| Blues for Albert Ayler | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 2012 | |||
| Recorded | July 17, 1974 | |||
| Venue | Ali's Alley, New York City | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Length | 1:14:32 | |||
| Label | ESP-Disk ESP 4068 | |||
| Frank Wright chronology | ||||
| ||||
Blues for Albert Ayler is a live album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded at Ali's Alley in New York City on July 17, 1974, and was released in 2012 by ESP-Disk. On the album, Wright is joined by guitarist James Blood Ulmer, bassist Benny Wilson, and drummer Rashied Ali. [1] [2] [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| PopMatters |   [4] |
| All About Jazz |  [5] |
| All About Jazz | [6] |
In a review for AllMusic, Sean Westergaard wrote: "It's a blowing session for sure, with everyone getting plenty of solo space, but it's not an all-out firestorm. There's a theme that they return to throughout and Wright comes from a jump blues background and even his outside playing is informed by that... This is a great, historic session captured in surprisingly excellent sound that we're lucky to have." [1]
Matthew Fiander of PopMatters stated: "this set crackles with energy. It is equal parts ode to Ayler's uncanny style and sound and an impressive display of the power of Wright's own quartet... an impressive set, one that pays tribute to one of the great jazz eccentrics and manages to show its own personality at the same time." [4]
Point of Departure's Stuart Broomer called the recording "forceful, committed, incendiary music," and commented: "While the ritual may be predictable, it's still powerful. Wright and Ulmer are very effective in their first meeting, Ulmer's largely tonal playing anchoring the blues impulse so strong in Wright's own, and Ali's performance simply masterful, a force of nature initiating, driving, filling, and completing the music throughout." [7]
Writing for All About Jazz , John Sharpe remarked: "Although the sound is slightly distant, it passes muster for a live date of this vintage, with every instrument distinct and audible... the set easily merits release and forms a substantive if belated addition to the discography of Wright." [5]
Raul Da Gama stated that "the notes that shoot out of [Wright's] horn come in intense purple bursts that assault the minds ear in quantum packets of energy that sear the eye with their blue light from heaven's gate... As the musicians reach the dénouement of this suite its beauty is announced as if a holy communion has been shared with the spirits up above in this spectacular and unforgettable homage to the great Albert Ayler." [8]
Mike Shanley of Jazz Times wrote that the album "might not maintain focus from beginning to end, but it doesn't spare on energy, which almost carries through... Ulmer plays with a manic freedom that still has a blues undercurrent. Ali sounds propulsive as ever. Wright is a capable player, building simple lines almost like John Coltrane, blowing some gutbucket wails at either end of his instrument’s range." [9]
In a review for Culture Catch, Steve Holtje commented: "The fiery power of this quartet is astounding... Blues for Albert Ayler is proof that there are still musical treasures to be unearthed." [10]
Bird is the Worm's Dave Sumner remarked: "It's an album that's best appreciated for its raw emotional power, the ferocity and perseverance of the artists through the long performance given, without pause, and the unbridled desire to conjure up everything they had and show it to the world... Archival finds like this should be treasured." [11]
Composed by Frank Wright.
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.
Rashied Ali, born Robert Patterson, was an American free jazz and avant-garde drummer who was best known for performing with John Coltrane in the last years of Coltrane's life.
Milford Graves was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, Professor Emeritus of Music, researcher/inventor, visual artist/sculptor, gardener/herbalist, and martial artist. Graves was noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the 1960s with Paul Bley, Albert Ayler, and the New York Art Quartet, and is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating percussion from its timekeeping role. The composer and saxophonist John Zorn referred to Graves as "basically a 20th-century shaman."
Henry Grimes was an American jazz double bassist and violinist.
James "Blood" Ulmer is an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. Ulmer plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". His singing has been called "raggedly soulful".
Rashid Bakr is an American free jazz drummer.
Donald Ayler was an American jazz trumpeter. He was best known for his participation in concerts and recordings by groups led by his older brother, saxophonist Albert Ayler. An obituary in The Wire praised his "buzzing, declamatory trumpet playing, which was part Holy Roller primitive, part avant garde firebrand".
Frank Wright was an American free jazz musician, known for his frantic style of playing the tenor saxophone. Critics often compare his music to that of Albert Ayler, although Wright "offers his honks and squawks with a phraseology derived from the slower, earthier funk of R&B and gospel music." According to AllMusic biographer Chris Kelsey, Wright "never recorded even a single record under his own name for a major label; he was 'underground' his entire career." In addition to tenor saxophone, Wright also played the soprano saxophone and bass clarinet.
Muhammad Ali is an American free jazz drummer.
Burton Greene was an American free jazz pianist born in Chicago, Illinois, though most known for his work in New York City. He explored multiple genres, including avant-garde jazz and the Klezmer medium.
Noah Howard was an American free jazz alto saxophonist.
Norris Jones, better known as Sirone was an American jazz bassist, trombonist, and composer.
Arthur Rhames was an American guitarist, tenor saxophonist, and pianist.
Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70) is a compilation album by avant-garde saxophonist Albert Ayler released by Revenant Records in 2004.
This is the discography of the American ESP-Disk record label, ordered by ID number of each musical album.
Frank Wright Trio is the debut album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded in November 1965 in New York City, released by ESP-Disk in 1966, and reissued on CD in 1992. On the album, Wright is joined by bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Tom Price. The tracks were also reissued in 2005 on the Frank Wright compilation The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings.
Unity is a live album by saxophonist Frank Wright. It was recorded at the Moers Festival in Moers, Germany on June 1, 1974, and was released in 2006 by ESP-Disk. On the album, Wright is joined by pianist Bobby Few, bassist Alan Silva, and drummer Muhammad Ali.
Noah Howard Quartet is the debut album by alto saxophonist Noah Howard. It was recorded in New York City during January 1966, and was released later that year by ESP-Disk. On the album, Howard is joined by trumpeter Ric Colbeck, bassist Scotty Holt, and percussionist Dave Grant.
Live at Crescendo is a double-CD live album by the free jazz trio By Any Means, featuring drummer Rashied Ali, saxophonist Charles Gayle, and bassist William Parker. It was recorded on October 19, 2007, at Club Crescendo in Norrköping, Sweden, and was released in 2008 by Ayler Records.
