ep1str0phy

If you're referring to the life of the band itself (rather than where it fits into Bowie's history), than any. The idea of the group is just so mindblowing to me that I'd like to hear more.

Did anyone here ever catch Lester's 59-piece Sho' Nuff orchestra in action? (one of the legendary ensembles that, it seems, is lost to lore--featuring many of the major AACM and BAG saxes, plus guys like Frank Lowe, Frank Wright, Charles Tyler...)

Red Callender John Carter Horace Tapscott

Ha! Both Lester Bowie and Rahsaan were great with crappy pop tunes. Take your pick.

I've seen that one all over the local stores. Now Bailey was a fine duet player... On a related note, I just purchased the "unofficial" Material album Improvised Music New York 1981 featuring--get this--alongside Bill Laswell, John Zorn, and Charles K. Noyes, the nigh-holy triumvirate of Bailey, Fred Frith, and Sonny Sharrock. It's not quite the blowing affair it could be, but it's a wicked little surprise (and some nice quasi-EAI stuff).

Something to add (and more along JS's perspective)--a quote from a Litweiler Ayler article I actually like: "The most likely explanation for his last two LPs is that this philosphically assured revolutionary was convinced of his ability to communicate within any medium." From a purely romantic perspective, that's as good an explanation as any.

Agree with Simon on these points. There's a gulf between pure "business decision" and economic dynamics conspiring with a desire for money/reaching more people. Then you factor in the psychlogical aspect, and that Ayler was living in dire straits throughout the better part of his stay in NY, and the family situation... As far as the Tyler quote (it was in the Wilmer book, I think)--I subscribe to the old time religion thing. Ayler's Christian messianism is as crucial part of the puzzle as any, at least inasfar as concerns these later years (and the motivation for reaching folks) and the tragic end...

My God, that's hilarious. (Apologies for your plight, if any.)

"with Henry Grimes and gang" ...man, what a wild, in the mix board. I sometimes feel as if you guys are just so in as part of a generation that I can only remotely admire. I heard about this exhibit, and wish I could go (writing a thesis/coping with kid stuff).

It's late, but it's nice to hear so much passion about this stuff... I'm not sure that Ayler's music ever really had a "width"--only that his music sounds truly self-designed up to the Impulse sides. I think the '65-'66 band is one of the most stylistically "centered" ensembles of the whole free generation (hence, I'm sure, why some folks don't like it). I feel as if the Impulse material is more "all over the map", if you will, but it's certainly not Ayler's map--that's for sure (that's what the Cricket New Grass review was saying, in more vitriolic terms).

Sad news--RIP...

That "mixed" group they strung together for Scorsese's "Blues" (the Electric Mud backup group + a few rappers) is a good indication of this. The younger beat/groove crowd loves the hell out of Electric Mud (maybe Verve was counting on a similar thing with the New Grass reissue?).

Glib, JS, but I guess in all the erudition it's easy not to say the basic point (I guess the way Ayler dealt with his desires for a wider audience was just less successul than, say, Ornette--and maybe that had something to do with the specific intensity of the desire, I don't know)... I like Electric Mud.

I'll concur with Soul Stream on this one. I don't have the liners with me, but Pete Brown (Cream's lyricist and one-time head of the Battered Ornaments and Piblokto!) said something very much to that effect. For my part, I think it's clear that Thiele was a driving force in the more "commercial" direction of the Impulses. However, several accounts suggest that Ayler was always involved with the prospect of reaching a wider audience (Nils Edstrom's essay on the Ayler website points to some interesting connections between the saxophonist's capacity for sound projection and his desire to affect the audience; Charles Tyler suggests in numerous spots that Ayler was making overt "commercial" concessions as far back as the Samson band; the 1966 Hentoff interview, of course, has the classic "putting more form in the free form" quote, as well as lots of stuff about reaching a wider audience). Maybe Ayler was embarassed about these later recordings, but, if so, he didn't let it show to too many people (the interviews on the HG boxed set have Ayler dishing what sounds like praise regarding the compositions on New Grass, alongside lots of stuff about the frustrations of the jazz business). Personally, I like a lot of the Impulse stuff--and not talking critically/historically/musicologically, just that, commercial machinations notwithstanding, there's some fine groove/playing there. Perhaps it's just easier to like in hindsight (I think Love Cry is pretty mark, although even Last Album--which is not quite the jarring affair that New Grass is, and probably better on the whole than Music Is...--suffers from some overly restrained playing).

Even Ayler's "Holy Ghost" had a sense of humor...

The debate over Ayler's technical and philosophical influence can go on for days and days (I for one believe that, if no one has emerged who has fully integrated Ayler's style into his/her own, then we've at least had scores of musicians who've come about just as influenced by Ayler as anyone else... Ayler's de-idiomizing, personalist philosophy carried over into dozens of "energy" players who may not have assumed so optimistic a perspective on self-liberating musical innovation). What's clear, though, is that, difficult as it is to understand Ayler, there are scores of folks who are unwilling to so much as take the plunge (which is why I admire the effort, chewy). On the death thing--Mary Parks more or less confirmed it as a suicide, but (from what I can gather) a number of guys still think it wasn't. Speculation is idle, and it's a sad loss (although, perhaps, a self-conscious one on Ayler's messanic part), but I feel as if this is one of those mysteries that the community will never come to agreement on.

Albert Ayler's body was found on November 25, 1970--he had disappeared weeks earlier, spouting messianic rhetoric (detailed in the old WIRE piece and summarized in the infamous but still valuable Schwartz biography). Whatever the circumstances surrounding his death--and they're still a point of controversy--he was a light upon the music, and surely one of the great revolutionaries in modern improv. Spinning Bells right now...

Agreed that the Ellington side acts as a good "gateway", but you gotta go with the original material to get the feel of just what that band could lay down. I think the whole run on Elektra/Nonesuch is a pretty good entrance point in and of itself. What was the deal with Woods?

A terrific player--I'm sorry to see him go. RIP.

Ghosts.

Especially as an arranger/orchestrator/composer; however fine Julius's "solo" all-sax albums were, it was a total joy to hear the WSQ cut those charts.

I put in a review of Political Blues on AAJ a while back--generally positive. The horns are still terrific, and the political content is incendiary, but the thrill of the "new" wore off a while ago. It isn't an innovative record, but it's sincere, but I don't feel as if the WSQ is out to really reinvent the wheel every time, anyhow (PB often feels like a straight soul-jazz/free/funk amalgam--you've heard it before--although the band of Downtowners and Prime Time alumni is awesome). They're still crafting fine music.

Andrew looks pretty vicious on the One for One cover...

The one Nate mentions is as beautiful a record as anything the WSQ ever recorded (let alone the whole body of sax-harmony groups), but Jim's right that everything gets sort of inconsistent. Bright spots all over the place, but some phone-ins, too.

Don't forget Brotzmann and Ronald Shannon Jackson (which certainly popped up over the course of Last Exit's existence). It seems to force Brotz into a somewhat less liquid, "groovy" bag, but it certainly worked within the context of LE.