Customer Reviews

New York Eye & Ear Control (1964 Film)

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Given the unbridled urge for artistic and political freedom in the 60s it's no surprise that so many avant-garde jazz artists were attracted to the idea of collective improvisation. It spoke to an egalitarian sensibility, a desire for the revolutionary, and an almost mystical belief in the power of Spirit and Art that certainly fit with the times. Unfortunately, many of the most recognizable versions of this collective improvisation never seem to live up to the promise of the idea. Ornette's Free Jazz record, while important as a historical statement, doesn't really quite work as music. The same also goes for Coltrane's Ascension, which often collapses under the sheer weight of all those horns! But this date is different. Perhaps it is the smaller number of participants, or their collective sensibilities, but this group turns in one of the most integrated, subtle and enjoyable examples of New York Collective Energy Jazz on record.

Credit must go to the sensitivity of all the players. Ayler takes the lead, by virtue of his huge tone and sonic roar. Cherry is equally inventive, but more melodic as was his wont. And both Roswell Rudd and John Tchicai are lyrical players who use a lot of space in their playing. As a result, the album is more transparent than either the Coleman or the Coltrane albums. The interplay between musicians is greater. The horns dovetail each other's phrases or set up balanced counterpoint. There doesn't seems to be any jockeying for dominance, as can happen in some collective situations. Each member leaves artistic room for the others. Gary Peacock is big toned and rock solid in the bass and Sunny Murray is quite simply a wonder, spreading his pulse out in every direction, creating a feeling of urgency without regular beat.

It is often fashionable for some critics to posit an influence of drugs and acid rock on the musicians of free jazz. But it is important to remember that this music was recorded in 1964...right at the start of the British invasion. Hendrix was still a struggling blues musician, the Greatful Dead hadn't been born yet and Janis Joplin was singing country music in her Texas high school. Free jazz was a precusor to the rock of the late 60's not the other way around. And, as far as I know, few if any of the musicians used serious drugs. In fact, few of them used any at all. This music is about something other than the drug culture of the 60's. It goes down deeper into culture, relating to humankind's earliest musical/mystical experiences.

After Ornette Coleman's 1960 landmark recording "Free Jazz", it seemed very common to find large group improvisations occuring. Albert Ayler's "New York Eye and Ear Control" is one such example of this. Recorded as the soundtrack to a film (that was performed to the music rather than the music to the film) by Michael Snow, Ayler augmented his working band of bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray with trumpeter Don Cherry and alto saxophonist John Tchicai of the New York Contemporary Five and Roswell Rudd of the New York Art Quartet. The session consisted of freely structured improv, with no apparent themes developed beforehand. The result is less than overwhelming.

Peacock and Murray freely associate, over which the horns all perform. Rudd and Tchicai sound terribly tentative, and neither seem to have much to say except when Ayler leads. Cherry manages a few intriguing licks (partiuclarly the introductory track "Don's Dawn"), but by and large is best in response to Ayler. Ayler, for his part, is overwhelming, way up front, and extremely aggressive. The problem is that Ayler's best improvs all launched his march-like themes, and without this touchstone, he seems to push the themes in on his own. This adds an implied structure that the rest of the band isn't ready for, and remarkably pits Ayler in opposition as being the one who occasionally enforces structure.

Net result-- it's an interesting listen, and playing with Cherry would be critical for Ayler's future, but the music itself feels like nothing. I never fully understand how this gets such favorable comments, I find the music nearly unlistenable (and I loved both "Free Jazz" and Ayler's other work). If you need to have this, get it, otherwise I'd pass it over for Ayler's better work.

The soundtrack to Michael Snow's all but forgotten film "New York Eye and Ear Control," now stands as a document of the New York's mid-60s avant-garde jazz scene. This disc, originally released on the ESP label, brings together some of the movements biggest players -- Albert Ayler, Don Cherry, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray. While this record is most often associated with Ayler (probably because he is the biggest name and it is his Trio at the time plus three) it is truly a collective group effort, with Rudd and Tchicai surprisingly stealing the show. Unfortunately, the Ayler-Cherry collaboration does not live up to its potential, but it is still worth exploring the "Eye and Ear."

