Albert Ayler

Albert Ayler – Revelations

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz

Moods: Ecstatic, Uplifting, Anthemic, Passionate, Energetic, Bittersweet, Cathartic, Chaotic, Cosmic, Flowing, Free, Heartfelt, Joyful, Kinetic, Love, Spiritual, Tender

Musical Qualities: Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Extended Technique, Live Performance

Albert Ayler – Witches & Devils

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz

Vibe: Passionate, Kinetic, Transcendent, Flowing, Free, Responsive, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Thematic, Acoustic, Dynamic, Instrumental

Albert Ayler – Love Cry

Albert Ayler – Tenor & Alto Saxophones, Vocals
Alan Silva – Upright Bass
Milford Graves – Drums & Percussion
Call Cobbs Jr. – Harpsichord
Donald Ayler – Trumpet

Vibe: Ecstatic, Passionate, Anthemic, Energetic, Spiritual, Joyful, Deconstructed, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Loose, Melodic

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz

Albert Ayler – Holy Ghost

Style: Free Jazz, Spiritual Jazz
Vibe: Abstract, Active Listening, Chaotic, Energetic, Raw, Spiritual
Musical Attributes: Improvisation (Collective, Thematic, Free), Live, Lo-Fi, Instrumental, Acoustic

Albert Ayler – New Grass

One can only imagine how Ayler bringing more commercial styles like R&B, Rock, and Gospel into his avant-garde music messed with critics and fans alike when it came out—the way it looked like commercial pandering to the Free Jazz listeners but was probably still too weird for new listeners. It helps to remember that Ayler came from R&B and went straight to the Free Spiritual Jazz of the early 60s, making Jazz critics highly skeptical skeptical by not climbing the bebop ranks like Coltrane before plunging into freedom. On New Grass, Ayler really started to synthesize the spiritual elements of many forms of Great Black Music, making more accessible music not as a way of selling out, but a way of sharing his beautiful spiritual message and sound with a wider audience. Plus this thing has Bernard Purdie on drums so of course it slaps.
If you dig this LP, I think he succeeded in this sound direction even more on his following albums Love Cry and Music is the Healing Force of the Universe. Albert Ayler was a pure soul that left this world too soon, grateful for the gifts of music and wisdom he left behind.