Tributes


	*Tributes*



		the music

Tributes & Dedications to Albert Ayler

Music

Paul Bley
Ramblin’
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock) (9:18)
1966
BYG Actuel 13, Affinity Aff37, Red Records 117,
Sunspots (2002 CD)

Paul Bley
Blood
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock)
1966
Fontana 883911ZY

Don Cherry
Live at Cafe Montmartre, 1966: Volume 2
‘Suite for Albert Ayler’ (11:13)
(Medley including ‘Ghosts’, ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘Mothers’)
1966
Magnetic Records MRCD112
ESP 4043 (2008 CD re-release)

Roy Harper
Folkjokeopus
‘One For All’ (8:14)
1969
World Pacific 21888, Sunset Sls-50373, Liberty 21888
Awareness (1989), Griffin Music 302 (1994 CD),1995 CD Science Friction 009 (1995 CD), Science Friction 9 (2001 CD)

Paul Bley
Paul Bley with Gary Peacock
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock) (4:53)
1970
ECM 1003.843.162.2

Art Ensemble Of Chicago
Phase One
‘Lebert Aaly’ (20:56)
1971
America AM6116
Prestige 10064

Bill Dixon
Collection
‘Albert Ayler’ (0:57)
1971
Cadence 1024/25, Cadence Jazz 3712 (CD)
(also included in Solo Works (Odyssey) 2001 boxed set)

John Stevens/Spontaneous Music Ensemble
One, Two, Albert Ayler
‘One, Two, Albert Ayler’ (24:43)
1971
Affinity AFF 81 (LP)
Included on the CD, John Stevens Works
Re-Touch & Quartet
Konnex 06199

Joe McPhee
Trinity
‘Delta (For Albert Ayler)
1971
CJRecords CJR-3 (LP)
Atavistic/Unheard Music ALP-214CD (2001)

Noah Howard
Live at the Village Vanguard
‘Dedication (To Albert Ayler)’ (14:34)
1972
Freedom FLP40127

John Zorn
First Recordings 1973
‘Variations on a Theme by Albert Ayler’ (11:04)
1973
Tzadik TZ 7304

David Murray
Flowers For Albert
‘Flowers For Albert’ (14:18)
1976
India Navigation 1026 (LP), 2039 (CD)

Mount Everest Trio
Waves From Albert Ayler
‘Ode to Albert Ayler’ (5:25)
1977
Unheard Music Series/Atavistic 202

Leroy Jenkins
The Legend of Al Glatson
‘Albert Ayler (His Life Was Too Short)’ (4:06)
1978
Black Saint 22, Black Saint 120022 (1993 CD)

David Murray
Solo Live, Vol. 1
‘Flowers For Albert’ (5:00)
1980
Cecma 1

ROVA
As Was
‘Under the Street Where You Live’
1981
Atavistic Unheard Music UMS/ALP 216 CD

David Murray
Murray's Steps
‘Flowers For Albert’ (9:40)
1982
Black Saint 120065-2

The Western Trio
Fat Religion Is An Awful Way Of Life
‘Albert Ayler (Dying Words)’
1983
Dog Meter Recordings/The Wavy Line cass-001

John Lurie
Stranger Than Paradise And The Resurrection Of Albert Ayler
‘The Resurrection of Albert Ayler’ (16:19)
1985
Crammed Discs (Belgium) ATT 003 (LP)
Made To Measure (Belgium) MTM 7 CD (CD)
Strange & Beautiful Music (USA) SBM10 (CD)

Paul Bley
Montmartre Live
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock)
1986
SteepleChase SCCD37019.20

Tiziana Simona
Flakes
‘Flowers For Albert’ (3:55)
1988
ITM 1437

Cruel Frederick
Birth of the Cruel
‘Jukebox in the East River’ (4:52)
1988
SST 127

Hal Russell/Michael Staron/Sparrow & Rick Shandling
Albert's Lullaby
’Albert’s Lullaby’ (3:06)
1991
Southport 0077, Orchard 6366, Southport 77

Nexus
The Preacher & The Ghost
‘...Of Ghosts, Witches & Devils’ (T. Tononi):
1. When Ornette meets the Ghost (12:45)
2. We play spaces (5:11)
3. Song for a day of happiness (7:47)
4. 2 3 3 4 3 2 (10:26)
5. Street Music (2:56)
1991
Splasc(h) CDH 349

