and a good intro to the band. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Albert Ayler - 1971 - The Last Album

Albert Ayler
1971
The Last Album


01. Untitled Duet 4:32
02. Again Comes The Rising Of The Sun 6:52
03. All Love 8:59
04. Toiling 5:06
05. Desert Blood 5:58
06. Birth Of Mirth 5:20
07. Water Music 6:10

Bass – Stafford James
Bass, Electric Bass [Fender Bass] – Bill Folwell
Chanter [Bagpipe Chanter], Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Albert Ayler
Drums – Muhammad Ali
Electric Guitar – Henry Vestine
Piano – Bobby Few
Vocals – Mary Maria

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, August 26, 27, 28 and 29, 1969.

Throughout the album Bill Folwell's bass is heard on the left channel, Stafford James' on the right.



Part of the same Ed Michel produced sessions that unleashed Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe, Ayler's final studio recordings are a mixed bag of musical oddities – the strangest being 'Untitled Duo' where electric guitarist Henry Vestine jams with Ayler who is blowing wildly at a bagpipe chanter. Regardless of what his critics thought, Ayler remained defiant in pushing his new direction through to the end.

Albert Ayler - 1971 - Swing Low Sweet Spiritual

Albert Ayler
1971
Swing Low Sweet Spiritual



01. Going Home 4:23
02. Old Man River, Take 2 5:29
03. Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen 4:49
04. When The Saints Go Marching In 4:29
05. Swing Low Sweet Spiritual 4:30
06. Deep River 4:15
07. Old Man River, Take 1 3:59

Bass – Henry Grimes
Drums – Sunny Murray
Piano – Call Cobbs
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Albert Ayler

Recorded at Atlantic Studios, New York City, February 24, 1964


This LP contains one of Albert Ayler's most unusual projects. The free jazz tenor/innovator (who doubles here on his less-assured soprano) performs six traditional melodies including "Going Home," two versions of "Old Man River," "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," and even "When the Saints Go Marching In." Ayler works well with his backup group (pianist Call Cobbs, bassist Henry Grimes, and drummer Sunny Murray) and creates very emotional music

This was recorded the same day as the Spirits/Witches & Devils session and when it was finally released it didnt excite many. I certainly know a few close friends who consider this some of the worst Ayler. However, I always found it quite a fascinating set. Something of a tribute to his roots, with Ayler on Tenor and Soprano.

Not Ayler's most sonically adventurous recording, certainly, but rewarding nonetheless if approached from the correct angle. We are in a southern church, not a New York nightclub. Call Cobbs is the ancient pianist who's been playing this stuff for over half a century, Ayler the young upstart, powerful and emotional. The rhythm section is exotic, for sure, but respectful. Can we have 'Ole Man River' again, please?

Albert Ayler - 1970 - Spirits Rejoice

Albert Ayler
1970
Spirits Rejoice



01. Spirits Rejoice 11:31
02. Holy Family 2:10
03. D.C. 7:55
04. Angels 5:24
05. Prophet 5:25

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone
Donald Ayler: trumpet
Charles Tyler: alto saxophone
Sunny Murray: drums
Call Cobbs: harpsichord
Henry Grimes: bass
Gary Peacock: bass

Recorded September 23, 1965 at Judson Hall, New York.

Press Quotes
"Once in a great while, an album comes along that’s filled with so much god-awful beauty and spiritual intensity that every majestic note contained therein cuts deep into the dark places of your soul and leaves you with nothing more than the promise of sweet deliverance...Albert Ayler’s Spirits Rejoice is that kind of album" - Tiny Mix Tapes

"Spirits Rejoice is proof that there was an underlying logic even to Ayler's most extreme moments, and that's why it remains a tremendously inspiring recording." - Steve Huey, All Music Guide



