Spiritual Unity

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Spiritual Unity
Studio album by Albert Ayler

Publication
(s)

1965

admission

July 10, 1964

Label (s) ESP disk

Format (s)

LP

Genre (s)

Free jazz

Title (number)

4th

running time

29:19

occupation Albert Ayler, Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray

production

Bernard Stollman

Studio (s)

Variety Arts Recording Studio

Location (s)

New York City

chronology
Prophecy (1964) Spiritual Unity New York Eye and Ear Control (1964)

Spiritual Unity is a music album by the American jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler , which he recorded together with the American jazz bassist Gary Peacock and the American drummer Sunny Murray , his Albert Ayler Trio. It was recorded for the ESP disk label and was a key work of free jazz that brought Ayler international attention because it was so "shockingly different". The album, recorded in 1964 and published in 1965, has a total of four tracks in its original version, including two versions of Ayler's most famous composition, Ghosts .

The album

The recording session that led to Spiritual Unity was ESP-Disk's first jazz recording. It took place on July 10, 1964 at the Variety Arts Recording Studio, near the Times Square in New York City and in not entirely professional conditions. The session started after 1pm in the afternoon. According to the description of the record label, "the sound engineer fled the control room for some time during the session, but returned in time to change the tape for the next recording." And although the owner of the ESP disc label, Bernard Stollman, did one Wanted to have a stereo recording, he only received a mono recording, but this was perfectly recorded and mixed. The musicians were paid and signed the recording agreements right after the session at a nearby café.

The contributors

The musicians and their instruments

The production staff

  • Artistic Design - Jay Dillon
  • Design - Jordan Matthews
  • Illustration - Howard Bernstein
  • Producer - Bernard Stollman

The playlist

  • Albert Ayler: Spiritual Unity (ESP-Disk - ESPS 1002)
  1. Ghosts: First variation - 5:12
  2. The Wizard - 7:20
  3. Spirits - 6:46
  4. Ghosts: Second variation - 10:01

All compositions are by Albert Ayler.

The reception

The music critic Ekkehard Jost wrote that “Ayler's negation of fixed pitches has a counterpart in Peacock's and Murray's negation of time. In no jazz formation of this time is so little to be heard of a constant rhythm [...] Absolute rhythmic freedom often leads to three independent rhythmic levels. ”Maintaining these qualities requires strong interaction between the group. Ayler himself said of the album: "We didn't play, we listened to each other". Commenting on the album, Brian Morton and Richard Cook say, "In short, it remains a music album of insatiable power and authority, but there is also comedy beneath the surface and a humanity that is seldom appreciated." The Penguin Guide to Jazz took that Album into his "Core Collection" and awarded it a "Krone". Steve Huey gave Allmusic 5 out of 5 stars and said: “A musical milestone that is essential for a fundamental understanding of free jazz.” The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide also gave 5 out of 5 stars.

literature

  • Valerie Wilmer: As Serious As Your Life: The Story of the New Jazz. Quartet, London, ISBN 0-7043-3164-0 .
  • Ekkehard Jost: Free Jazz (= Studies in Jazz Research. No. 4). Universal Edition, 1975.
  • Richard Cook: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. 8th edition. Penguin, New York 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .
  • J. Swenson: The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. Random House / Rolling Stone, 1985, ISBN 0-394-72643-X .
  • Brian Morton, Richard Cook: The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums. Penguin Books Ltd., Kindle version, 2011, ISBN 978-0-14-195900-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Valerie Wilmer: As Serious As Your Life: The Story of the New Jazz. Quartet, London, ISBN 0-7043-3164-0 , pp. 105 .
  2. ^ Spiritual Unity. discogs.com, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  3. ^ Spiritual Unity. espdisk.com, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  4. ↑ Ekkehard Jost: Free Jazz (=  Studies in Jazz Research . No. 4 ). Universal Edition, 1975, p. 128 (English): “Ayler's negation of fixed pitches finds a counterpart in Peacock's and Murray's negation of the beat. In no group of this time is so little heard of a steady beat [...] The absolute rhythmic freedom frequently leads to action on three independent rhythmic planes. "
  5. ^ Brian Morton, Richard Cook: The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1000 Best Albums . Penguin Books Ltd., 2011, ISBN 978-0-14-195900-9 (English, books.google.de - Kindle version, restricted view): “Brief as it is, it remains a record of immitigable power and authority, but there is humor under the surface and a humanity that is rarely acknowledged ”
  6. ^ Richard Cook: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 8th edition. Penguin, New York 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 , pp. 54 .
  7. ^ Spiritual Unity. allmusic.com, accessed on May 31, 2017 (English): "A landmark recording that's essential to any basic understanding of free jazz."
  8. ^ J. Swenson: The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . Random House / Rolling Stone, 1985, ISBN 0-394-72643-X , pp. 16 .