Albert Ayler Trio

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Albert Ayler Trio · Albert Ayler was born in 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Shaker Heights. His father, a semi-professional saxophonist and violinist, taught him to play alto saxophone. Together they played duets in church, and that background deeply coloured his music. As a teenager he played in a rhythm and blues band and knew the bebop repertoire so well that he was nicknamed Little Bird. In the army he switched to tenor saxophone. In 1962 he moved to Sweden, where his recording career began, and in 1963 he settled in New York.

Music and breakthrough

In 1964 he recorded the album Spiritual Unity for the young label ESP-Disk, the first jazz album on that label. He played in a trio with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray. Bells and Spirits Rejoice in 1965 followed, among others. Ayler joined in the free improvisation of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, but went further: it was not only harmony and melody but also tone colour that carried the music. His melodies are simple, almost like folk songs or military marches, and they are played with a big, trembling tone. Critics find his style hard to classify as free jazz.

Influence

Ayler died in 1970, aged 34. His work influenced later generations of improvisers who saw the sound of the saxophone itself as music.

Listening

• 
  Ghosts: First Variation · Albert Ayler Trio, 1965
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1965Spiritual Unity
• 2020Prophecy Revisited