Albert Ayler ( / ˈ aɪ l ər / ; July 13, 1936 – November 25, 1970) was an American jazz musician who played the saxophone and wrote music.

After learning to play rhythm and blues and bebop music, Ayler started recording songs during the free jazz movement of the 1960s. Some critics say his style is very different from what is usually considered free jazz. His music is hard to classify, and people had very different opinions about it. His creative ideas influenced later jazz musicians.

His recordings from 1964 with a group of three and four musicians, such as Spiritual Unity and The Hilversum Session, showed him taking the improvisation styles of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman in new, more abstract directions. The focus was on the sound quality of the music, not just the harmony and melody. His music from 1965 and 1966, such as "Spirits Rejoice" and "Truth Is Marching In," was compared to the sound of a brass band. It used simple, march-like themes that changed with wild group improvisations. This music was seen as connecting back to the early days of jazz before Louis Armstrong.

Biography

Albert Ayler was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Shaker Heights. His father, Edward Ayler, was a part-time professional saxophonist and violinist. Edward taught Albert how to play the alto saxophone. Together, Edward and Albert played saxophone duets in church and listened to jazz records, including music from the swing era and early bop albums. Ayler’s life in the church deeply influenced his music. Much of his work, such as the album Spiritual Unity and Goin’ Home, reflects his spiritual beliefs. These recordings include saxophone solos that resemble meditations on religious texts and sounds that mimic "speaking in tongues." Ayler’s church experiences and exposure to swing jazz also shaped his style. His wide vibrato, similar to gospel saxophonists and New Orleans brass players, gave his music a vocal-like quality.

Ayler attended John Adams High School on Cleveland’s East Side and graduated in 1954 at age 18. He later studied with jazz saxophonist Benny Miller at Academy Music in Cleveland. He also played the oboe in high school. His skill in bebop and mastery of standard jazz songs earned him the nickname "Little Bird," after Charlie "Bird" Parker, in Cleveland’s jazz community.

In 1952, at age 16, Ayler began performing with blues singer Little Walter, playing R&B-style tenor saxophone during summer vacations with Walter’s band. After graduating high school in 1958, Ayler joined the United States Army. There, he switched from alto to tenor saxophone and jammed with other soldiers, including saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. He also played in the regiment band with future composer Harold Budd. In 1959, Ayler was stationed in France, where he encountered military music that later influenced his work. After leaving the army, Ayler struggled to find work in Los Angeles and Cleveland because his style, which broke from traditional harmony, was not welcomed by many musicians.

In 1962, Ayler moved to Sweden, where he began recording music. He led Swedish and Danish groups on radio sessions and played with Cecil Taylor’s band during the winter of 1962–63. An album called My Name Is Albert Ayler features jazz standards recorded in Copenhagen with local musicians, including Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Ronnie Gardiner. Ayler played tenor and soprano saxophones on tracks like "Summertime."

In 1963, Ayler returned to the United States and settled in New York City, where he continued developing his unique style and occasionally performed with free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor. 1964 was a key year for Ayler. He recorded his first album, Spirits (later re-released as Witches and Devils), and began working with ESP-Disk Records, which released his breakthrough album Spiritual Unity. This album, recorded with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray, became a landmark in free jazz. The liner notes from Spiritual Unity describe the musicians present during the July 10, 1964, session at Variety Arts Recording Studio.

On July 17, 1964, Ayler and his trio, along with trumpet player Don Cherry, saxophonist John Tchicai, and trombonist Roswell Rudd, recorded New York Eye and Ear Control, a soundtrack for a film by Michael Snow. During this time, Ayler gained some critical attention, though he had few fans. Later that year, Ayler and his band traveled to Europe for a short tour, producing recordings such as The Copenhagen Tapes, Ghosts (later Vibrations), and The Hilversum Session.

In 1965, Ayler recorded Bells, a 20-minute improvisation with military-march influenced melodies. Spirits Rejoice, recorded in 1965, featured a larger band than his earlier work. The album is described as a "riotous, emotional, and creative celebration of music." Both Bells and Spirits Rejoice include Ayler’s brother, Donald Ayler, a trumpet player who shared his brother’s approach to improvisation. Donald played with Albert until he had a nervous breakdown in 1967.

In 1966, Ayler signed with Impulse Records, a label led by John Coltrane. Ayler recorded Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village with his brother, Michel Samson, and other musicians. Coltrane attended the session. Ayler returned to the alto saxophone for a song titled "For John Coltrane."

Ayler first sang on a recording in 1966 during a performance of "Ghosts" in Paris. His vocal style, like his saxophone playing, avoided traditional pitch. He continued experimenting with vocals in later albums, though some critics criticized his singing.

In 1967, John Coltrane died of liver cancer, and Ayler performed at his funeral, as Coltrane had requested. Ayler later described Coltrane’s music as spiritual, saying it helped him connect with the Creator. In the liner notes for Love Cry, Frank Kofsky quoted Ayler discussing Coltrane’s album Meditations, comparing it to a biblical concept involving Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and himself.

From 1967 to 1968, Ayler shifted from improvisation to more structured compositions, partly due to pressure from Impulse Records, which focused on accessibility. During this time, Ayler recorded three LPs featuring lyrics and vocals by his girlfriend, Mary Mar.