Recorded live at New York's Judson Hall in 1965, Spirits Rejoice is one of Albert Ayler's wildest, noisiest albums, partly because it's one of the very few that teams him with another saxophonist, altoist Charles Tyler. It's also one of the earliest recordings to feature Ayler's brother Don playing an amateurish but expressive trumpet, and the ensemble is further expanded by using bassists Henry Grimes and Gary Peacock together on three of the five tracks; plus, the rubato "Angels" finds Ayler interacting with Call Cobbs' harpsichord in an odd, twinkling evocation of the spiritual spheres. Aside from that more spacious reflection, most of the album is given over to furious ensemble interaction and hard-blowing solos that always place in-the-moment passion above standard jazz technique. Freed up by the presence of the trumpet and alto, Ayler's playing concentrates on the rich lower register of his horn and all the honks and growls that go with it; his already thick, huge tone has rarely seemed more monolithic. Spirits Rejoice also provides an opportunity to hear the sources of Ayler's simple, traditional melodies becoming more eclectic. The nearly 12-minute title track has a pronounced New Orleans marching band feel, switching between two themes reminiscent of a hymn and a hunting bugle call, and the brief "Holy Family" is downright R&B-flavored. "Prophet" touches on a different side of Ayler's old-time march influence, with machine-gun cracks and militaristic cadences from drummer Sunny Murray driving the raggedly energetic ensemble themes. For all its apparent chaos, Spirits Rejoice is often surprisingly pre-arranged -- witness all the careening harmony passages that accompany the theme statements, and the seamless transitions of the title track. Spirits Rejoice is proof that there was an underlying logic even to Ayler's most extreme moments, and that's why it remains a tremendously inspiring recording.
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. Tyler, for his part, seems to stick a bit closer to Ayler, providing an additional horn voice, particularly when Ayler cuts loose, holding down the melody. 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.
This reissue is newly remastered from the original tapes courtesy of the newly reborn ESP-Disk record label. The new transfer brings out subtlety and detail, particularly in the three part horn harmonies-- on previous issues, Tyler was hard to distinguish in the mix, being able to better hear and understand his role is enormously valuable.
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 - 1970 - Nuits De La Fondation Maeght

Albert Ayler
1970
Nuits De La Fondation Maeght Volumes 1 & 2




Volume One


01. In Heart Only 4:55
02. Spirits 14:15
03. Holy Family 10:10
04. Spirits Rejoice 6:57

Volume Two


01. Truth Is Marching In 7:25
02. Universal Message 8:05
03. Spiritual Reunion 7:35
04. Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe 8:15

Bass – Steve Tintweiss
Drums – Allen Blairman
Piano – Call Cobbs
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Albert Ayler
Vocals, Soprano Saxophone – Mary Maria

Recorded at St Paul de Vence, July 27, 1970.

Digitally remastered reissue featuring two classic albums by the late Albert Ayler (both originally released on the French Shandar label). Albert Ayler with Mary Maria, Call Cobbs, Steve Tintweiss & Allen Blairman recorded live in France at the Foundation Maeght in St. Paul de Vence (July 25th & 27th, 1970). Stellar live performances capturing his two last gigs ever. 


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 - 1970 - Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe

Albert Ayler
1970
Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe


01. Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe 8:40
02. Masonic Inborn (Part 1) 12:08
03. A Man Is Like A Tree 4:34
04. Oh! Love Of Life 3:48
05. Island Harvest 4:55
06. Drudgery 8:08

Bagpipes, Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Albert Ayler
Bass – Stafford James
Bass, Bass [Fender] – Bill Folwell
Drums – Muhammad Ali
Guitar – Henry Vestine
Piano – Bobby Few
Vocals – Mary Maria (tracks: A1, B1 to B3)

Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City, August 26, 27, 28 and 29, 1969. (Throughout the album Bill Folwell's bass is heard on the left channel, Stafford James' on the right. On 'Masonic Inborn (Part 1)', Albert Ayler plays two bagpipe parts employing overdubbing. Henry Vestine Plays both guitar parts, employing overdubbing on Drudgery.


