Editing Albert Ayler (section)

===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>