Artistry

Ayler often performed his unique and unconventional saxophone style in traditional musical settings, such as children's songs, marches, and gospel hymns. His energetic and intense improvisations changed these familiar pieces into something very different. Ayler used a method that involved breaking down musical elements like melody and harmony, which was typical of the free jazz era. Phil Hardy noted that Ayler "dismantled" these elements to explore the physical qualities of his saxophone. Ayler aimed to allow himself and his bandmates to improvise, connect with each other, and interact with their instruments in a more direct and basic way.

The deeply spiritual nature of Ayler's music closely matched the beliefs of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, who was deeply influenced by Ayler's "otherworldly" sounds. This connection is especially clear in Coltrane's albums Meditations and Stellar Regions. (Coltrane supported Ayler throughout his life, offering financial and professional help.) Ayler's extreme use of his tenor saxophone is the most important feature of his sound. His style included changes in tone, such as squeaks, honks, and playing in very high or very low ranges. He produced a deep, powerful sound using stiff plastic Fibrecane no. 4 reeds on his saxophone and used a wide, expressive vibrato.

Ayler explored microtonality, which involves using sounds between the notes of a traditional scale. This technique was most noticeable when he played without a piano, accompanied only by bass and drums. Ayler avoided the standard swing rhythm and instead built energy through the fast speed of his improvised lines, which he forcefully played on his saxophone. Jazz historian Ted Gioia describes Ayler as a "virtuoso of the coarse and anomalous" and states that Ayler sought to move beyond traditional notes to create a new kind of sound with his saxophone.

Influence and legacy

Albert Ayler never had a consistent audience during his career. Even though many critics praised his music, he struggled financially his entire life. He often needed help from his family and other musicians, including John Coltrane, to support himself.

Despite these challenges, Ayler's influence continues today, not only in jazz but also in other music styles. His unique sound came before modern hardcore, noise, and experimental rock. Albert Ayler is considered one of the most highly respected figures in free jazz, along with musicians like Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Milford Graves (who played drums with Ayler). His albums remain among the best-selling in the specific genre of free jazz, along with works by these other musicians. Many famous free jazz saxophonists today, such as Charles Gayle, Ken Vandermark, Peter Brötzmann, and the late David S. Ware, were greatly influenced by Ayler. He also inspired musicians like Frank Lowe, Rev. Frank Wright, Charles Tyler (on Ayler's album Bells), Marion Brown, and Frank Smith (on ESP-Disk Burton Greene Quartet).

Ayler had a close friendship with John Coltrane, and they influenced each other's music. Coltrane said Ayler "filled an area that it seems I hadn't got to. I think what he's doing, it seems to be moving music into even higher frequencies." Ayler described Coltrane's playing as "like he was talking to me, saying, 'Brother, get yourself together spiritually. Just one sound—that's how profound this man was.'" According to Val Wilmer, Coltrane and Ayler had a special relationship. They often communicated by phone and telegram, and Coltrane was deeply influenced by Ayler. Coltrane first heard Ayler in 1962 and later told him, "he had heard himself playing like that in a dream once." In 1963, Ayler joined Coltrane's group during a performance in Cleveland, Ohio. That year, Coltrane and Ayler were often together in New York. They were seen watching Ayler and Cecil Taylor at a coffeehouse, Ayler and Eric Dolphy at a club, and Ayler performed with Coltrane at the Half Note. After Ayler sent Coltrane copies of his albums Ghosts and Spiritual Unity, Coltrane said, "I recorded an album and found that I was playing just like you." Ayler replied, "No man, don't you see, you were playing like yourself. You were just feeling what I feel and were just crying out for spiritual unity." Later, while in Antibes, Coltrane practiced by listening to a recording of an Ayler concert.

The Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin was inspired by Ayler's music and life. He made a documentary titled My Name Is Albert Ayler, which includes interviews with ESP-Disk founder Bernard Stollman, Ayler's family, girlfriends, and bandmates. The film features footage of Ayler from 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1970, and is centered on his music and voice recordings from interviews between 1963 and 1970.

On his 1969 album Folkjokeopus, English musician Roy Harper dedicated the song "One for All" ("One for Al") to Ayler, saying, "In many ways he was the king."

Canadian artist Stan Douglas created a video installation titled Hors-champs ("off-screen"), which explores the political background of free jazz in the 1960s. It features four American musicians performing Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice" in a recreation of 1960s French television.

In 1990, pianist Giorgio Gaslini released Ayler's Wings, a CD with solo interpretations of Ayler's compositions. In 1999, John Lurie of the Lounge Lizards released a piece titled "The Resurrection of Albert Ayler." In 2005, Marc Ribot recorded an album dedicated to Ayler's Spiritual Unity with Henry Grimes, a former Ayler bassist.

Ayler's song "Ghosts" has been recorded by musicians such as Gary Lucas, David Moss, Crazy Backwards Alphabet, Lester Bowie, Eugene Chadbourne, and Gary Windo.

Albert Ayler is the subject of a 2009 science-fiction novel titled Comme le fantôme d'un jazzman dans la station Mir en deroute by Maurice G. Dantec.

Starting in 2018, saxophonist Mars Williams released four CDs in a series called "Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas," featuring live Christmas concerts recorded in Chicago, Vienna, Krakow, and New York City. These performances blend holiday songs with Ayler's music.

Discography

This list is not complete.

• The Complete ESP-Disk Recordings (ESP, 2006)
• European Radio Studio Recordings 1964 ( hatOLOGY , 2016)
• The Early Albums Collection (Enlightenment, 2020) /think