ALBERT AYLER QUARTET - The Hilversum Session (1964-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Hilversum Session by Albert Ayler is one of those legendary recordings in free jazz. It was recorded in a Netherlands radio studio in front of a small invited audience, at the end of the Ayler Quartet's European tour on November 9, 1964. The band -- Ayler, Don Cherry, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray -- had been playing Ayler's tunes for months and were uncanny in their ability to hear one another and improvise together at that point. It was also the last time the group would record together under Ayler's name as a quartet, and they went out at a peak. The recording itself remained unissued until 1980, when it appeared on an LP on the long-defunct Osmosis label. Most of the tunes were, and remain, fairly common Ayler creations. "Ghosts" was recorded numerous times in 1964, and "Spirits" first appeared on both Witches & Devils and on a record with the same title; both appeared on Spiritual Unity; while the tune "C.A.C," is actually the original title for the cut "The Wizard," also from Spiritual Unity. According to the liner notes, the closing number, "No Name," was added as a coda to the infamous "Bells," issued in 1965, and in its relatively melodic beauty reveals another dimension to the fierce but inspiring improvisation by this quartet, who would take Ayler's skeletal melodies and move them to the margins of musical language itself. "Infant Happiness," by Cherry, is the only piece not authored by Ayler. The saxophonist kicks it off before he is joined by the trumpeter near the end of bar four in a knotty but wonderfully nursery rhyme-like melody that is reminiscent of the music Cherry played with his former and future boss Ornette Coleman. This set is a defining moment, not just historically, but musically. The intense listening and interplay that goes on here is inspiring. Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray may have played better elsewhere, but they never played with the kind of deep communication they enjoyed together as a rhythm section and with other front-line players than they do here. Ayler is no longer striving to find the outer limits of spiritual expression in his music; it's all on display here, and Cherry, the inveterate and outrageously talented listener/musician is in full bloom, untethered as a soloist, yet, like the other three, remaining an inextricable part of a band. These cats play together with the kind of intuition and foresight only a seasoned group can; they understand the nuances of the language they are speaking and know how to offer those to the listener emotionally, musically, and even culturally. This is a welcome issue.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Angels 6'54
Albert Ayler
2     C.A.C. 5'00
Albert Ayler
3     Ghosts 7'30
Albert Ayler
4     Infant Happiness 6'06
Don Cherry
5     Spirits 9'10
Albert Ayler
6     No Name 5'41
Albert Ayler
Credits :    
Bass – Gary Peacock
Cornet – Don Cherry
Drums – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler

ALBERT AYLER TRIO - Spiritual Unity (1965-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Spiritual Unity was the album that pushed Albert Ayler to the forefront of jazz's avant-garde, and the first jazz album ever released by Bernard Stollman's seminal ESP label. It was really the first available document of Ayler's music that matched him with a group of truly sympathetic musicians, and the results are a magnificently pure distillation of his aesthetic. Bassist Gary Peacock's full-toned, free-flowing ideas and drummer Sunny Murray's shifting, stream-of-consciousness rhythms (which rely heavily on shimmering cymbal work) are crucial in throwing the constraints off of Ayler's playing. Yet as liberated and ferociously primitive as Ayler sounds, the group isn't an unhinged mess -- all the members listen to the subtler nuances in one another's playing, pushing and responding where appropriate. Their collective improvisation is remarkably unified -- and as for the other half of the album's title, Ayler conjures otherworldly visions of the spiritual realm with a gospel-derived fervor. Titles like "The Wizard," "Spirits," and "Ghosts" (his signature tune, introduced here in two versions) make it clear that Ayler's arsenal of vocal-like effects -- screams, squeals, wails, honks, and the widest vibrato ever heard on a jazz record -- were sonic expressions of a wildly intense longing for transcendence. With singable melodies based on traditional folk songs and standard scales, Ayler took the simplest musical forms and imbued them with a shockingly visceral power -- in a way, not unlike the best rock & roll, which probably accounted for the controversy his approach generated. To paraphrase one of Ayler's most famous quotes, this music was about feelings, not notes, and on Spiritual Unity that philosophy finds its most concise, concentrated expression. A landmark recording that's essential to any basic understanding of free jazz. Steve Huey  
Tracklist :
1     Ghosts: First Variation 5'16
Albert Ayler
2     The Wizard 7'24
Albert Ayler
3     Spirits 6'50
Albert Ayler / David Hudson
4     Ghosts: Second Variation 10'01
Albert Ayler
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Sunny Murray
Illustration [Cover] – Howard Bernstein
Tenor Saxophone, Composed By – Albert Ayler