Albert Ayler was a true giant who walked this earth far too briefly. Thankfully, he was able to leave behind a fairly substantial body of work and Impulse! finally saw fit to issue one of his last albums to CD. Recorded in August of 1969, a little more than a year before they fished Ayler out of New York's East River, Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe may not be one of his best moments ( Spiritual Unity ) or even his oddest ( New Grass ), but it's still essential and rewarding listening for those with a hankering for the fire music.
As soon as Albert Ayler's first earth-shattering deep tenor roar opens the album, shivers are running up and down my spine. Nobody else has made a sound from a horn quite like that - a truly holy bleat.
Unfortunately, I'm considerable less enthralled with the vocal and lyrical contributions from Mary Maria that somewhat clog up the album, or at least the three tracks where she sings. Especially embarrassing are the lyrics to "A Man is Like a Tree," a tree is like a man - sheesh. On the other hand, especially if you ignore the lyrics, the interaction between Parks and Ayler can be exciting, and quite deep.
Bobby Few (still on the scene today - check out his excellent 2002 release from Boxholder, Continental Jazz Express) provides a much more vital and awe-inspiring contribution with his wild piano cascades. And you have to hear Ayler's take on the bagpipes from "Masonic Inborn (Part 1)," which begs the question - is there a part two languishing in the vaults somewhere? An overwhelmingly powerful track, and also the longest on the album. Check out Muhammad Ali's fantastic drum solo and the bass work from Bill Folwell and Staford James. By far the strangest song on the album must be, "Oh! Love of Life," which features Ayler's high-pitched, haunting vocals, as well as his monster tenor work. It really feels completely on the edge, completely nuts.
From there the album winds down somewhat disappointingly. Despite the powerful musicianship, "Island Harvest" (with another goofy vocal from Mary Maria) seems like B-side material at best (ugh - that fake accent!). The final track, "Drudgery," is a completely baffling, long, lame blues-rock jam thing, that doesn't fit with the rest of the album in the least. Henry Vestine even steps into the room to lay down some very by the numbers blues guitar. I'm shaking my head, wondering what the hell were they thinking. It's so wrong it's actually somewhat interesting. To hear this free-jazz icon stuck over this track is simply and utterly bizarre.

Monday, February 1, 2021

Albert Ayler - 1969 - New Grass

Albert Ayler
1969
New Grass


01. Message From Albert - New Grass (3:56)
                                a. Message From Albert 1:11
                                b. New Grass 2:45
02. New Generation 5:10
03. Sun Watcher 6:27
04. New Ghosts 4:07
05. Heart Love 5:33
06. Everybody's Movin' 4:20
07. Free At Last 3:05

Bass – Buddy Lucas
Drums – Pretty Purdie
Electric Bass – Bill Folwell
Piano, Electric Harpsichord, Organ – Call Cobbs
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Seldon Powell
Tenor Saxophone, Vocals – Albert Ayler
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Trumpet – Burt Collins, Joe Newman (tracks: A1, A2, B2 to B4)

Recorded September 5th & 6th, 1968.



Free jazz icon albert Ayler scandalized the critics when he went R&B on this 1968 album, but nowadays to less doctrinaire ears it doesn't sound all that crazy...in fact, it sounds kind of, well, current! A cult classic!

No one could have predicted Albert Ayler’s turn to pop. The tenor saxophonist emerged in the mid-’60s as one of the most visceral forces of the free-jazz movement, with raw, chaotic compositions that jumbled expressions of joy and mourning until they were indistinguishable. Ayler’s respected standing in avant-garde circles made the abrupt stylistic shift of his 1969 album New Grass all the more baffling. Instead of the structureless squall he was known for, here was Ayler singing lead on AM-radio pop songs and superimposing his unhinged sax skronk over funk, soul, and rock rhythms. Freshly remastered and reissued by Third Man in its first vinyl pressing in over 40 years, the wildly mismatched colors of New Grass still don’t resemble anything else.

Ayler had signed on with highly visible jazz imprint Impulse! in 1966 at the behest of their star player John Coltrane. New Grass would be his third release with the label and the first without his brother and trumpet player Donald Ayler. Donald’s limited but eruptive playing had been integral in his brother’s music finding its highest form, but the lifestyle of the struggling jazz musician pushed him to his brink. He stopped playing in Ayler’s band shortly before suffering a mental collapse. Around the same time, Ayler had begun a relationship with Mary Parks, a poet and singer who went by the alias Mary Maria. Parks sang on New Grass, and her flower-power poetry provided the lyrics. Some familiar sidemen were on board (Bill Folwell switching from upright bass to electric and keyboardist Call Cobbs reprising the gossamer harpsichord he’d brought to Ayler’s free-floating Love Cry the year before), but the personnel consisted mostly of session musicians. Lockstep drumming, overdubbed horn sections, and back-up singers all nudged the sound towards the kind of schmaltz the music industry was churning out in the late ‘60s. As if to ease listeners in, the album begins with a high-energy saxophone and bass improvisation that leads to a spoken message from Ayler. In a mystical ramble somewhere between a prayer and a warning, he offers the hesitant disclaimer “I hope you will like this record.”

