Customer Reviews

Live In Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse Recordings

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If heavily armed aliens came to Earth and said, "Give us a reason why we should not wipe humans off the face of the planet," I would play them "Angels" from the first disc of this two disc set, and they would leave in shame. It took me a long time to come to a point where I could appreciate Ayler, but this CD, which is among the finest work he ever did, helped a lot. Ayler seemed to believe that every sound that could be made should be a part of music, and this is why he includes "noise" in his playing, along with lightspeed solos, blasts of enormous tonalities, and pure sheets of abstract sound. His melodic statements are simple but played with such force and conviction and such rawness that it demands some sort of reaction from the listener. You will either think you are hearing God's own music or the worst sort of devilish noise; there are no halfway marks with Ayler.

This CD set really shows Albert Ayler at his best, combining musical ideas to create the essentially spiritual sound that he heard in his head, a sound that was meant to inspire his listeners to transcendence. This is not easy music to listen to because it violates nearly every rule of not only jazz but music as it is normally played and heard, but it is terribly, terribly important to listen to this music. Why? Because Albert Ayler's music is one of the most pure expressions of the human spirit ever recorded. If you listen to this, I mean really listen, and not try to use it as background music - if you give it your full attention, put aside your preconceptions about what music should or should not be, and open your mind to the sounds on these two CDs, you will be changed. And for the better.

"Live in Greenwich Village: The Complete Impulse! Recordings" brings together two Albert Ayler LPs, "Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village" and the posthumous "The Village Concerts", together with a track released on a compilation and one unreleased piece, all recorded in Greenwich Village in Manhattan between 1965 and 1967. Ayler by this point had totally codefied his music, and was still outside of any commercial influence, and the performances are nothing short of astounding.

These recordings find Ayler surrounded by sympathetic musicians, including his brother Don on trumpet, who totally believe in what he's doing-- the music is largely familiar sounding march themes played in harmony and unison by the two horns, supported more often than not by strings, with drumming abandoning timekeeping and instead coloring the music further. Improvisation is fierce, with both Ayler's reachign far beyond themselves-- their playing is clearly inspired. Honestly, just about everything on here is nothing short of astonishing in its beauty and power. Of particular note is "Truth is Marching In" from the first disc-- swelling as Don states the theme and Ayler plays counter and harmony to him while Michel Samson lays full counterpoint on violin and the rhythm section explodes. Also quite interesting is the piano and tenor duet "Angels" and "For John coltrane", again the only piece featuring Ayler on alto accompanied only by four strings.

The sound on these recordings is fantastic-- crisp, clear, and could have been recorded last year. The liner notes include essays by Nat Hentoff and Robert Palmer written for the original LPs most of this material was released on.

If you're new to Ayler, this may be a good place to start, certainly the performance is brilliant throughout. If you're not new to Ayler, you should probably have a copy of this, the material contained here is essential.

PART ONE - FOR THE UNINITIATED: It's hard to judge a recording as extreme as this one merely on musical grounds. This is as far as an overblown saxophone can go; Ayler plays as if he were in trance all the time (maybe he was), even during the long march-like ensemble passages, and then suddenly, without a transition, he burst into his high-pitched trademark squeals - one of the most influential and most exhilarating (for less adventurous souls, probably one of the most ear-deafening) sounds in jazz history. - Not for everyone, that's for sure - people who are quick with the notorious My-5-year-old-child-could-play-this-too comment (which, of course, would be ridiculous in this case) will probably hit the eject button after one minute - but it should on no account be missed by anyone interested in Albert Ayler (or free jazz in general). It`s one of the best examples for his style and - together with his 'Spiritual Unity' - one of the cornerstones of modern jazz.

PART TWO - FOR THE SPECIALISTS: 1.) This release combines the originals 'In Greenwich Village' and 'The Village Concerts' and additionally includes the track 'Holy Ghost' (which was included in the LP version of the Various Artists Impulse! record 'The New Wave In Jazz', but not in the CD version) and a previously unreleased duet with an uncredited piano player. 2.) The sound quality is better than usual. 3.) An essential acquisition!

Astonishing 2-CD set, excellent value, good packaging (except for ugly cover) and outstanding booklet with notes from Nat Hentoff and Robert Palmer. Impulse! usually equals quality and this offering is no exception. Combining the live dates was a particularly good, and customer-friendly, idea.

It's been said of Coltrane that he didn't so much play the music as "play through it" in order to reach a higher spiritual goal. One can also hear this in the playing of Eric Dolphy who, though quite technical at times, appeared to be constantly exploring, looking for that pure place. Pharaoh Sanders reveals the same struggle. But in the playing of Albert Ayler one finds the apotheosis of this approach.

Listening to Ayler is akin to witnessing old-testament revelation, he plays with the inspired intoxication and sanctified fury of a man who has not only been to the mountaintop and seen the Promised Land but already has one foot in it. You will never hear this music in an elevator for the simple reason that it would cause businessmen to rip off their ties, weep like infants, get on their knees and pray, and confess their countless sins of mediocrity and cowardice.