Paul Bley
Annette
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock) (3:46)
hatART CD6118 (reissue hatOLOGY 564)

David Murray
Live '93 Acoustic Octfunk
‘Flowers For Albert’ (15:14)
1993
Sound Hills 8051

Die Like A Dog
(Peter Brötzmann/Toshinori Kondo/William Parker/Hamid Drake)
Die Like A Dog; fragments of music, life and death of Albert Ayler
‘Fragments of music, life and death of Albert Ayler’
1 - 4 (72:42)
1993
FMP CD64

Hal Russell NRG Ensemble
The Hal Russell Story
‘The Birth of the Free, Pt. 5: Ayler Songs’ (5:53)
1993
ECM 21498, ECM 517364

Massimo Urbani
Dedications To Albert Ayler & John Coltrane
‘Dedications’ (16:25)
1994
Red Records RR123160

Northwoods Improvisers
Fog & Fire
‘Ayler’ (6:19)
1994
Arc 7

Dr. Noah Young
Freaks: No Fear Of Contagion (spoken word)
‘For Albert Ayler’
1994
New Alliance NARCD 117

Willem Breuker
Johan Van Der Keuken: Music for His Films 1967-1994
‘Ayler 1’ (3:03)
‘Ayler 2’ (0:58)
1994
BVHaast 9709/9710

The Skatalites
Hi-Bop Ska
‘Flowers For Albert’ (5:18)
1994
Shanachie 45019

Figure 8 (Rova x 4)
Pipe Dreams
‘Head Count (for Albert Ayler and Pete Townshend)’ (3:37)
1994
Black Saint 120167-2

David Murray
The Tip
‘Flowers For Albert’ (9:20)
1995
DIW 891

David Murray
South of the Border
‘Flowers For Albert’ (10:43)
1995
DIW 897

Wadada Leo Smith
Kulture Jazz
‘Albert Ayler in a Spiritual Light’ (4:44)
1995
ECM 21507

Roy Campbell
Pyramid
‘Blues for Albert and Don Ayler’ (15:22)
1995
Silkheart 139

Telstar Ponies
Voices From The New Music
‘Bells For Albert Ayler’ (0:40)
1996
FIRE FIRELP60, FIRECD60

John Tchicai with Rent Romus’ Lords of Outland
Adapt…or DIE!
‘Aces For Albert (Ayler)’
1997
Jazzheads Records JH9503

Marilyn Crispell
Nothing Ever Was, Anyway - Music of Annette Peacock
‘Albert’s Love Theme’ (Annette Peacock) (8:44)
1997
ECM 1626/27

Wadada Leo Smith & Harumi Makino Smith
Condor, Autumn Wind
‘Albert Ayler’ (9:43)
1998
Wobbly Rail 1

Various Artists
Jazz Poetry
Helen Shapiro (speaker) / Victoria McCabe (author)
‘For Albert Ayler’
1999
ABM CD139

Todd Harrold Band
Mr. Whatever
‘Albert Ayler Sailaway (Damn These Blues)’ (7:28)
1999
Wall Street 2603

Atalanta
Atalanta Thuis 2
‘Flowers For Albert’ (3:17)
1999
Atalanta CD 02

Orléans
Orléans (L'Hommage à Albert Ayler)
1999
Rectangle AB (CD & vinyl)

Atalanta
Atalanta plus Tony Overwater
‘Flowers For Albert’ (8:44)
c. 2000
Atalanta CD 06

Various artists
Mózg: 5 Lat
Pieces Of Brain
‘Ayler’s Song’ (7:35)
2000
MOZG 004

Avantgarde Duo
(Antal Babits/Attila Lorinszky)
Lament
‘Chorale Improvisation for Albert Ayler’ (6:36)
2000
Mediawave Records Mediawave Live 002

G. A. P. (Il Gruppo delle Azioni Progressive)
Plays The Most Requested Songs
‘Albert Is Back’
2001
Anubis ACD 029

Faruq Z. Bey/Northwoods Improvisers
19 Moons
‘Ayler’ (9:28)
2001
Entropy 11

Rent Romus' Lords of Outland
Avatar in the Field (A Tribute To Albert Ayler)
‘Aces For Albert’
2001
Edgetone 4001

Ekkehard Ehlers
Ekkehard Ehlers Plays
‘Ekkehard Ehlers Plays Albert Ayler (Pt. 1)’ (10:01)
‘Ekkehard Ehlers Plays Albert Ayler (Pt. 2)’ (9:45)
2001
Staubgold 19 (LP), Staubgold 30 (CD)

