Search - Albert Ayler :: Bells / Prophecy

Strange pairing, but fantastic and exhilarating music

Jessamine | Free, USA | 01/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Bells / Prophecy" is a combination of two similarly titled live albums. The two albums don't really feel right on the same release, as the line-ups and music are radically different, and recorded about a year apart during a highly transitional period.



"Prophecy" was recorded on June 14th, 1964 at the Cellar Cafe in New York with the "Spiritual Unity" trio of Ayler, Murray, and Peacock. This was less than a month before they would enter the tiny ESP studio and record their groundbreaking album. The music on this date is very similar in feel to "Spiritual Unity," although the trio stretches things out a bit more. I've heard some folks describe it as less a less focused performance than what was captured on "Spiritual Unity," or even downright meandering, but I don't agree with either characterization. The trio is certainly exploring more territory here, whereas "Spiritual Unity" seems to represent more of a distillation of these live experiments, but the results here are just as exciting, although the trio is perhaps not as startlingly telepathic as they are on the studio album. However, they seem to more thoroughly explore some musical territory in this live setting. The biggest drawback is the somewhat marginal sound quality (this was a tape recording of the show), and audience chatter and general background noise (clinking of glasses, etc) is a slight distraction from the music, although the album is not at all unlistenable. The sound quality is the primary reason for the 4 instead of 5 star rating. For fans of "Spiritual Unity" this required reading.



"Bells" finds Albert moving closer to the sound that is so magnificently captured on "Live in Greenwich Village," although without the defining violin foundation. This live show was one of the early live vettings of Albert's new direction and his brother Don's trumpet playing. Recorded on May 1st 1965 at New York's Town Hall, there are only 19 minutes of music here (hence the pairing with Prophecy), and this was originally released as a one-sided LP. The music is continuous for the 19 minutes, and this raucous medley of repetitive marches represents at least three songs: Holy Ghost, No Name, and Bells. The first five minutes are comprised mostly of very intense free improvisation and on my first listen I was admittedly a bit nervous that I would be able to make it through the entire piece, given the level of shronking chaos. Don's skittery trumpet leads the way intitially, and adds tremendously to the feel of this music thoughout. "Skittery" is the simplest and most accurate description of Don's playing that I have heard, and I borrow the term here from Val Wilmer, who recently used it in Don's obituary. The piece mellows a bit after the first five minutes and branches out to explore the more structured musical territory of repetitive, march-like themes - although spontaneous, free improvisation occurs throughout. If you need to clear a crowded room, the first thirty seconds of this album ought to do it."

Live explorations from Albert Ayler.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 09/14/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Bells / Prophecy" combines two live shows, originally released separately on ESP, "Prophecy", recorded in June 1964 for Albert Ayler's then working trio (Ayler on tenor, Gary Peacock on bass and SUnny Murray on drums), and "Prophecy", recorded in May of 1965 after Ayler returned from Europe with an expanded band, including his brother Don Ayler on trumpet replacing the departed Don Cherry, alto saxophonist Charles Tyler, bassist Lewis Worrell, and Sunny Murray on drums. I'll address the two sets separately.



The "Prophecy" show is an exciting one-- Ayler had worked with Murray with Cecil Taylor and on his previous studio record (released as either "Spirits" or "Ghosts"), and Peacock was part of his working band, and it's really a testament to these two men, neither of whom had played with Ayler for more than several months, that they both "get" his music and integrate themselves in it-- Murray presents a framework of sorts on which the other two perform-- implying rhythms, beats, but never actually stating them, whereas Peacock mostly plays counter to Ayler (by their studio session a month later, Peacock would find a way to inhabit a rhythmic function in addition to this counterpoint role). "Ghosts, First Variation" is probably the best example of this, Ayler states his memorable theme explosively and Peacock hangs back, playing a countermelody and letting Murray fill as much space as possible. The performance as a whole remains in this sort of light, and while "Prophecy" seems to meander a bit aimlessly, it comes reeling in on "Ghosts, Second Variation" (which is really a piece called "Spirits" blended with elements of the "Ghosts" theme) in its explosive and exciting playing.



"Bells" is a bit less exciting as a piece than it is revelatory for establishing direction for Ayler-- his bands for the next several years would include his brother Don on trumpet and other musicians in addition to his rhythm section -- most interesting though is the change in style the piece manifests during its time-- the first two parts of the track are Ayler's compositions "Holy Ghost" and "No Name" (the latter features some positively dreary-- in a good way-- soloing from Ayler with Murray in total sympathy) before moving into "Bells" proper. The piece involves a number of march-like themes that are almost always played, even when someone is soloing its not uncommon to hear a theme in the foreground or background by one or more horns. This is by and large the direction Ayler would start pursuing for the next several years, with horns providing the rhythmic foundation his drummers so often leave behind. The result is intriguing, although Ayler would get better at it on future recordings.



This reissue, from ESP-Disk in New York again for the first time in a long time, features superb remastered sound comparable if not better to any of the issues that have come out of Europe. Regardless of sound though, the performances have their moments but Ayler has done better, both in his early and his middle period."