The New Jazz Musings

Albert Ayler was loved by many, both as a musician and a person. Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) was a highly influential New York based African-American poet, writer and critic who became a leading advocate of Black Nationalism in the 1960s. He first met Ayler in 1963 and saw him as a proponent of Mao's "The Great Disorder" and a leading Avant-Gardist, but with roots deep into African-American culture. He felt the power in Albert's playing reflected Black Power, the assertion of a rightful place. John Coltrane also loved Ayler, promoted him, and got him signed to Impulse Records, releasing Live in Greenwich Village. Musicians playing on the live album included Joel Freedman and Michel Samson. Joel Freedman Joel Freedman was one of the pioneering wave of cellists in the new music in New York. Active in several groups at the time, he came to Ayler’s attention while playing in a Jazz Composers’ Guild concert in March 1965. “I have a confession to make: Befo...

1965 was a stellar year for John Coltrane, only two years away from his untimely death from liver cancer. His spirituality found its voice the year before, recording A Love Supreme on December 9 th and 10 th at Van Gelder’s studio. ALS was released in February 1965 and garnered attention through Impulse’s ‘teaser’ advertising and disc-jockey promotions. By 1965 Bob Thiele was increasingly signing contemporary younger artists based on the word of John Coltrane. Initial sales would not be stellar for those artists, but Impulse had been a catalogue label, frequently re-issuing records. ALS started slowly but picked up through 1965 causing a re-pressing earlier than normal at Impulse. By the end of the year it was winning popularity polls. Through 1965 John Coltrane logged no less than thirteen studio sessions, including New Jersey, New York, San Francisco, and Washington (State). He was recorded live in Seattle, Los Angeles, Newport RI, Paris and Antibes, France. He would vary ...