On transcendent concert documents like Bells and In Greenwich Village, Ayler’s free jazz was messy and volatile, with a drive so supernatural it barely seemed possible the music was made by earthly beings. His new songs were messy in a way that was unnervingly human; jittery, flailing, and striking out in several bizarre directions at once. The melodic signatures were the same—simple, friendly lines that evoked New Orleans funeral marches or children’s songs—but Ayler’s vibrating tone hovered in a separate orbit from his band’s standardized grooves. More jarring than the ill-fitting arrangements were Ayler’s prominently featured vocals. Unlike the wordless incantations he’d occasionally included on earlier albums, here he was leading songs with a bellowing, untrained voice that was wavering at its most controlled. The sung introduction to “New Ghosts” (a reworking of “Ghosts,” a tune Ayler recorded multiple variations of) devolves line by line into unintelligible blabbering. Park’s lyrics were mostly vague hippie platitudes, and Ayler delivered them in a manic wail that clashed with their gentle sentiments of peace, love, and progress.

With cooing backing vocals and playful sing-song melodies gelling tenderly before Ayler blasts into a sax freakout that burns on for the majority of the song. This certainly wasn’t jazz of any kind, but was too overstimulated and confused to pass for the Woodstock-generation rock’n’roll it was trying to emulate. What was this?

The harshest reviews decimated the record, calling out the new direction as a blatant appeal to white, mainstream audiences. But if this was an attempt at selling out, it was poorly conceived. Ayler’s new sound ignored the smooth, danceable soul The Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye were topping the charts with at the time and looked more towards the jumpy gospel and R&B of the early ‘50s and the electric blues styles he’d played while touring with Little Walter in his younger days.Compared to the riotous funk of Sly and the Family Stone or the sleek, boundary-testing fusion Miles Davis was beginning to explore around the same time, New Grass seemed uptight and a little old-fashioned. Factoring in warbly singing and discordant sax solos, it’s hard to imagine even the most out-there record exec hearing commercial potential in this strange little record.

The album’s fragile balance of excitement and anxiety speaks to the unstable place Ayler was in during the last few years of his life. Riddled with guilt about pulling his brother into a world that broke him and exhausted from years of grinding in poverty and obscurity, he grew increasingly erratic and isolated. Some friends reported calls with Ayler in which he deliriously explained visions he’d had while staring into the sun. The rest of his recorded output would consist of unfocused experiments that reflected a troubled inner world, and in late 1970 he would be found dead at age 34, in mysterious circumstances presumed by many to be suicide. New Grass signaled the beginning of a descent into darkness for Ayler, one that saw him grasping at ideals of redemption and healing all the way down.

Ayler’s 1964 debut My Name Is Albert Ayler also begins with a spoken message, one that wanders for a while before ending with the soft declaration “One day everything will be as it should be.” He would spend the rest of his life expanding on that thesis, with every phase of his music returning to themes of suffering and confusion ultimately giving way to peace. Ayler’s spiritual message didn’t change on New Grass, but grew weirder and more intimate as he struggled to deliver it in a way that could be universally understood. Similar to Arthur Russell’s hermetic dance tracks or Muddy Waters’ surreal stabs at psychedelic rock on Electric Mud, Ayler’s notion of popular music was so distanced from reality that it became its own self-contained universe.

Albert Ayler - 1968 - Love Cry

Albert Ayler
1968
Love Cry




01. Love Cry 3:53
02. Ghosts 2:46
03. Omega 3:15
04. Dancing Flowers 2:19
05. Bells 3:08
06. Love Flower 3:31
07. Zion Hill 6:07
08. Universal Indians 9:48

Bass – Alan Silva
Drums – Milford Graves
Harpsichord – Call Cobbs
Saxophone [Tenor], Voice, Written-By – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Donald Ayler





From the time he was signed to Impulse in 1966, it was assumed that Albert Ayler's releases on that label would be motivated by an attempt at commercialism. While the music was toned down from his earlier ESP recordings, by no means did Ayler ever make commercial records. Much in the same way John Coltrane's later-period Impulse releases weren't commercial, Ayler simply took advantage of a larger record company's distribution, trying to expose the music to more people. Ayler's uncompromising musical freedom mixed with his catchy combination of nursery rhythms and brass band marches remained prominent on Love Cry. The interplay between the Ayler brothers also remained fiery as younger sibling Donald is heard playing trumpet for the last time on a recording with his brother. Donald was fired from the band (at the suggestion of Impulse) and, unfortunately, was committed to a mental institution for a short stay after these sessions were made. The rhythm section of Alan Silva on bass and Milford Graves on drums continually instigates and propels this music into furious militaristic march territory. Unhappily, the four tracks in which Call Cobbs is featured on harpsichord tend to drag the music down; it's unfortunate his gospel-inspired piano or organ playing couldn't have been utilized instead.

