HEALING FORCE: The Songs of Albert Ayler

For many, Albert Ayler has always been the poster child for “out” jazz; far-out at that.  Yet is is clear that Ayler remains a potent force in jazz, marked by the landmark Revenant box, the film, “My Name is Albery Ayler,” and such efforts as Marc Ribot’s “Spiritual Unity” and Vinny Golia’s “Healing Force:  The Songs of Albert Ayler,”  the latter the subject of this post. 

I was initially as much attracted as was I was put off by Ayler’s reputation for being far-out, “difficult,” strange.  I took the plunge with Ayler’s “Spiritual Unity;” after several listens, I started “to get” Ayler’s language, which I found contained as many elements of the tradition, such as New Orleans street march music, as it did of the avant-garde.  I started listening to Ayler in earnest.  He always shakes the musical cobwebs from my ears.  What is always has is the passion of its creator; that is always the mark of great music. 

Comes now Vinny Golia (reeds), Aurora Josephson (voice), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Mike Kenneally (guitar & voice), Joe Morris (guitar & bass), Damon Smith (bass), and Weasel Walter (drums, and a name that conjures the Swing era) to pay hommage to Ayler, or, maybe better, to share in his musical language.  The beauty of this dics is that it never imitates Ayler, though constantly evokes what is most compelling about him.  Golia’s tenor playing is inspired throughout, and he takes a fine turn on flute on “Heart Love.”  Like Ribot on “Spiritual Unity” Kaiser, Kenneally, and Morris use guitar to cast Ayler’s language in a new but appropriate idiom. Translating Ayler’s ecstatic tenor mode into electric and acoustic guitar somehow make sit more accessible, or perhaps less daunting, especially for Boomers and Gen X-ers raised on wailing guitar sounds.  What I was most concerned about when I slipped this disc into the CD player was Aurora Josephson’s voice in the ensemble.  It works.  Her voice has wonderful sensibility.  It fills the space between Golia’s reeds and Kaiser’s guitar.  While she very occasionally seems to channel Patty Waters, her general vocal approach is rich, resonant, and filled with intelligence.  There is almost a spiritual power to this music; it would fit in a cathedral setting.  However, it steers clear of solemnity.  There are some wonderful rave-ups on “Thank God for Women” and “New Generation.”   What is most apparent about this effort is the dedication and involvement of the musicians.  By placing Ayler in this new idiom, they have brought his “message” to more listeners, without, fortunately, making him “safe.”