Customer Reviews

Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe

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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.

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.

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.

Anyone who compares Mary Maria Parks' vocals to Yoko Ono is absolutely tone deaf! Get real people! This woman carries a tune just fine, where Yoko Ono doesn't carry a tune in her luggage (or at least she CHOOSES not to)! If you want to hear some "out there" jazz with truly difficult vocals you need to listen to Sonny Sharrock's wife Linda belt it out on MONKEY-POCKIE-BOO or BLACK WOMAN, from the same year as HEALING FORCE. Now THAT's controversial vocals! Undoubtedly, "Drudgery" is the highlight here, but "A Man is Like a Tree" sounds like a revisitation to "Dancing Flowers" territory with vocals; and what's wrong with that? "Masonic Inborn" is interesting for sure, but 12 minutes of double Free Jazz bagpipes could be considered trying for some; though the end is quite nice. "Island Harvest" is a little twee, with it's poignant lyric of "Is all your work in vain? Is life a losing game? You only reap just what you sow" it definitely feels spookily apt on the final recording before Ayler's death. "Oh, Love Of Life" is an intruiging departing shot, that leaves us to wonder where Albert might have gone had he lived; Mary sings better than Albert on this session (while he sings better on NEW GRASS) but it's refreshing to hear his voice. The title track is a great beginning to an album of fledgling experiments, yet this is not a masterpiece for first-timers to taste, but a buffet for die-hards, of all the directions Ayler might have continued to refine and explore. By the way, why is it EVERY time a musician has a new relationship with a woman, SHE gets blamed when he changes direction? How short-sighted, demonizing and stereotyped can you get? You're not giving any of these women a realistic chance AND your implying some fairly rude things about these men's supposedly infantile character and their creative process. The list of women who've supposedly 'derailed' careers is getting absurdly long at this point; Yoko Ono, Alice Coltrane, Mary Parks, Betty Davis... The 'Yoko Ono' analogy is dead people; let's drop it and enjoy these fledgling experiments.

this (orig. Impulse catalog no. AS-9191) album was one of two early '70s Impulse! LP releases--the other entitled "The Last Album" Impulse AS-9208--culled from the same Aug. 26th-29th, 1969 recording sessions at Plaza Sound Studios, NYC of Ayler's group with the same personnel.

for fans of the excellent blues guitarist (from the group Canned Heat) Henry Vestine, "The Last Album" features a brief 'Untitled Duet' of his electric guitar with Ayler's bagpipes.

"The Last Album" was briefly made available during 1997-98 as an extremely-limited-edition '20bitK2' remastered mini-LP sleeve replica CD import from Japan (MVCZ-122). (perhaps Universal/Impulse may reissue it domestically in the series presented here... to properly complement "Music Is The Healing Force"...)

Fans of drummer Muhammad Ali's playing on Frank Wright's ESP albums or Alan Shorter's rare "Orgasm" session are sure to enjoy "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe". Only the last track (#6) here--the honking blues, 'Drudgery'--is not in a free jazz rhythmic idiom (a similar blues workout, 'Toiling' appears on "The Last Album").

the great pianist Bobby Few is also well featured on most tracks, along with dual bassists Bill Folwell and Stafford James. A beautiful-sounding free jazz ensemble: hear 'Birth of Mirth' or 'Water Music' from "The Last Album".

aside from Mary Maria's passionate vocals, Albert Ayler himself sings here on 'Oh! Love of Life' (and the similar 'Desert Blood' which appears on "The Last Album").

These two albums deserve to be heard together for appreciation of Ayler's musical message.

In August of 1969, Albert Ayler, who had alienated what little audience he had with his r&b experiment "New Grass", returned to the studio to record again. Performing with a group of jazz musicians, the music was more or less in the form of other free jazz music out there, but with vocals laid on top of it-- it's unusual therefore that people who criticize "New Grass" as r&b lump this one in with it simply because of its use of vocals.

So looking at the album, the backing band-- pianist Bobby Few, bassists Bill Folwell and Stafford James, and drummer Muhammed Ali set up a sort of framework similar to that of late-period Coltrane or even the music Pharoah Sanders would record in the following couple years. Over this, Sanders performs in a mixed vein-- embracing still some of the gospel and r&b sounds he picked up on the last record, he drifts a bit more into a jazz territory, swinging more than on any other record, but sticking by and large to the natural range of the instrument and employing polyphonics as a matter of course. It's actually somewhat strange, barring the vocals and the last track, this is relatively indistinguishable from any other free jazz of the period, which is invariably where I find fault with it-- Ayler always pushed the boundaries, and while this is a good record, it's a bit lifeless.

It could be because of the backing band, they're certainly stubborn in setting up the sound of a free jazz record, and that sort of strands Ayler with little choice but to play in that mode, and again it's not that anything is particularly bad, it just isn't as jarring as his other work. Opener "Music is the Healing Force of the Universe" features a call-and-response pattern between Ayler and vocalist Mary Maria-- he squeals and wails and she intones her lyrics, "Masonic Inborn", an instrumental, finds Ayler exploring the ocarina and the bagpipes-- it's an interesting piece, but by and large a failure as it barely holds together. Both "A Man is Like a Tree" and "Island Harvest" feature vocals from Maria-- the former is pretty unexciting straight free jazz, the latter has another bizarre call-and-response style, with Ayler and the band playing in opposition to the vocal, and it works out to a nice enough piece. "Oh! Love of Life" finds Ayler singing, and falls a bit short of maintaining interest-- his vocal style is actually quite like his older sax style-- ignoring conventions of pitch and temperment for pure expressiveness. It makes for an interesting listen, but all in all isn't too engaging.