This was Albert Ayler's second album for the legendary Impulse label and to me it was his masterpiece, Albert's earlier works for ESP were all superb especially the mighty "The Bells" LP but for me it all came together on "Love Cry" which was recorded shortly after the tragic death of John Coltrane in 1967. Coltrane's prescence is all over this record ( in fact Albert and Don Ayler along with Ornette Coleman played at Trane's funeral service), however Ayler does not copy Coltrane's work as much as you would think, Ayler was truly into his own bag and stands alone as the master of a certain style of Jazz that is said to owe a great debt to New Orleans marching bands and death chants. As great as Albert Ayler is his brother Don on trumpet is every bit as great on his horn and a vital ingredient to the Ayler group. The brothers hailed from Cleveland but found their way to New York which was in the 60's the epicenter of the new Freedom Jazz Movement.

Since "Love Cry" has been transferred to CD with some bonus tracks that's the edition which I'll talk about here. The disc opens with the title track "Love Cry" which features Albert on sax with Don adding mournful blasts of trumpet, in the backdrop is very loose percussion by Milford Graves you can also hear bassist Alan Silva tuning up ( on a side note check out Silva's solo album on ESP for a truly whacked out record), back to "Love Cry" this track also features Albert singing in a native tongue similar to Pharoah Sanders on his "Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt" . "Ghosts" is next and it is a very uplifting duet with the brothers Ayler and some spare percussion by Graves, it clocks in at under 3 minutes so it could have issued as a single ( on Venus maybe!). The 3rd track "Omega" is a true gas!, again it features a lively duet with Albert and Don, they are joined by the awesome Call Cobbs on harpsichord, he plays like he just came back from a session on The Seeds "Future" album!!!. "Dancing Flowers" is another short one that is a bit sad sounding it features just Albert, Graves and Cobbs on freakout harpsichord. "Bells" is up next and it is PURE FUN, it features Albert and Don blowing a merry little tune that you can't stop humming for hours after hearing it, I use this one as my warmup music before I play basketball!.

"Love Flower" opens with Call Cobbs playing loose fills ala Sun Ra on harpsichord, Albert plays a soulful restrained solo while Silva plucks away on a seasick sounding bass, Graves also chimes in with nice cymbal work. The first of the bonus tracks is next in "Love Cry #2" which appears to have no relation at all with the earlier track "Love Cry" which starts the disc, this track is a lot more experimental and features some serious elephant honks from Albert while Don is trying to blow his brains out on trumpet, his playing reminds me of Phil Lesh on the Grateful Dead's "Anthem of the Sun" album.

An alternate take of "Zion Hill" comes next which is a pretty loose psychedelic piece with some nice touches by Call Cobbs on his trusty harpsichord, this is follwed by an alternate take of "Universal Indians" which is my favorite Ayler track of all time, the band really cuts loose on this one and it sounds like some of the freakier moments on The Pop Group's "Y" album, I like to serenade my yuppie next door neighbor with this one when he plays his yuppie Sheryl Crow type trash.

The record closes with the regular takes of "Zion Hill" and "Universal Indians", the official "Zion Hill" is a bit more together than the out-take and features some wonderful playing by Call Cobbs on tripsichord. The closing "Universal Indians" is even freakier than the out-take, this is marching band music from Saturn not New Orleans!!!,and a fitting way so close this remarkable record.

To some Albert Ayler's music is harsh but the more you hang with it the catchier it is, I always have this fantasy of taking my boom box and playing this at the beach at a peak hour, yet I always chicken out I'd probably get tossed in jail.

Albert Ayler sadly died under mysterious circumstanes in New York while Don Ayler battled some serious mental problems and was hospitalized, the loss of these 2 kingpins is as severe to me as is the losses of Syd Barrett, Brian Jones, John Cipollina, Arthur Lee and many others. Albert and Don Ayler were 2 of the real visionaries.