Editing Albert Ayler (section)

==Biography==

===Early life and career===
Born in [[Cleveland]], Ohio, and raised in [[Shaker Heights]],<ref>{{cite web |title=18. The Far-Ranging 1960s |url=http://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?filename=17&article=1134&context=scholbks&type=additional |publisher=Cleveland State University |access-date=27 April 2021}}</ref> Ayler was first taught alto saxophone by his father Edward, who was a semiprofessional saxophonist and violinist. Edward and Albert played alto saxophone duets in church and often listened to jazz records together, including swing era jazz and then-new bop albums.<ref name=Claghorn /> Ayler's upbringing in the church had a great impact on his life and music, and much of his music can be understood as an attempt to express his spirituality, including the aptly titled ''[[Spiritual Unity]]'', and his album of spirituals, ''Goin' Home'', which features "meandering" solos that are meant to be treated as meditations on sacred texts, and at some points as "speaking in tongues" with his saxophone.<ref name=Whitehead>Whitehead, NPR, 2001.</ref> Ayler's experience in the church and exposure to swing jazz artists also impacted his sound: his wide vibrato was similar to that of gospel saxophonists, who sought a more vocal-like sound with their instruments, and to that of brass players in New Orleans swing bands.<ref name=Whitehead />

Ayler attended [[John Adams High School (Cleveland, Ohio)|John Adams High School]] on Cleveland's East Side, and graduated in 1954 at the age of 18. He later studied at [[Academy Music (Cleveland, Ohio)|Academy Music]] in Cleveland with jazz saxophonist [[Benny Miller]]. Ayler also played the [[oboe]] in high school. As a teenager, Ayler's understanding of bebop style and mastery of standard repertoire earned him the nickname of "Little Bird", after [[Charlie Parker|Charlie "Bird" Parker]], in the small Cleveland jazz scene.<ref>Litweiler, 1984, p. 153.</ref>

In 1952, at the age of 16, Ayler began playing bar-walking, honking, [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]-style tenor with blues singer and harmonica player [[Little Walter]], spending two summer vacations with Walter's band.<ref name=Litweiler152 /> In 1958, after graduating from high school, Ayler joined the United States Army, where he switched from alto to tenor sax and jammed with other enlisted musicians, including tenor saxophonist [[Stanley Turrentine]]. Ayler also played in the regiment band, along with future composer [[Harold Budd]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gaffa.org/archives/1987-06/msg00075.html|title=The Harold Budd interview|publisher=Gaffa.org|access-date=May 1, 2017}}</ref> In 1959 he was stationed in France, where he was further exposed to the martial music that would be a core influence on his later work. After his discharge from the army, Ayler tried to find work in Los Angeles and Cleveland, but his increasingly iconoclastic playing, which had moved away from traditional harmony, was not welcomed by traditionalists.<ref name=Litweiler152 />

Ayler relocated to Sweden in 1962, where his recording career began, leading Swedish and Danish groups on radio sessions and jamming as an unpaid member of [[Cecil Taylor]]'s band in the winter of 1962–63. (Long-rumored tapes of Ayler performing with Taylor's group were released by [[Revenant Records]] in 2004, as part of a [[Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70)|10-CD set]].)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.revenantrecords.com/ayler/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716103848/http://www.revenantrecords.com/ayler/ |archive-date=July 16, 2011 |title=Albert Ayler Holy Ghost |publisher=Revenant Records |date=July 16, 2011 |access-date=June 25, 2012}}</ref> The album ''[[My Name Is Albert Ayler]]'' is a session of standards recorded for a Copenhagen radio station with local musicians including [[Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen]] and drummer Ronnie Gardiner, with Ayler playing tenor and soprano on tracks such as "[[Summertime (George Gershwin song)|Summertime]]".

===Early recording career===
In 1963, Ayler returned to the US and settled in New York City, where he continued to develop his personal style and occasionally played alongside free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor.<ref name=Claghorn />
1964 was the most well-documented year of Ayler's career, during which he recorded many albums, the first of which was ''[[Spirits (Albert Ayler album)|Spirits]]'' (re-released later as ''Witches and Devils'') in March of that year.<ref>Litweiler, 1984, p. 154.</ref> Ayler also began his rich relationship with [[ESP-Disk]] Records in 1964, recording his breakthrough album (and ESP's very first jazz album) ''[[Spiritual Unity]]'' for the then-fledgling record label. ESP-Disk came to play an integral role in recording and disseminating free jazz. ''Spiritual Unity'' featured the trio that Ayler had just assembled that summer, including bassist [[Gary Peacock]] and drummer [[Sunny Murray]]. The liner notes of ''Spiritual Unity'' include a brief description of the musicians on that day, July 10, 1964, in the Variety Arts Recording Studio:<ref name=ESP>ESP-Disk' Discography.</ref> 
::Just before 1 PM, Sunny Murray arrived, a large, genial walrus....Gary Peacock was next, tall, thin, ascetic looking, and soft spoken....Albert Ayler was last, small, wary, and laconic.<ref name=ESP />