What does catch one's ears though is the stunning "Drudgery"-- a blues with guitarist Henry Vestine (of Canned Heat) added to the band, both Vestine and Ayler wail away powerfully-- Ayler is inspired, exploring the range and potential of the instrument in ways he doesn't on the rest of the album.

In the end, it's an interesting coda, but Ayler still hadn't found what he was looking for in vocal music. I suspect most folks who are looking into this will find something to like, but it's not as essential as some of his other work.

Some of this--well, most of this--is simply awful. And I think to a large degree, this was symptomatic of experimental jazz around this time--nobody exactly sure where to go next having explored intellectual and spiritual reaches. Still, you have to admire many of these late-60s musicians for their dedication to experimentation (they made great music, after all), even if they missed the mark. Not only does this album not hold together well as a collection of music, the four tracks with singing (3 by Mary Maria, 1 by Ayler) are embarrassing, if not outright comical. You wish you could just edit it out. I found the second track--"Masonic Inborn (Part 1)"--to be mildly interesting at best, probably only because there is no singing (Thank God!) and of the unusual choice by Ayler of bagpipes. Bobby Few's piano playing, which I respect and like other places, seems insipid on this track. Ironically, it's the last track, "Drudgery", that I find the most interesting. It's the only other track without singing and seems the closest to a real fusion of Ayler-style experimentation and noise with traditional R&B/Rock 'n' Roll. I wouldn't say it's a great cut by any means, or even worth repeated listenings, but it does show us for a moment where Ayler (and others) might have gone if tragedy, confusion, and depression had not overtaken him. Makes you wonder if there's still great music to be made in that genre...

I love this album just as much as any of Ayler's ESP records and I love Mary Parks voice! When I first heard these recordings on Impulse I was a little thrown off course because I got so used to expecting the usual orgy of noise that usually accompanied an AA album but thank god I was able to throw expectation aside and accept it for what it is - Awesome music!! I love everything Albert Ayler has given us on record. Only I wish he was still around to give it! Please be open to this stuff and you will appreciate it.

Except for Masonic Inborn (Part 1), this album feels embarrasing. A disappointment from the otherwise brilliant Albert Ayler. The track Island Harvest actually nauseates me, probably because of Mary Maria's irritating vocals. But, as I mentioned before, Masonic Inborn (Part 1) is actually quite an interesting track, but it's not worth buying the album for. Don't make the same mistake I did by starting out with this one. Love Cry or Live At Greenwich Village is much better. It's unfortunate that this was his last album, too.

Recorded in late August of 1969, "Music is the healing force of the universe" is quite a mixed bag.

The first song on the album is the title track, and the music itself is fantastic. Bobby Few's distinctive style provides waves of tinkling piano and Albert's playing is emotionally moving and at times raw. He takes several trips into the upper register. Muhammad Ali provides a spectacular underpinning for the music. However, that said, Mary Maria's vocals nearly ruin the piece. What was Albert thinking? Blinded by love? I just can't find anything enjoyable about her singing.

Some singers are really good at taking relatively shallow lyrics and make them sound important. Take for example, the somewhat vacuous lyrics of "Tupelo Honey" by Van Morrison: "You can take all the tea in China. Put it in a big brown bag for me. Sail it right around the seven oceans. Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea. Because she's as sweet as Tupelo honey. She's an angel of the first degree. She's as sweet as Tupelo honey. Just like honey from the bee." Just like honey from the bee? Seriously? Yet when Van Morrison sings this stuff, he somehow makes it seem profound. Mary Maria on the other hand, manages to take relatively shallow lyrics and make them even more empty.

Of the songs where Mary Maria sings, the title track is actually the most appealing; in fact, I can enjoy it if I tune her out (which is hard at first, but gets easier after repeated listening). The two other tracks she sings on, "A man is like a tree," and "Island Harvest" are downright awful. On "Oh! Love of Life" Albert himself provides the vocals, and although I don't find his undulating, wide vibrato, saxophone-like vocals offensive, I don't find this song interesting or compelling either.

The second track, "Masonic Inborn Part 1" is perhaps the reason that this album is worth owning. "Masonic Inborn" finds Albert Ayler on bagpipe (!) (actually two bagpipes, overdubbed) with the ethereal accompaniment of Bobby Few's piano and the free drumming of Muhammad Ali. This is fantastic stuff - I would have been happy with a whole album of free-jazz bagpipe songs!!

The final track on the album, "Drudgery" features a straight-ahead blues chord progression and a steady rock beat. Although it is fun to hear Albert play in this context, and he is quite competent in this setting and even stretches it out a bit toward the end of piece, I can't get very excited about the music. Coming after three downright miserable tracks, the piece doesn't have to be very good to exceed expectations - and it does manage this. However, after repeated listening it becomes increasingly tiresome.