ALBERT AYLER - New York Eye and Ear Control (1964-2000) APE (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a very interesting set, music that was freely improvised and used as the soundtrack for the 34-minute short film New York Eye and Ear Control. Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the all-star sextet (which also includes trumpeter Don Cherry, altoist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray) on two lengthy jams. The music is fiery but with enough colorful moments to hold one's interest throughout. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Don's Dawn 1'03
Albert Ayler
2     A Y 21'21
Albert Ayler
3     ITT 23'23
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – John Tchicai
Bass – Gary Peacock
Drums – Sonny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
Trombone – Roswell Rudd
Trumpet – Don Cherry

ALBERT AYLER - Spirits Rejoice (1965) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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. Steve Huey  
Tracklist :
1     Spirits Rejoice 11'41
Albert Ayler
2     Holy Family 2'11
Albert Ayler
3     D. C. 8'00
Albert Ayler
4     Angels 5'30
Albert Ayler
5     Prophet 5'36
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charles Tyler
Bass – Gary Peacock, Henry Grimes
Drums – Sunny Murray
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Don Ayler

ALBERT AYLER - Bells (1965-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Albert Ayler's short but definitive album Bells covers about 20 minutes of music from his legendary Town Hall/N.Y.C. concert on May Day of 1965. It is not surprising to hear the angst and anguish in their music, considering it was made about five weeks after Black nationalist leader Malcolm X was assassinated. Ayler and his quintet blow their own horns in alert of the "new thing" in jazz coming on strong, with no apologies as to its fierce intent or audacious stance. Brother/trumpeter Donald Ayler and alto saxophonist Charles Tyler join with the tenor saxophonist in a united front of sound and steel forged reserve in making free jazz a reality. The back cover has a reprint of Dan Morgenstern's Down Beat Magazine review of the performance, which is insightful, fair, accurate, and to the point, a good read for anyone who might dismiss Ayler's concept as something other than serious. The first of the two spontaneous compositions contains an outburst by the whole ensemble, followed by trumpet and tenor sax solos that bend notes and shapes in the extreme abstract. A free bop-based mid-section shows recording flaws, as drummer Sunny Murray and bassist Lewis Worrell are barely audible. Tyler's alto is drenched in the loud and abrasive tone the Ayler's dictated, but shows he has his own voice. The overtone-soaked music is tempered by a low-level bass solo from Worrell, with Murray's spare, splashy cymbal inserts, ending with a bouncy but eventual whirling dervish coda. The second, much longer improvisation, is based on Ayler's "Holy Ghost" theme, as a soulful, singing, vibrato-driven Ayler ignites Worrell via Murray's signature triple and quadruple flam accents. There's a clarion march theme repeated before and after congealed chaos, followed by deconstructed but distinct melodies, albeit brave and uncompromising. When all three of these horn players blow hard and strong together, it brings to mind Amiri Baraka's comment about "a terrible wholeness," as this purposefully saturated music stands alone as the most singularly unique early creative statement in modern music. As Albert Ayler recorded several definitive recordings before or after this one, and due to the very short length of Bells, it cannot be considered a magnum opus. But it does contain music played by his most powerful unit, a small window into the mind and heart of the most iconic maverick in the free jazz movement, and a magnet for discussion that lingers on well past his death. Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Bells 20'03
Albert Ayler
Credits :
Bass – Lewis Worrell
Percussion – Sonny Murray
Saxophone [Sax] – Albert Ayler, Charles Tyler
Trumpet – Donald Ayler