On July 17, 1964, the members of this trio, along with trumpet player [[Don Cherry (trumpeter)|Don Cherry]], alto saxophonist [[John Tchicai]], and trombonist [[Roswell Rudd]], collaborated in recording ''[[New York Eye and Ear Control]]'', a freely improvised soundtrack to Canadian artist and filmmaker [[Michael Snow]]'s film of the same name.<ref name=ESP />
During this time, Ayler began to garner some attention from critics, although he was not able to foster much of a fan following. However, later in 1964, Ayler, Peacock, Murray, and Cherry were invited to travel to Europe for a brief Scandinavian tour, which too yielded some new recordings, including ''[[The Copenhagen Tapes]]'', ''[[Ghosts (Albert Ayler album)|Ghosts]]'' (re-released later as ''Vibrations''), and ''[[The Hilversum Session]]''.

Ayler recorded ''[[Bells (album)|Bells]]'' on May 1, 1965. It is a ferociously-paced 20-minute improvisation featuring his signature military-march influenced melodies. ''[[Spirits Rejoice]]'' was recorded on September 23, 1965, at Judson Hall in New York City, and features a much larger band than the sparse trio of his earlier album ''Spiritual Unity''. ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' describes ''Spirits Rejoice'' as a "riotous, hugely emotional and astonishingly creative celebration of the urge to make noise."<ref>''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', 2006.</ref> Both albums feature Albert's brother, trumpet player [[Donald Ayler]], who translated his brother's expansive approach to improvisation to the trumpet. Donald played with Albert until he experienced a debilitating nervous breakdown in 1967.<ref>Wilmer, ''The Guardian'', 2001.</ref>

In 1966 Ayler was signed to [[Impulse Records]] at the urging of Coltrane, the label's star attraction at that time.<ref name=Jenkins26>Jenkins, 2004, p. 26.</ref> But even on Impulse, Ayler's radically different music never found a sizable audience. Ayler's first set for Impulse was recorded a few weeks before Christmas in 1966, entitled ''[[Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village]]''. Ayler performed with his brother, Michel Samson, [[Beaver Harris]], [[Henry Grimes]], and Bill Folwell, while Coltrane was in attendance. For a tune titled "For John Coltrane", Ayler returned to the alto saxophone for the first time in years.<ref name=Jenkins26 />

Ayler first sang on a recording in a version of "Ghosts" performed in Paris in 1966, in which his vocal style was similar to that of his saxophone, with an eerie disregard for pitch.<ref>Jost, 1975, p. 121.</ref> Ayler continued to experiment with vocals for the rest of his career (see, for example, the wordless vocalising near the end of "Love Cry" from the [[Love Cry|album of the same name]]); however, his singing on later albums such as ''[[New Grass]]'' and ''[[Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe]]'' has been the subject of some derision. [[Val Wilmer]] referred to his singing as "tortuous",<ref>{{cite book | last=Wilmer |first=Val |author-link=Val Wilmer | title=As Serious As Your Life | publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]] | year=2018 | pages=143 }}</ref> and critics have stated that "his words and vocal delivery are truly frightening",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/music-is-the-healing-force-of-the-universe-mw0000021647 |title=Albert Ayler: Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe |last=Campbell |first=Al |website=allmusic.com |access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref> describing him as having "a bellowing, untrained voice that was wavering at its most controlled,"<ref name="pitchfork_newgrass">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/albert-ayler-new-grass |title=Albert Ayler: New Grass |last=Thomas |first=Fred |date=June 30, 2020 |website=pitchfork.com |access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref> and delivering lyrics in "a manic wail".<ref name="pitchfork_newgrass" />

In 1967, John Coltrane died of liver cancer, and Ayler was asked to perform at his funeral.<ref>Lewis, ''The Guardian'', 2011.</ref> (One of Coltrane's last wishes was that Ayler and Ornette Coleman should play at his funeral.<ref name="Wilmer 2018 142">{{cite book | last=Wilmer |first=Val |author-link=Val Wilmer | title=As Serious As Your Life | publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]] | year=2018 | pages=142 }}</ref>) It is said that during his performance, Ayler ripped his saxophone from his mouth at two points: once, to emit a cry of anguish, the other a cry of joy to symbolize his friend and mentor's ascension into heaven.<ref name=Jenkins26 /> Ayler later recalled: "John was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but during his time here, he kept trying to reach new levels of awareness, of peace, of spirituality. That's why I regard the music he played as spiritual music - John's way of getting closer and closer to the Creator."<ref>{{cite book | last=Wilmer |first=Val |author-link=Val Wilmer | title=As Serious As Your Life | publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]] | year=2018 | pages=33 }}</ref> In the liner notes for Ayler's album ''[[Love Cry]]'', [[Frank Kofsky]] wrote that Ayler said the following concerning Coltrane's album ''[[Meditations (John Coltrane album)|Meditations]]'': "The father, son, and holy ghost. What Coltrane was talking about there - maybe it was a biblical term: he was the father, [[Pharoah Sanders|Pharoah]] was the son, and I was the holy ghost. And only he could tell me things like that."<ref name="lovecry">{{cite AV media notes |title=Love Cry |others=Albert Ayler |type=liner notes |year=1968 |last=Kofsky |first=Frank |publisher=[[Impulse! Records]] |id=AS-9165}}</ref>

