ALBERT AYLER — Reevaluations: The Impulse Years (review)

ALBERT AYLER — Reevaluations: The Impulse Years album cover Boxset / Compilation · 1973 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
js
Reevaluations: The Impulse Years” is of course a collection of Albert Ayler’s work on the Impulse label, the label he was on for the last part of his life before his untimely death. Many devoted fans of Ayler and avant-garde “purists” often denounce his work on Impulse for straying too far from the classic free jazz he helped invent in the early 60s. Certainly this collection of tracks makes for a bizarre and eclectic mix, and actually there is no shortage of free range blowing on here, its just that on his Impulse albums he started to introduce elements into his music that proved a little much for his earlier fans. One of the biggest complaints with Ayler’s Impulse work involves his use of vocalists. Certainly avant-garde jazz vocals can be an acquired taste and a hard sell, but you can’t be surprised that Ayler’s restless spirit would want to try new things. The vocals on here range form theatric declarations (“Again Comes the Rising of the Sun”), stately atonal melodies in semi-operatic style, free jazz vocalizing and some echoed chant at the beginning of “New Ghosts” that had me thinking early Funkadelic or Pink Floyd.

Other complaints about Ayler’s Impulse work includes use of unorthodox instruments such as the electric harpsichord and the introduction of RnB into his music. Ayler’s attempts at RnB have been called commercial sell-outs, but there is absolutely nothing commercial about Alyer’s expressive gritty take on this music. First of all, Ayler’s late 60s RnB recordings sound nothing like the sophisticated soul music of the time, but instead hark back to an older era of gut bucket blues and New Orleans drum line shuffles. Ayler’s playing on these cuts is bold and uncompromising as he recreates the raw sound of a bygone era in rowdy club music. Although purists of either genre might not appreciate this mix of avant-garde and down home barroom rowdiness, in reality, once its late at night and the musicians are sauced and the crowd is feisty, this is often the sort of noise you hear coming from dives and juke joints all around the world. Ayler’s rough take on RnB can also be seen as an important predecessor to the “free-funk” scene that would come later from Ornette Coleman and Blood Ulmer.

There is an interesting variety to this album, along with the vocal numbers and rough hewn RnB you also get some classic Ayler free sessions performing in interesting ensembles such as “For John Coltrane” which pairs Albert with three string players in a thoughtfully restrained live performance. The big plus throughout this collection is of course the big bold sound of Ayler’s tenor saxophone. Albert never compromised and remains one of the most original and innovative voices in jazz ever.
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