John Wilkes Booze
Five Pillars of Soul Vol. 3 Albert Ayler
2002
Affirmation Records CD EP
(3 tracks reissued on Five Pillars of Soul
Kill Rock Stars KRS408)

Villerd/Ayler Quartet
One Day...
‘For AA’
2002
Arfi AMO31

Dennis González New Southern Quintet
Old Time Revival
‘Hymn For Albert Ayler’ (9:51)
2003
Entropy Stereo 014

Laïka Fatien
Look at me now!
‘This Is For Albert Ayler (This Is For Albert)’
2003

Improvisational Arts Council
Gardens
‘Brer Albert's Briar Patch’ (5:40)
2003

Albert Beger
Listening
‘Albert’
2004
Earsay ESO33

pumathEman
in-trust / Albert Rejoice
2004

Spiritual Unity (Roy Campbell, Henry Grimes, Marc Ribot, Chad Taylor)
Spiritual Unity
‘Invocation’
2005
Pi Recordings Pi15

Dark Meat
Universal Indians
2006
Cloud Recordings

Ammon Contact
With Voices
‘One For Ayler’
2006
Ninja Tune ZenCD125

Joe McPhee
Albert Ayler Tribute 2008
2008
Naughty Dog

Roy Campbell, Joe McPhee, William Parker, Warren Smith
Tribute to Albert Ayler - Live at the Dynamo
2009
Futura Marge 45

***

Bands

Albert et sa Fanfare Poliorcétique

(Following a meeting with Albert Ayler at the Fondation Maeght, Denis Benoliel named his band after Albert. They released one LP in 1971 - La malédiction des rockers (Riviera 521194). The full story of the meeting is on the Ayler Remembered page.)

The Belgian Waffles

(Based in Louisville Kentucky, The Belgian Waffles have quite a few songs directly related to the Aylers or influenced by them. Specifically the tunes, "Flat Black Huey" which uses "Universal Indians" as a refrain and "Too Many Dustballs" which refers heavily to Donald Ayler.)

Dark Meat

Ayler’s Angels

as Ayler's Angels:
Ayler's Angels / The Fake Hand, (Hot Cars Warp split LP), 1997
Never Morning LP 1998
as Army Of Ghosts
The Horror CD (Parallelism), 1999

Don Ayler’s Psychosis

***

Dance

Karole Armitage

“The Elizabethan Phrasing of the Late Albert Ayler”

Company: Armitage Gone! Dance (aka Armitage Ballet)
Premiere: September 25, 1986. Eindhoven, Holland
Tours: USA, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal.
Music: Albert Ayler (Bells), Don Ayler (Our Prayer), Lord Buckley (Unconscious Mind, Marc Antony's Funeral Oration), Yo-Yo Ma (Sakura, Sakura, arr. Michio Mamiya), Stravinsky (Three Pieces for String Quartet), Webern (Fünf Sätze für Sreichorchester).
Sets and Costumes: David Salle.
Lighting: Ken Tabachnick

From Adventurous Women Choreographers by Karen Onoda:

“Karole Armitage, formerly of the Geneva Ballet and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, created modern works during the early part of her choreographic career, then began to set works in Pointe shoes. She now has a full-fledged ballet company, the Armitage Ballet. Combining conventional ballet steps and phrases with a modern approach to structure and space, Armitage has created a style uniquely her own. Her dances are of spiky, splintery texture, with hops often off-kilter and legs extended to the sky. Wrists are bent, legs and arms are often broken at eccentric angles. There is a sophisticated coyness to her dances, at once knowing and gawky.

The Elizabethan Phrasing of the Late Albert Ayler, the second Armitage-David Salle production, is danced to an eclectic combination of music and voice. It ranges from the nightclub comedian Lord Buckley to the music of Webern and Stravinsky. In this work, Armitage's bold, skewed choreography is especially reminiscent of Balanchine. Salle's often whimsical stage designs and costumes include such devices as tutus lit from the inside.”

Douglas Wright

New Zealand’s leading contemporary dancer/choreographer, Douglas Wright used a track from the Relyable LP, The Berlin Concerts - 1966 in a dance called "Hey Paris”, the subject of a short film in 1988.

