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ALBERT AYLER

pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
edited March 2010 in Strut Central
I just bought Albert Ayler's Love Cry yesterday. A local store has, in recent months, gotten some really good used CD's for $1.99, and this was one of them.Long story short: I like it, BUT!Ayler has this tendency to start riffing on nursery rhymes while the band is really BURNING. And to me, that brings the momentum down, making me want to skip to the next track.Does he always do that?Because I know he had a more aggressively rock-oriented album in '69 (I forget the title), and I'd like to check that one out.And I know Soul On Ice or somebody is going to flame me into next week, but I admit, I Googled "Albert Ayler nursery rhyme," and sure enough, there were a lot of "hits" that discussed this, making it sound like "Pop Goes The Weasel" was a regular part of Ayler's M.O.. Is it so?However, I will add that the sing-songy sax riffs are the ONLY thing stopping me from being 100% into this. Otherwise, this is a great LP - the whole band is grinding like a sugar mill, and even the harpsichord gets in some good licks.Alrite, flame away!!

  Comments

  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    playing nursery rhymes in the midst of furious solos was something i believe started by dudes like dizzy gillespie and charlie parker. i guess it sort of way of mocking simplisitic music or making a musical joke; it can be a clever interpolation and a way of making connections for the listener. therer may be other functions. in any event, he didn;t start it.
  • HumanacatHumanacat 177 Posts
    You know the only album i can't take is "Music is the healing force".
    The rest are great in different ways. I like the marching band nursery rhyme spin offs though, it really sets him apart from other free jazz dudes as well as his awesome playing!

    Of his rock oriented efforts i like New Grass but prepare yourself for cornball lyrics. Love Cry from what i remember is new versions from some older tracks but a little more composed.


  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    playing nursery rhymes in the midst of furious solos was something i believe started by dudes like dizzy gillespie and charlie parker. in a way, i guess it sort of way of mocking simplisitic music or making a musical joke; it can be a clever interpolation and a way of making connections for the listener. therer may be other functions. in any event, he didn;t start it.

    i figured he didnt INVENT it...but you see, he doesnt just do a brief interpolation and then move on to the next thing...seems like most of the solos are built around the rhymey-tyme licks, which (for me) gets really old. that's the stuff you gotta watch, right there.
  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    then i guess he took it to its logical/illogical extreme. i can appreciate that ayler was an uncompromising artist but can't say i'm in the mood to listen to his records too often...
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    Ayler on ESP is what you need to listen to carefully. Spiritual Unity or Bells. He never really got going on the Impulse titles. The Village Vanguard dates are the best.
  • dwyhajlodwyhajlo 420 Posts
    Ayler on ESP is what you need to listen to carefully. Spiritual Unity or Bells. He never really got going on the Impulse titles. The Village Vanguard dates are the best.

    For the Impulse era, I'd say that the complete 2xCD Live in Greenwich Village is about all you really need. It does have a fair amount of the marching band/folk melody stuff going on, but the energy is absolutely incredible.

    music
  • Skip DrinkwaterSkip Drinkwater 1,694 Posts
    You know the only album i can't take is "Music is the healing force".
    I like that one, along with Love Cry & Live In Greenwich Village as far as his Impulse titles.
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    Even though it's how I listen to most other music, looking for reference points has never been helpful to me in listening to this kind of music. I mostly ignore those parts or use them to take a break from the intensity of the last solo. That said, this is not intensity or noise for its own sake. While you could fairly criticize a lot of free music for being just that, I think Ayler (and Cecil Taylor) both transcend their "genre" and should have appeal to any careful listener and lover of music.

    Ayler played saxophone almost all of his life. I think he started when he was 8? It's a giant sound with a complete connection between his body and the instrument. It's not angry or revolutionary music, it's purely spiritual. Maybe the most spiritual music put to record?

    DivShare File - Spiritual Unity.zip
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    I can't respond to your PM because your box is full up. I'll just say what I was gonna say right out here in the vast open public innernets. Make sure you give that a good listen. Not while you are washing dishes or whatever. Then it will be annoying. Just sit there and try to watch the sound. At least for the first tune. It's only about 15 mins.

    Oh and while I'm here: My co-workers are such luzrrrs and my gross boss wants to fukk me.
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    is that movie about him out on dvd yet?
  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    I have a barbershop copy. Don't know if it's officially out.
  • dwyhajlodwyhajlo 420 Posts
    is that movie about him out on dvd yet?

    Not yet, but the website says soon:
    http://www.mynameisalbertayler.com/
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