My Name Is Albert Ayler

It's especially great to hear Albert Ayler himself speaking. What a unique and gentle soul.

During my student days, my original Impulse releases of LOVE CRY and ALBERT AYLER IN GREENWICH VILLAGE were often on the turntable. Two beautiful recordings.

I have yet to properly identify my SPIRITUAL UNITY - a rather early, though obviously no OG pressing - P ear, mono, 156 5th ave. THE LAST ALBUM still on the shelf - for sentimental reasons

Is that a trick question?

ALBERT AYLER IN GREENWICH VILLAGE - red with black ring, LW in deadwax, AS-9155 on record, A-9155 on (the beautifully colored and lettered) cover

LOVE CRY - black with red ring (as it should be) LW in deadwax, AS-9165 on record, A-9165 on cover

THE LAST ALBUM - black with red ring, AS-9208 on record and cover. The identity of this one has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. At the bottom of the back cover, in small white print, it says A Product of ABC/Dunhill Records and the record sleeve is an ad for ABC/Dunhill records with pictures of albums by many of their artists - including Steppenwolf, The Mamas and the Papas, etc. Also pictured are some jazz albums, including Pharoah Sanders' KARMA and JEWELS OF THOUGHT. However, my original releases of these latter two albums don't have ABC/Dunhill anywhere on them.  Also the cover of JEWELS OF THOUGHT shown on the Ayler record sleeve is not the cover on the original Sanders' Impulse album I have.

My ESP SPIRITUAL UNITY has the plain white label with black lettering

I think I got that all correct. It's too early in the morning.

What was it like to be Albert Ayler?

I was just asking about Spiritual Unity. The first press has red labels.

I enjoyed the multi-language aspect of the documentary. The version I saw had only parts subtitled, but it was usually easy to get the gist of what was being described. For me, the best part was getting to hear Albert himself speaking and playing. A wonderful documentary about an exceptional artist who is now so little appreciated.  Wouldn't it be nice if films like this were sometimes shown in schools?

Albert Ayler Revelations £169.99

Record Store Day 2022 exclusive with remaining copies available online April 29, the same day as the cd release.

"Revelations
Albert Ayler
Available exclusively in store on Saturday 23rd April 2022. Any/all remaining copies will be on sale online from 8pm on Friday 29th April.

First complete authorised release of the free jazz icon’s penultimate concert appearance, which features more than two hours of previously unreleased music on 5LPs, taken from stereo masters recorded by France’s ORTF.

Lavish packaging includes insert with previously unpublished photos, essays by Ayler Scholar Ben Young, Producers Zev Feldman and Saxophonist Jeff Lederer, recollections from Ayler bandmates Steve Tintweiss and Allen Blairman. Plus interviews and statements from Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Carla Bley, John Zorn, Carlos Santana, Joe Lovano, Annette Peacock and many more.

LP 1: Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe / Birth Of Mirth / Masonic Inborn / Revelations 1 / Oh! Love Of Life / Island Harvest / Heart Love / Ghosts - Part 1 LP 2: Ghosts - Part 2 / Love Cry / Desert Blood / Revelations 2 / Revelations 3 / Revelations 4 LP 3: Speaking In Tongues / Truth Is Marching In / Zion Hill, Aka Universal Mes- sage / Again Comes The Rising Of The Sun / Holy Family / Revelations 5 - Part 1 LP 4: Revelations 5 - Parts 2 & 3 / In Heart Only / Revelations 6 / A Man Is Like A Tree / Holy Holy LP 5: Spirits Rejoice / Spirits / Thank God For Women / Spiritual Reunion / Mu- sic Is The Healing Force Of The Universe / Mary Maria Vocal Announcement/ Curtain Call"

www.roughtrade.com/gb/albert-ayler/revelations



"Deluxe digipak 4CD set. Remastered audio by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, transferred directly from the original ORTF stereo tape reels, including over 2 hours of previously unreleased music. Released in partnership with the Albert Ayler Estate & Ina France.

Includes a massive 100-page booklet with previously-unpublished photos from the actual concerts; essays by jazz historian/radio host Ben Young, co-producers Zev Feldman and Jeffrey Lederer, and Pascal Rozat from Ina; plus words by Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, David Murray, Carlos Santana, Joe Lovano, Carla Bley, John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Reggie Workman, James Brandon Lewis, Patty Waters, Carla Bley, Annette Peacock, Marc Ribot, Thurston Moore and Zoh Amba.

Albert Ayler: tenor & soprano saxophone, vocals
Mary Parks: soprano saxophone, vocals
Call Cobbs: piano
Steve Tintweiss: bass
Allen Blairman: drums"

www.amazon.co.uk/Revelations-Complete-Fondation-Maeght-recordings/dp/B09TB7SMY7/ref=sr_1_29?qid=1646650857&refinements=p_n_date%3A182239031&rnid=520920&s=music&sr=1-29

…another pricey release I must do without, although I would like to read that accompanying book - I tried reading it from the unboxing video, but the resolution wasn’t quite high enough.

An inexpensive way to get lots of Ayler is with the 2020 release by the U.K.’s budget “Enlightenment Records” - ALBERT AYLER: THE EARLY ALBUMS COLLECTION. The audiophiles among us might squawk, but for about 2 bucks (US) for each of the 8 albums included, who can complain - the sound is fine. Some reviewers on Amazon wrote that there were missing tracks, but this is incorrect. The collection reproduces the original vinyl releases, not the later CD reissues, some of which had added tracks. The little booklet has the essential information - label, year, track names and times, musicians - a few nice photos and a brief essay (did you know that Albert played the oboe in high school and was known as “Little Bird” in Cleveland because of his sax technique and artistry). And then a plethora of interesting and enjoyable - might one even say “enlightening” - music:

1. SOMETHING DIFFERENT!!!!!! (Bird Notes, 1962) with Torbjorn Hultcrantz, bass, and Sune Spangberg, drums; 2. MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER (Debut, 1963) with Niels Brosted, piano, Niels Henning-Orsted Pederson, bass, and Ronnie Gardiner, drums; 3. SPIRITS (Debut, 1964) with Norman Howard, trumpet, Henry Grimes and Earle Henderson, bass, and Sunny Murray, drums; 4. SWING LOW SWEET SPIRITUAL (Osmosis, 1964) with Call Cobbs, piano, Grimes and Murray; 5. PROPHESY (ESP-Disk 1964) with Gary Peacock, bass and Murray; 6. ALBERT SMILES WITH SUNNY (Inrespect, 1964) with Peacock and Murray; 7. SPIRITUAL UNITY (ESP-Disk, 1964) with Peacock and Murray; 8. NEW YORK EYE AND EAR CONTROL (ESP-Disk, 1964) with Don Cherry, trumpet, John Tchicai, alto sax, Roswell Rudd, trombone, Peacock and Murray.

Doom Girl adds: "This was the first time that I heard MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER, with its spoken word introduction in Albert’s own mellifluous and gentle voice. Knowing the arc and demise of Ayler’s brief career and life, one is struck by the fact that here was yet another of those BLACK LIVES that didn’t MATTER enough to US society to nourish and cherish."