Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe [Import, Original recording remastered]

Albert Ayler | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 16, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal
• ASIN: B0000AFOFW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226,400 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe

2. Masonic Inborn, Pt. 1

3. A Man Is Like a Tree

4. Oh! Love of Life

5. Island Harvest

6. Drudgery

Editorial Reviews

Full title - Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe. 24-bit remastered Japanese reissue of 1969 album, packaged in a miniature LP gatefold sleeve, features 6 tracks Impulse. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe not Completely Successful, But Not a Bust Either, April 8, 2003

By 

Christopher Forbes "weirdears" (Brooklyn,, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe (Audio CD)

I have been fascinated by this recording ever since I started listening to Ayler in the late 70s. This session, the New Grass session and Ayler's subsequent mysterious death all seemed somehow related. At the time of the album's release it got nearly universal hostile press, as did the related work of Pharoah Sanders on Impulse. Many people think that this bad reception, coupled with guilt over his brother's hospitalization, may have driven Ayler to suicide.
Whatever, it's history, this album has not been in print, almost since the day it was recorded. Now, after over 30 years, it's finally back in circulation and it's time to see if the recording is as bad as it's reputation, or an unpolished gem waiting to be discovered. The answer is...neither!

At the time of this recording, the uniting of jazz, particularly avant-garde jazz, and rock was in the air. Miles was recording his first forays into the jazz-rock world (and they were pretty out really), Hendrix was working on his unfinished avant-jazz recording, Pharoah was mixing African rhythms, modalism and skronking on his ax...so this album doesn't come from out of nowhere at all. Ayler was definately interested in reaching more people than he had with his mid 60s groups. Even the big ensembles of the late 60s show this. But it wasn't for "selling out" as so many critics said at the time. Ayler had a deep spiritual longing that needed to come out in his music and this CD was part of that longing.

The band on the CD is not bad, though uneven. Bill Fowler and Henry Vestine of the Mothers of Invention and Canned Heat make appearances, as does the great acoustic bassist, Stafford James, and Bobby Few on piano. The material is a bit more R and B than earlier Ayler albums. But the R and B influence was always pretty strong with Ayler, even in his most avant-garde work, so this isn't much of a change either. Ayler's playing is still quite brilliant...racous, honking, dissonant.... One the best cuts, Music Is the Healing Force, Masonic Inborn (in which Ayler tears up the bagpipes) and Oh Love of Life, the playing is as good as any cut on Love Call or any other late Ayler CD. But there are some pretty bad cuts as well...particularly Island Harvest, which just sounds like a bad calypso charicature. And on any cut that Mary Maria aka Maria Parks sings on is ... marred by her voice. ...

One particularly interesting cut is the final number, Drudgery. This is an all out blues stomper ala Canned Heat meets Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Ayler shows that, contrary to what many might think, he could move outside of his avant-garde comfort zone and play rather conventionally, but still retain his power.

So this album is tantelizing. Shows where Ayler could have gone had he lived...might have done something similar to Coleman's Prime Time, perhaps even before Coleman did. But it isn't perfected on this album...and the vocals are really annoying! As such, I'd recommend the recording to the curious, the Ayler completist...but probably not to the general jazz enthusiast. If you want to know what Ayler is about, try Love Cry, the Village Vangard Sessions, or anything on the ESP label...the latter especially, is Ayler at his finest.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I dont see what the big deal is, May 9, 2006

By 

edcerc - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe (Audio CD)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars putting musicians in bags..., August 31, 2009

By 

nadav haber (jerusalem Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe (Audio CD)

It is for the listener's convenience to have the artists he loves repeat themselves endlessly ? If you loved Kind Of Blue, why did Miles have to play Bitches Brew ?
Ayler created a sensation with his Spiritual Unity, Albert Smiles type of recordings - indeed they are great. But after he had done them, why couldn't he experiment with new directions ? Ayler's attempt to be more relevant in his community is understandable, and the music that resulted is interesting - blending his huge sound with different backgrounds - testing the effects of these new combinations... If I had to choose one or two Ayler albums this would not be the one, but I am happy to have this other side of Ayler to listen to and learn from.