Albert Ayler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Albert Ayler
Ayler c. 1967–68
Background information
Born	(1936-07-13)July 13, 1936 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died	November 25, 1970(1970-11-25) (aged 34) New York City
Genres	Jazz, free jazz, avant-garde jazz
Occupation(s)	Saxophonist, bandleader, composer
Instruments	Tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, bagpipes
Years active	1952–1970
Labels	Bird Notes, ESP-Disk, Impulse!, Ayler
Associated acts	Gary Peacock, Don Cherry, Sunny Murray, Roswell Rudd, Alan Silva, Donald Ayler, Henry Vestine, John Coltrane

Albert Ayler (July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American jazz saxophonist, singer, and composer. He was known for his unique and powerful style of playing.

Ayler started playing R&B and bebop music. In the 1960s, he began recording during the free jazz era. His music was very original and different. Some people found his style hard to put into a specific category. His new ideas have inspired many jazz musicians since then.

His albums from 1964, like Spiritual Unity and The Hilversum Session, showed how he took ideas from John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman even further. He focused on the overall sound, or timbre, of the music, not just the usual harmony and melody. His exciting music from 1965 and 1966, like "Spirits Rejoice", sounded like a brass band. It used simple, march-like tunes mixed with wild group improvisations.

Biography

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Albert Ayler was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Shaker Heights. His father, Edward, taught him to play the alto saxophone. Edward was also a musician. They played saxophone duets in church and listened to jazz records together.

Ayler's church background greatly influenced his music. He often tried to express his spirituality through his playing. For example, his album Spiritual Unity and Goin' Home showed this. His wide vibrato, a wavering effect in his sound, was like that of gospel saxophonists and New Orleans brass players. They wanted their instruments to sound more like a human voice.

Ayler went to John Adams High School and graduated in 1954. He later studied at the Academy of Music in Cleveland. As a teenager, he was so good at bebop jazz that people called him "Little Bird," after the famous jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.

In 1952, when he was 16, Ayler played tenor saxophone with blues singer Little Walter. He spent two summers with Walter's band. In 1958, Ayler joined the United States Army. He switched from alto to tenor saxophone and played with other musicians, including Stanley Turrentine. He was stationed in France in 1959, where he heard military music that would later influence his own style. After the army, Ayler tried to find work in Los Angeles and Cleveland. However, his new, unusual playing style was not popular with traditional jazz musicians.

In 1962, Ayler moved to Sweden. This is where his recording career began. He led groups in Sweden and Denmark and played with Cecil Taylor's band. His album My Name Is Albert Ayler was recorded for a radio station in Copenhagen.

Developing His Unique Sound

In 1963, Ayler came back to the US and settled in New York City. He kept developing his personal music style. The year 1964 was very important for Ayler's career. He recorded many albums, including Spirits.

Ayler also started working with ESP-Disk Records in 1964. He recorded his important album Spiritual Unity for them. This album featured his new trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray. On July 17, 1964, this trio, along with other musicians like Don Cherry, recorded New York Eye and Ear Control. This was a freely improvised soundtrack for a film.

Ayler started to get attention from music critics. Later in 1964, Ayler, Peacock, Murray, and Cherry went on a tour in Europe. They made new recordings there, including The Copenhagen Tapes and Ghosts.

Ayler recorded Bells in May 1965. It was a fast, 20-minute improvisation with his signature march-like melodies. Spirits Rejoice was recorded in September 1965 with a larger band. This album was described as a "huge, emotional, and creative celebration of sound." Both albums featured Albert's brother, trumpet player Donald Ayler. Donald played with Albert until 1967.

In 1966, Impulse! Records signed Ayler. This happened because John Coltrane, a big star on that label, encouraged it. Ayler's first album for Impulse! was Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village, recorded in 1966. Coltrane was there to watch Ayler perform.

Ayler began experimenting with singing on his recordings. His vocal style was often similar to his saxophone playing. He continued to try out vocals on later albums like New Grass and Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe.

In 1967, John Coltrane passed away. Ayler was asked to perform at his funeral. It is said that Ayler made sounds of both sadness and joy with his saxophone during his performance. Ayler later said that Coltrane was "like a visitor to this planet" who sought "new levels of awareness, of peace, of spirituality."