===Final years and death===
For the next two-and-a-half years Ayler began to move from a mostly improvisatory style to one that focused more closely on compositions.<ref name=Kernfeld /> This was largely a result of pressures from Impulse who, unlike ESP-Disk, placed heavier emphasis on accessibility than artistic expression.<ref name=Jenkins27>Jenkins, 2004, p. 27.</ref> In 1967 and 1968, Ayler recorded three LPs that featured the lyrics and vocals of his girlfriend [[Mary Maria Parks]] and introduced regular chord changes, funky beats, and electronic instruments.<ref name=Schwartz>Schwartz, American Music.</ref>

Ayler himself sang on his album ''[[New Grass]]'', which hearkened back to his roots in R&B as a teenager. However, this album was unsuccessful, scorned by Ayler fans and critics alike.<ref name=Schwartz /> Ayler staunchly asserted that he wanted to move in this R&B and rock-and-roll direction, and that he was not simply succumbing to the pressures of Impulse and the popular music of that day, and it is true that Ayler heavily emphasizes the spirituality that seems to define the bulk of his work.<ref name=Jenkins27 /> (However, according to [[Gary Giddins]], "In interviews, Ayler left no doubt about who was responsible for ''New Grass'': 'They told me to do this. [[Bob Thiele]]. You think I would do that? He said, "Look Albert, you gotta get with the young generation now.{{" ' "}}<ref>{{cite book | last = Giddins | first = Gary | author-link = Gary Giddins | title = Natural Selection: Gary Giddins on Comedy, Film, Music, and Books | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2008 | pages=286 }}</ref>) ''New Grass'' begins with the track "Message from Albert", in which Ayler speaks directly to his listener, explaining that this album was nothing like his ones before it, that was of "a different dimension in [his] life." He claims that, "through meditation, dreams, and visions, [he has] been made a Universal Man, through the power of the Creator..."

At around this time, there were hints that Ayler was becoming emotionally unstable, blaming himself for his brother's breakdown.<ref>{{cite book | last=Wilmer |first=Val | title=As Serious As Your Life | publisher=Serpent's Tail | year=2018 | pages=145–146 }}</ref> In 1969, he submitted an impassioned, rambling open letter to ''[[the Cricket (magazine)|the Cricket]]'' magazine entitled "To Mr. Jones—I Had a Vision", in which he described startling apocalyptic spiritual visions.<ref name=Jenkins27 /> He "saw in a vision the new Earth built by God coming out of Heaven," and implored the readers to share the message of Revelations, insisting that "This is very important. The time is now."<ref>Ayler, ''Cricket'', 27-30</ref> [[Noah Howard]] recalled seeing Ayler that summer, wearing gloves and a full-length fur coat despite the heat, his face covered in Vaseline, and saying "Got to protect myself."<ref>{{cite book | last=Wilmer |first=Val | title=As Serious As Your Life | publisher=Serpent's Tail | year=2018 | pages=146 }}</ref>

His final album, ''[[Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe]]'', featured rock musicians such as [[Henry Vestine]] of [[Canned Heat]] alongside jazz musicians like pianist [[Bobby Few]]. This was a return to his blues-roots with very heavy rock influences, but did feature more of Ayler's signature timbre variations and energetic solos than the unsuccessful ''New Grass''.

In July 1970, Ayler returned to the free jazz idiom for a group of shows in France (including at the [[Fondation Maeght]], documented on ''[[Nuits de la Fondation Maeght (Albert Ayler album)|Nuits de la Fondation Maeght]]''), but the band he was able to assemble (Call Cobbs, bassist Steve Tintweiss and drummer [[Allen Blairman]]) was not regarded as being of the caliber of his earlier groups.<ref>{{Cite book | last=Wilmer|first=Val|author-link=Val Wilmer | title=Albert Ayler: Holy Ghost (Spiritual Unity) | publisher=Revenant | year=2004 |page=27}}</ref>

Ayler disappeared on November 5, 1970, and he was found dead in New York City's [[East River]] on November 25, a presumed suicide.<ref name=Mandel>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90627436|title=Albert Ayler's Fiery Sax, Now on Film|last=Mandel|first=Howard|newspaper=NPR.org|publisher=NPR|date=June 7, 2008|access-date=August 30, 2009}}</ref> For some time afterwards, rumors circulated that Ayler had been murdered, with a long-standing [[urban legend]] that the Mafia had tied him to a jukebox.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ayler.co.uk/html/biography.html|title=Biography|publisher=Ayler.co.uk|access-date=May 1, 2017}}</ref>