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‘I want to play songs like I used to sing when I was real small.’
This fiftieth anniversary CD includes as a bonus the track briefly substituted for Spirits on an early vinyl edition. It is the same tune known as Vibrations on the album of that title on Arista/Freedom (aka Ghosts when issued on Debut) and as ‘[tune Q]2’ on the Revenant box set Holy Ghost.
Bells is rough, revelatory, key. Albert and his brawling new group — brother Donald, Charles Tyler (making his recording debut), Louis Worrell and Sonny Murray — rocking New York Town Hall to the ground on May Day 1965. Prophecy was captured on tape by the poet Paul Haines the year before at the Cellar Cafe in NYC: the Spiritual Unity lineup, Ayler with Sonny Murray and Gary Peacock; with four performances from the same concert added to the original LP release.
His 1966 debut (with Henry Grimes on bass), after ESP founder Bernard Stollman saw him play as John Coltrane’s guest at the Village Vanguard.
Clifford Allen commented in All About Jazz: ‘Wright was one of the forerunners of the multiphonics-driven school of saxophonists to follow the direction pointed by Ayler, but with a more pronounced bar-walking influence than most of his contemporaries. Whereas Ayler’s high-pitched wails, wide vibrato and guttural honks all belied an R&B pedigree, his solos still contained the breakneck tempos and facility of bebop… Wright, on the other hand, offers his honks and squawks with a phraseology derived from the slower, earthier funk of R&B and gospel music… The opening The Earth starts with a brief vibrato-heavy and bluesy slow theme on unaccompanied tenor that quickly erupts into a frantic screamer of a solo, a mix of buzzing upper-register cries and low bleating honks, occasional recognizable stock R&B phrases making their way into the melange… Unlike Ayler, there is not a significant amount of solo construction, for it appears Wright was throwing together ideas in a spirit of jubilation.’
His second ESP, one year after the Trio date, offering ‘passionate explorations of four of his originals, plus Jones’ The Lady. Rather intense at times, these emotional performances still sound groundbreaking three decades later. One of Frank Wright’s finest recordings’ (AllMusic).
Intriguing quartet, with Jacques Coursil and FW’s Cleveland homie Arthur Jones — two BYG mainstays in the making — and bassist Steve Tintweiss and Muhammad Ali both on fire.
‘Unquestionably the most important piano trio of its time, not so much extending the literature as starting a whole new volume. It really is that good,’ writes Brain Case in The Wire.
‘He’s both deeply imbued in the jazz pano tradition, channelling Monk on the opening Tangible, and completely beyond it. Listening to the softly tumbling, free associating line of Mysterious State is to leave the existing literature far behind and move into a whole new idiom. Likewise, the possibly tongue in cheek Jazz Posture and the almost ritualistic opening to Beyond Understanding where he plays a bare minimum of notes (contrast the rapid transitions of Talk Power right after it) but manages to suggest whole areas of musical possibility.’
A 1965 trio led by Ayler’s great bassist, with drummer Tom Price, and an early opportunity to hear the under-appreciated clarinettist Perry Robinson in full flight.
With bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker — Henry Threadgill crew — who chips in a couple of brilliant solo tracks before the trio’s sixteen-minute, tour-de-force Matrix, to close.
With Gato Barbieri, Karl Berger, Bo Stief and Aldo Romano, showcasing his new Blue Note album — still powerful, joyous, inspired.
Ornette brought the pianist to ESP in 1965.
With Milford Graves and Gary Peacock.
Mat Walerian, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Hamid Drake.
The five-part suite which kicked off the 1973 concert released as Black Beings (but which was omitted from that LP). Frank Lowe on fire, with Joseph Jarman, Raymond Lee Cheng, William Parker and Rashid Sinan all getting a word in, over the forty minutes.
Milford Graves (percussion), Leroi Jones (vocals), Roswell Rudd (trombone), John Tchicai (alto saxophone), Lewis Worrell (bass).
Including two recordings from the same legendary 1965 Town Hall concert as Albert Ayler’s Bells. Sensationally, this edition adds previously unissued music retrieved from the end of the Bells master tape, doubling the length of Shebar to nineteen minutes.
With Don Pullen and Milford Graves.
Gale-force masterpiece.
The 1966 live LP augmented by more than ninety minutes from the same five dates.
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