Later Years and Legacy

For the next two and a half years, Ayler began to focus more on compositions rather than just improvisation. This was partly due to pressure from Impulse! Records, who wanted more accessible music. In 1967 and 1968, Ayler recorded albums that included lyrics and vocals by his girlfriend, Mary Maria Parks. These albums also featured regular chord changes and electronic instruments.

Ayler himself sang on his album New Grass, which went back to his R&B roots. This album was not very successful with his fans or critics. Ayler insisted he wanted to explore R&B and rock-and-roll. He also continued to emphasize the spiritual side of his music. The album starts with "Message from Albert," where Ayler explains that this album was "a different dimension in [his] life" and that he had become a "Universal Man" through spiritual experiences.

Around this time, Ayler faced some personal challenges. In 1969, he wrote an open letter describing strong spiritual visions. He spoke of seeing a "new Earth built by God" and urged people to share a message of hope.

His final album, Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe, featured rock musicians alongside jazz musicians. This album returned to his blues roots with strong rock influences. It also had more of Ayler's unique sound variations and energetic solos.

In July 1970, Ayler returned to playing free jazz for some shows in France. He passed away on November 25, 1970, in New York City.

Artistry

Albert Ayler often played his very unique saxophone style in familiar musical settings. These included children's songs, march tunes, and gospel hymns. But Ayler's powerful energy and intense improvisations made them sound completely new. He wanted to break down traditional melody and harmony to explore the raw sounds of his saxophone. Ayler aimed to help himself and his bandmates improvise and connect with their instruments on a deeper, more natural level.

The strong spiritual side of Ayler's music was similar to the beliefs of John Coltrane. Coltrane was deeply moved by Ayler's "otherworldly" sounds. Coltrane supported Ayler throughout his life, helping him financially and professionally.

Ayler's style was known for its extreme sounds. He used squeaks, honks, and played notes in very high and very low ranges. He had a deep, powerful tone, which he achieved by using stiff reeds on his tenor saxophone. He also used a wide, emotional vibrato.

Ayler experimented with microtonality, which means exploring sounds that fall between the notes on a traditional scale. He often played without a piano, just with a bass and drums. Ayler also avoided the standard swing beat. Instead, he created excitement through the fast, forceful way he played his improvisations.

Jazz historian Ted Gioia said that Ayler was a "virtuoso of the coarse and anomalous." He believed Ayler wanted to move beyond playing notes and instead create pure "sound" with his saxophone. Ayler certainly succeeded in this. He produced sounds unlike any jazz saxophonist before him. Some people found his music to be a powerful artistic expression, while others found it to be just noise.

Influence and Legacy

Albert Ayler never had a large, steady audience during his career. Even though critics often praised his music, he remained poor. He often needed financial help from his family and other musicians, like Coltrane.

However, Ayler's influence is still felt today, not just among jazz musicians. His wild sound was an early sign of styles like hardcore, noise, and experimental rock. Albert Ayler is one of the most respected figures in free jazz, alongside musicians like Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. Even today, his albums are among the best-selling in the free jazz genre. Many important saxophonists in free jazz today, such as Charles Gayle and Peter Brötzmann, were greatly influenced by Albert Ayler.

Ayler and John Coltrane became close friends and influenced each other's playing. Coltrane said that Ayler "filled an area that it seems I hadn't got to." Ayler said that listening to Coltrane play was "just like he was talking to me, saying, 'Brother, get yourself together spiritually." They talked often, and Coltrane was very influenced by Ayler. Coltrane once told Ayler that he had dreamed of playing like him.

The Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin made a documentary about Ayler's music and life called My Name Is Albert Ayler. The film includes interviews with Ayler's family, friends, and bandmates, and features footage and recordings of Ayler's voice.

English musician Roy Harper dedicated a song called "One for All" to Albert Ayler on his 1969 album Folkjokeopus. Harper called Ayler "one of the leading jazzmen of the age."

Canadian artist Stan Douglas created a video art piece called Hors-champs. It explores the political meaning of free jazz in the 1960s. In the piece, four American musicians perform Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice."

Many musicians have recorded Ayler's song "Ghosts," including Gary Lucas and Lester Bowie.

Discography

Compilations

• The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings (ESP, 2006)
• European Radio Studio Recordings 1964 (hatOLOGY, 2016)
• The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment, 2020)

See also

In Spanish: Albert Ayler para niños