***

Visual Arts

Riverboat Lovesongs for the Ghost Whale Regatta

An installation by Michael Jones McKean, it was shown at Grand Arts in Kansas City, Missouri from September 1st to October 21st 2006:

“Michael McKean's Riverboat Lovesongs for the Ghost Whale Regatta steers a meandering course between the objective facts of navigation and poetic possibilities of exploration. Like many of his installations, it slips between varied levels of reference, in this instance from Twain’s pilot house to Ahab's foredeck to the abandoned shell of Donald Crowhurst's Teignmouth Electron. Stagecraft and artifice are balanced by the concrete presence of clay, wind, and rain, while Albert Ayler's saxophone provides a sporadic and elegiac soundtrack. Casting a shadow over the installation as a whole is the implication that adventure and aspiration may very well end in death by water.
... McKean expands further upon the theme of peril at sea in the second, smaller gallery at Grand Arts. Constructed as a self-contained room within the gallery itself, this segment of the installation presents a model of a ship's pilot house, supported on a rocking platform, drenched by sheets of rain. Again, illusion and actuality are brought into play as McKean employs forced perspective and theatrical lighting, while leaving evident the pump, water tank, fog machine, dehumidifier, and motors necessary to support this installation. Opposite this structure, at the rear of the gallery space, is an absurdly overscale bank of speakers and amplifiers, which like the fan at the exhibition's entrance stand in for the forces of nature. Tuned to a low hum, once a day this “boom box” plays Albert Ayler’s solo from the funeral of John Coltrane. A primal cry, it ends with Ayler's saxophone assuming an almost human wail of sorrow. Four years after this bootlegged recording was made, Ayler's body was found drowned in New York's East River.”

***

Other

La Passion selon Albert Ayler

In November 2002 a series of concerts were held in Brussels under the collective title, La Passion selon Albert Ayler. The following information is from the press release:

“Le Collectif Inaudible présente :

La Passion selon Albert Ayler

"je joue un cri silencieux"

au Petit Théâtre Mercelis à 20h30 les 5, 7, 9 et 14 novembre
13, rue Mercelis, 1050 Ixelles

Une tragédie musicale sur une mise en texte et son de Guy Strale
(textes adaptés de Marc -Edouard Nabé, Seferis, Sikelianos & Jacques Lacarrière)
Quatre versions sonores différentes.....

mardi 5 novembre 20 h30

texte interprété par Nathalie Rjewsky & Frédéric Lepers
musique improvisée par le BRuocsela Orchestra Libera
le BROL :
José Bedeur, violoncelle & électroacoustique
Antoine Cirri, batterie
Jean Coulon, tuba & électroacoustique
Jean-Jacques Duerinckx, saxophones
Jacques Foschia, clarinettes
Marco Loprieno, tuba, saxophone baryton
Jan Huib Nas, guitare accommodée
Adelheid Sieuw, flûtes, voix
Guy Strale, piano, clarinette, percussions, objets sonores
invité : Noah Howard (USA), saxophone alto

jeudi 7 novembre 20h 30
texte interprété par Anne Baupain & Frédéric Lepers
musique improvisée par le BROL
invitée : Maggie Nichols (GB), voix

samedi 9 novembre 20 h 30
texte interprété par Anne Baupain & Frédéric Lepers
musique improvisée par le BROL
invités : Jim Denley (Australie), flûtes & saxophone alto
Hisako Horikawa (Japon), danse

jeudi 14 novembre 20h30
texte interprété par Nathalie Rjewsky & Frédéric Lepers
musique improvisée par le BROL
invité : Daunik Lazro (F), saxophones

organisé par inaudible asbl en collaboration avec le service de la culture d'Ixelles

Une tragédie musicale évoquant une personnalité mythique et injustement méconnue : le saxophoniste noir américain Albert Ayler, un des créateurs du free jazz, suicidé de la société, à 34 ans, en 1970.
Son passage météorique marque une coupure radicale ouvrant des perspectives musicales qui sont encore celles du monde des musiques improvisées actuelles.”

Along An Eastern Shore

R. A. Washington’s ‘choreopoem’ in tribute to Albert Ayler, “Along An Eastern Shore”, performed by Daniel Gray-Kontar and the Albert Ayler Awareness Orchestra, had its world premiere at Cleveland’s Ingenuity Festival on July 16th, 2006. Photos of the event by Lou Muenz are available on his website, and there’s a six minute video extract on the YouTube site.

Versions


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