Albert Ayler - Reference: Albert Ayler Spirits & Spirits Rejoice - Import CD

Credits:

Albert Ayler

Description:

Released on the Copenhagen-based Debut label, *Spirits* marked the first time he had the opportunity to record his own “free music” in New York in February 1964. The musicians were a group he selected himself, including Cecil Taylor (drummer Sunny Murray), one of his early sources of inspiration; Sonny Rollins’ band (bassist Henry Grimes); and members from his Cleveland days (trumpeter Norman Howard and bassist Earl Henderson). It was also his first album to focus on his own compositions (including Howard’s “Witches and Devils”). It is also his first work to focus on his own compositions (it also includes Howard’s “Witches and Devils”). While the concept is unique, it can be described as a form of Vorticism. The energy generated by the interacting horn and percussion lines, the simultaneous harmonies created by the two basses—one played with a bow and the other on a stringed instrument—and the dramatic sensation of “chaos intruding upon the concept.” Furthermore, this ensemble possesses a sculptural quality, with contrapuntal melodic lines overlapping on a “plane” of related timbres, merging and separating. The sharp timbre of Howard’s trumpet and the rich resonance of Ayler’s tenor saxophone seem as if carved from a hard surface. The 17 months between *Spirits* and *Spirits Rejoice* were filled with activities that brought significant changes to Ayler’s music and life. He downsized the quintet to a trio and produced the ESP live recordings that shocked the jazz world. Subsequently, during sessions with Eye and Ear Control and the Bells in New York, he expanded the ensemble, bringing changes to the group’s dynamics. After performing for a while in New York with an unrecorded band that included pianist Paul Bley (whose “Albert’s Love Theme,” composed by his then-wife Annette Peacock, remained in Bley’s repertoire thereafter), he returned to Scandinavia leading a quartet that included Don Cherry. Upon returning to the United States, he replaced Cherry with his younger brother Donald as the trumpet player. Energy is synonymous with intensity, and intensity does not depend on speed or volume for its effect. *Spirits Rejoice* evokes a fluid intensity rather than meticulously crafted details. The rapid succession of fanfares that enliven the title track (converging into “La Marseillaise”), the fervor of the horns, the undulating bass, and the relentless drums would point to a new direction for Ayler’s ensemble the following year, though the remaining tracks on the album each offer a different perspective. “Holy Family,” in contrast to the intensely obsessive “Prophet,” deals with a bright and cheerful theme. “D.C.” reveals that its key motif reflects a theme Don Cherry had previously recorded with Ayler under the title “Infant Happiness” and later revisited on *Elephantasy* and *Awake Now*. (Excerpt from the liner notes)

Tracklisting:

1.Spirits 6:34
2.Witches And Devils 12:08
3.Holy, Holy 11:11
4.Saints 6:17
5.Spirits Rejoice 11:38
6.Holy Family 2:09
7.D.C. 7:59
8.Angels 5:29
9.Prophet 5:36