First of all, I am wondering why, even when I have searched through itunes and amazon and other sites for Albert Ayler, this album does not come up. I mean, in the short time I have been listening to the album, I will say that this exceeds perhaps even Live In Greenwhich Village by Ayler & Company. However, I will not stop there. And what I am about to say is blasphemous to some ears. Here: this is the best purely collective, improv, free jazz album I have ever listened to (I am talking about significant enough (size-wise) ensembles to make the interactions very complex and music that is composed almost entirely as it's being recorded. So, I would not include the sessions between Ali and Coltrane that comprised Interstellar Space (duets=equals easier management of dynamics), nor Stellar Regions, as many compositions had been performed in some form prior to the recording). I like Ascension for the solos, but I think the collective improv. is cluttered and not really free at all. And as for Coleman's free jazz: his playful sax along with Dolphy's bass clarinet are enough to captivate me, though the album has not once really set me on fire.

But here, we've really got something. Ayler's playing is amazing. But I'll mention how I came across this album in the first place: I was looking at the altoist, John Tchicai's website (a Danish musician of African descent) precisely for his brilliant solo on Ascension. Sure enough, along with Don Cherry and others, these musicians really tear it up. I'd have to say, Tchicai, Ayler, and Cherry stand out most & I thought at first Ayler the very most. Indeed I have not found a better performance of Ayler recorded. Yet Tchicai blows me away I guess as much. I am so glad he came from over seas to join the free jazz movement. It is so amazing that someone from outside of America could seemingly jump in and contribute in a huge way to the free jazz movement overnight. And if you know Ayler's sound, you won't have a problem identifying him. The funny thing is, Tchicai, playing the alto, is usually is quite often in a lower range than Ayler and is also unmistakable if you know his solo on Ascension.

Tchicai comes along with this screaching/honking mad ecstasy that I've heard before and hoped to find on this album. I can't imagine why this album has escaped me. I am downloading constantly, doing reasearch, etc. to find music that is alive and vital. Man, this is it. I hit the jackpot. These guys are on fire the whole way through. Look up the article on wikipedia if you feel like it. There's an article on this album. It states that some critics at the time felt the album was in many ways an elevation of what Coltrane had done on Ascension and Coleman had done on Free Jazz. And believe me. I am a huge fan of Coltrane. Also Coleman. Also I usually don't like to rank albums. Nuff said I suppose.

I must also note that I have always preferred the reed players, but what I am about to say (and I digress very much) reveals my extreme bias and how this album came to make him marvel at the trumpet playing of Don Cherry. I mean, I don't really dig the vision of Miles, except for early on, and yeah, Hubbard appears on many free jazz albums but does not impress me like the reed players. Some of the old guys like Cat Anderson and King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, now those guys were kings. They knew it too, and the trumpet players led the way early on. I only bring this up because when I consider the barrage of reed players in the sixties it's ridiculous: Shepp, Coltrane, Coleman, Dolphy, And a late-comer still in the game, Braxton. And of course even the sidemen of Ellington into the sixties: Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges, Russel Procope, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves (all of which could have easily lead their own bands). And then the west coast scene: Desmond and Getz. I mean when I list these guys out, all of having done stunning work in the sixties, whether a part of the avante-garde scene or not, it's mesmerizing. And then it seems that by example, Dolphy got many reed players like Coltrane and others to come like braxton to pick up various other reeds and even flute (There was Bechet way earlier, too, I know).

Well, the comment I made about the reed players turned into a huge digression, however I am always inclined to believe that no other class of musicians has been so stacked with visionaries and not only adept, but very distiguished mucisians (not even the pianists). And i am not using distinguished in the normal sense, but in the sense that by the sounds of these musicians, an unheard recording will immediately be recognized as played by one of them.

A very long interlude to say that I have never heard someone play the trumpet like Don Cherry Play it on this Album. His is absolutely Amazing. Don's Dawn is so short, and given that it does not even last a minute is all the more amazing in that it has had such a huge impact on me. I am trying to get into Leo Smith. And I know I am biased and that my list of reed players also could be countered with other lists and on the other hand is not complete. I will leave this long digression with a final statement: I will be looking into Don Cherry's music and I have high hopes.

Check out Tchicai's website too. It's got a complete discography including stuff he's done here and overseas.

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"New York Eye and Ear Control" - this has to be the best free jazz album title ever.
Not the best of free jazz group efforts though (even though I'm a great Roswell Rudd fan and there's some formidable Rudd moments on this recording), as I always found Ayler a little hard to stomach in a multiple reeds setting - Cherry's and Tchicai's subtle interplay ostensibly fared much better under Archie Shepp's guidance; I'd say the New York Contemporary Five (Cherry, Shepp, Tchicai plus Don Moore on bass and J.C. Moses on drums) was the defining quintet of the early free jazz age, look up their awesome live album (Copenhagen 1963, and ready for re-re-issue!) for ultimate proof.