While Ayler certainly deserves center stage for his euphoric and completely original contribution to jazz, the other players fan the flames expertly. Brother Don, on trumpet, shares the vision and is no slouch. Both drummers featured, Beaver Harris and Sunny Murray, understand that Ayler generates such intense rhythm that timekeeping is not an issue; they are free to maneuver around the beat expressively.

Most intriguing of all is the use of strings. Ayler went with two bass players on both sets, also using a cellist and violin player on some tracks. This adds an unearthly and highly unexpected texture to the playing that works marvelously well. The stunning Michel Samson violin solo on Truth Is Marching In demonstrates that Ayler has surrounded himself with fellow musicians who completely understand his style and ambition. The result is a kind of rapture, this is what it sounds like when a soul catches a glimpse of heaven and starts its voyage home. Truly righteous music.

These recordings have long been a milestone in my personal understanding of jazz, ever since finding a used-bin vinyl of the original "Greenwich Village" (great psychedelic cover) in my teens and being totally blown away and inspired, just as when I first heard Coltrane. While that disc contained the most memorable themes here, it's amazing to experience the sessions in their entirety, with much better sound. The Texas correspondent who faults Ayler's technical ability is missing the point: even if he's right (and I disagree - Ayler is playing exactly as he intends to), who cares? This music isn't about chops, but expression. Along with Trane's Complete Village Vanguard box, this was the most important (and overdue) live jazz reissue of '98.

Ayler was a pioneer of sound and emotion on his instrument, making him an inventive virtuoso, and if you ever get to hear any of his ill-conceived late sixties fusion albums you'll hear that he can sound better than Maceo Parker at the drop of a hat. But who cares?! This is music of great emotional depth and spirituality, technical debates aside.

I had the rare privilege and honor to have been stationed with Albert Ayler with the 76th U.S. Army Band in Orleans, France, from June, 1959, to June, 1961. We performed together many times, but he was so far ahead of other musicians, that his style was not readily acceptable. He did perform the standard repetoire of the Army Band, but on nights and weekends he did manage to play with many of the local French musicians, and was readily accepted. His untimely death left the world with a void that will never be replaced.

Albert Ayler has one of the most distinct sounds in jazz-history. Influenced as much by his R&B-roots as the new freedom of expression in jazz, he made music filled with spiritual and religious imagery. This set is one of his best recordings and also has some of his most accessible pieces (check out the piano/sax-duet Angels). I'm especially impressed by Truth Is Marching In, that starts of reminiscent of a New Orleans-funeral to blow into one of the finest statements of freedom I've heard. The John Coltrane tribute is amazing too. What sometimes bothers me is the thin bass-sound on some of the tracks I feel would benefit with a deeper groove. I can't wait to get my hands on "Spiritual Unity", the Peacock/Murray/Ayler-masterpiece which includes one of the finest compositions I know, Ghosts.

Albert on sax and brother Donald on trumpet offer up their usual concoction of sweet'n'simply harmonized national-anthem/nursery-rhyme/folk-melody themes and successively ecstatically-abrasive dissections, this time joined by a cellist and a violinist as well as more usual cronies such as Sunny Murray, Beaver Harris, Alan Silva, Lewis Worrell, Henry Grimes and the like...I'm not going to pretend that I'm any authority on '60s jazz; all you should know is that these guys'll either bother the heck out of you or make you _very_, _very_ happy...

"Live from Greenwich Village" is over two hours of rollicking marches, dirges, and triumphant wails recorded live in fantastic sound quality, as you would expect from a major label like Impulse. For most of the pieces, a beautiful and unique foundation is laid down by the strings - the violin of Michel Sampson and/or the bass of Alan Silva, Bill Folwell, Henry Grimes, and/or Lewis Worrell. Like Ayler's earlier work, most of these songs are structured around simple march-like themes, but the strings and Don's trumpet lead to a much denser sound. The album starts at a pretty high intensity, with "Holy Ghost" and Albert freely improvising over what sounds to me like some sort of vocal droning (but perhaps something else?). This is followed by a wonderful dirge-like march "Truth is Marching In." The third track is truly spectacular, a deeply emotional piece called "Our Prayer" that was written by Don Ayler. Don takes the melody on trumpet, with the violins building and releasing the intensity of the song throughout and Albert lending short punctuated cries on the sax. Most critics have blasted Don for his lack of "technical skill," but the emotional power of this song and Don's ability to convey it are truly moving - I'll take this song over anything Wynton Marsalis has ever done. "Spirits Rejoice" and "Divine Peacemaker" are both triumphant marches with extended, stratosphere-shaking free improvisations. The final song on the first disc, "Angels" is a duo piece, Albert with Call Cobbs on piano - it is stunningly beautiful and it is fascinating to hear Albert in this kind of setting. The second disc begins with "For John Coltrane," a moving and fitting tribute to the legacy of John Coltrane, who died in 1967. The piece manages to be mournful and jubilant at the same time, and for me is a real highlight of the set - although picking highlights from this collection is difficult. The remainder of the second disc is just as good as the first, continuing to use simple march-like themes as a springboard for improvisation and emotional exploration. Tell your friends.