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Albert Ayler: More Lost Performances Revisited

By Chris May
November 15, 2023
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Albert Ayler: More Lost Performances Revisited

A state-of-the-art sonic restoration of obscure but historically important Albert Ayler material by Switzerland's ezz-thetics label, which with its parent label, Hat Hut, has been creating an audiophile archive of Ayler recordings with the support of his estate since 1978.

All too often, "more" in an album title means "Beware: barrel scraping in progress." Not in this case. More Lost Performances Revisited is primetime Ayler. The disc draws from three sources over a five-year timespan. The earliest track, from 1962, is the surviving audio from a lost film made by Danish television featuring Ayler guesting with the

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor trio with alto saxophonist

Jimmy Lyons

saxophone, alto
1933 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Lyons and drummer

Sunny Murray

drums
1937 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Sunny Murray. The 21:27 track is Taylor's "Four." This is early Ayler and he is at his most raw and primal. The film crew must have wondered what had hit them, and it sounds like even Taylor is slightly taken aback as he follows Ayler's solo with his own. This was 1962 remember. The world was still in b&w, sex had not been invented, and jazz was not meant to frighten the horses, on television anyway. But nobody had told Taylor, much less Ayler.

"Four" closes the album, which starts with three tracks recorded on June 30 / July 1 at the 1967 Newport jazz festival by the Ayler quintet with trumpeter

Donald Ayler

trumpet
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Donald Ayler, violinist

Michael Samson

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Samson, bassist

Bill Folwell

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Folwell and drummer

Milford Graves

drums
1940 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Milford Graves. Ayler is, as five years before, raw and unfettered but his playing is now more nuanced and more shot through with gospel-inspired melodicism. The opening "Our Prayer" and closing "Truth Is Marching In / Omega" sandwich a choice curiosity, "Japan / Universal Indians." In November 1966,

Pharoah Sanders

saxophone, tenor
1940 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharoah Sanders had recorded "Japan" for his Impulse! debut, Tauhid (released in autumn 1967). The tune, so Japonais that it sounds almost parodic, is in fact an actual, traditional Japanese melody (though Sanders claimed composer credit on Tauhid). Had Ayler heard Sanders' still unreleased version before Newport? Was "Japan" a thing among avant-garde saxophonists at the time? Is there such a thing as a coincidence? Do you believe in magic?

The quintet tracks are followed by an Ayler quartet's performance at

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's funeral in New York City, which was held three weeks after Newport (see the YouTube below). One of Coltrane's final wishes was for Ayler and

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman to play on the day.

Alice Coltrane

piano
1937 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Alice Coltrane arranged for Ayler's group to play near the beginning of the service and Coleman's at the end. Ayler is joined by brother Donald, bassist

Richard Davis

bass, acoustic
1930 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Richard Davis and Milford Graves. "Love Cry / Truth Is Marching In / Our Prayer" expresses mourning, devotion and celebration, all at the same time. It is beyond beautiful. Live, the performance must have been overwhelming. As a recording, Ayler's performance acquires new potency thanks to ezz-thetics' engineering jedi Michael Br?ndli's sound restoration and remastering. At 6:24 the track is the second shortest on the album, but it might be considered the most monumental.

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Track Listing

Our Prayer; Japan (Traditional) Universal Indians; Truth Is Marching In / Omega; Love Cry / Truth Is Marching In / Our Prayer; Four.

Personnel

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor

Michael Samson

violin

Bill Folwell

bass, acoustic

Milford Graves

drums

Donald Ayler

trumpet

Richard Davis

bass, acoustic

Cecil Taylor

piano

Jimmy Lyons

saxophone, alto

Sunny Murray

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Albert Ayler: tenor saxophone, alto saxophone (1), soprano saxophone (1), vocal (2); Michael Samson: violin (1-3); Bill Folwell: double bass (1-3); Milford Graves: drums (1-4); Don Ayler: trumpet (4); Richard Davis: double bass (4); Cecil Taylor: piano (5); Jimmy Lyons: alto saxophone (5); Sunny Murray: drums (5).

Album information

Title: More Lost Performances Revisited | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics

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