ALBERT AYLER - At Slug's Saloon, Vol. 1 & 2 (2005) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The Slug's Saloon dates are among the recordings that established Albert Ayler's reputation as the iconoclastic legend he was. This May Day performance featured Albert on tenor saxophone, brother Donald on trumpet, Lewis Worrell on bass, Michael Sampson on violin, and a very young Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums. While the recording quality may not be up to some modern-day stereo fascist's standards, there's plenty of fidelity here for most listeners. This is Ayler at his most beguiling and powerful. The set opens with "Truth Is Marching In," which begins with the refrain line from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and turns it inside out into a gospel chant before Ayler just turns his saxophone on the audience like he's some Old Testament prophet, screaming and screeching through the middle as Jackson sticks with him every step of the way, triple timing his bull-roaring wail. The theme is one note played in various cadences; each member begins his solo in turn and soon the entire process of music-making has been reversed -- speaking in tongues has been realized, although everyone on the bandstand and in the audience realizes what's happening. Next up is Donald Ayler's "Our Prayer," which begins with a beer polka theme crossed with a carnival song and turns into marching band music, before becoming unglued in an atonal fury of pure gospel shouting and blues hollering to the heavens. Vol. 1 (the stronger of the two) closes with the truly astonishing "Bells." It's true that Ayler only had a few compositions to his name, but it didn't matter since they were all so open they could be reinterpreted a thousand ways. "Bells" is Ayler's masterpiece, beginning with a mournful violin line that's doubled by Donald and then harmonically amended by Worrell and Albert. This is an offering, a funeral march about to happen. The end of the world has already come and the dead are being mourned. The one phrase is repeated over and again, changed little by little, until at five minutes it is a song of joy. And at nine minutes it's a free jazz blowout that is so thunderous there are dropouts in the mikes. By 16 minutes the cover has melted from your skull and the sun is shining from within and without and you have been transformed forever. Yeah, you need this that bad...what are you waiting for?
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist Disc 1 :
1    Truth Is Marching In    10:10
2    Our Prayer    12:19
3    Bells    18:00
The second of two CDs from the Albert Ayler Quintet's engagement at Slug's on May 1, 1966 has long versions of "Ghosts" (over 23 minutes) and "Initiation" performed by the tenor/leader/ trumpeter Donald Ayler, violinist Michel Sampson, bassist Lewis Worrell, and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. The music is both futuristic (with extroverted emotions expressed in free improvisations) and ancient (New Orleans marching band rhythms, group riffing, and folkish melodies). Although Vol. 1 gets the edge, most avant-garde collectors will want both releases. Scott Yanow
Tracklist Disc 2 :
1    Ghosts    23:08
2    Initiation    16:32
Credits :    
Double Bass [String] – Lewis Worrell
Percussion – Ron Jackson
Tenor Saxophone – Albert Ayler
Trumpet – Donald Ayler
Violin – Michel Samson

PHAROAH SANDERS - Pharoah Sanders Quintet (1965-2005) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Pharoah Sanders' first release on the ESP label is relatively tame compared to what was to come. Trumpeter Stan Foster and pianist Jane Getz are allowed as much solo space as the leader. The problem with that is they play bebop, Sanders doesn't. You can hear that Sanders is ready to go out, but restrains himself due to this mismatching of musicians. Sanders does retain the Coltrane influence on this date and, especially on the initial portion of "Seven By Seven," you can hear the beginnings of Sanders' trademark tenor screech. However, it becomes obvious by the conclusion of the track that the musical sparing between Sanders and Foster never jells. While Sanders wants to fly, Foster is content to walk. "Bethera" finds Foster and Getz taking extended solos, playing as though Sanders isn't there! It sounds as if this date was set up for someone like Dexter Gordon, who didn't show up, so they got Sanders at the last minute. Sanders really has no purpose on this conventional date besides initial name exposure as a leader. What a shame. Al Campbell
Tracklist :
1     Seven by Seven 26:17
Pharoah Sanders   
2     Bethera 23:39
Pharoah Sanders   
Interviews:   
3    Bernard Stollman Meets Pharoah    0:57
4    Coming To New York    0:28
5    Meeting Sun Ra    1:23
6    Meeting John Coltrane    2:11
7    Comments On Other Musicians    1:52
8    Playing With Don Cherry    2:15
9    The Scene    1:18
10    Why The Music Changes    2:11
Credits :
Bass – William Bennett
Percussion – Marvin Pattillo
Piano – Jane Getz
Tenor Saxophone, Composed By – Pharoah Sanders
Trumpet – Stan Foster