The years that immediately preceded
Albert Ayler's 1970 death found the saxophonist in a state of free fall that mirrored the chaotic side of his art.
Ayler had become one of the most visceral voices of the American free jazz movement, but his uproarious style wasn't selling many records and he struggled with both financial stability and mental health. His attempts at crossing over to a more mainstream sound on albums like
New Grass were largely ignored by consumers and alienated some of the fans and critics that had been in
Ayler's corner. In July 1970, he traveled to France for two concerts at Fondation Maeght art museum, which ultimately became some of the last times he would play live before his body was found in New York's East River that November. Audio from parts of these concerts has been released in various forms over the years, but
Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Fondation Maeght Recordings presents the entirety of both nights for the first time, mastered directly from the original tapes. The heightened sound quality alone puts
Revelations in a higher class than previously released recordings from these shows, but the inclusion of more than two hours of never before commercially released material paints a complete picture of just how excellent the playing was and how redemptive of an experience these shows must have been for
Ayler.
Along with vocalist/soprano saxophonist
Mary Maria Parks and longtime collaborator
Call Cobbs on piano (present for only the second night due to missing his plane for the first concert),
Ayler was joined on these dates by drummer
Alan Blairman and bassist
Steve Tintweiss, a rhythm section he'd never played or rehearsed with before these gigs. Despite that somewhat ramshackle approach, the group clicks magically.
Parks' lyrical and vocal contributions to
Ayler's music were a key part of trying to appeal to younger rock listenership, with her sentiments of peace and love giving some albums in his later catalog a hippy affect. Her improvisatory skills on soprano saxophone were never captured in the studio like they are here, and in addition to strong vocal performances,
Parks' sax solos serve as powerful counterparts to
Ayler's tenor on pieces like "Holy Holy." The band transcends with the addition of
Cobbs' heavenly keyboard contributions on the second night, softening
Ayler's fiery playing on older songs like "Truth Is Marching In" and giving moments like "Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe" a somber steadiness that was absent from the quartet reading the night before.
There's a sense of triumph and gratitude throughout every moment of
Revelations, and
Ayler's creative journey makes more sense through the lens of these complete concerts. All the revolutionary passion that may have seemed abandoned for more commercial fare is on full display in both the rapturous improvisations and more structured moments. Along with the hours of amazing previously unheard music,
Revelations shows that in his final days,
Ayler wasn't compromising his vision, but actively expanding it. ~ Fred Thomas
