| 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.
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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".
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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.
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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.
Live in the World is a live album by the David S. Ware Quartets. Six tracks were recorded in Switzerland in 1998, and feature Ware on saxophone, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Susie Ibarra on drums. The remaining tracks were recorded in two locations during 2003: Terni, Italy, with Ware, Shipp, Parker and drummer Hamid Drake; and Milano, Italy, with Drake replaced by Guillermo E. Brown. The album was released as a triple CD set by Thirsty Ear Recordings in 2005.
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.
Rashied Ali Quintet is an album by the free jazz ensemble of the same name, led by drummer Ali, and featuring saxophonist Bob Ralston, trumpeter Earl Cross, guitarist James Blood Ulmer, and bassist John Dana. It was recorded during 1973 at Marzette Watts's studio in New York City, and was released on vinyl that year by Ali's Survival Records. In 1999, the album was reissued on CD by Survival in conjunction with the Knit Classics label. The recording marks one of Ulmer's first recorded appearances.