Albert Ayler: His Life and Music

by Schwartz, Jeff

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First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars purely because there's really nothing else out there! It definitely comes across at times feeling like a thesis. I would also say it's out of date, but I don't know that it's fair to ding a book for that! As much as there's not a lot of Ayler material out there (written), there's some interesting insight and quotes from people who played with Ayler as well as some of his family. I wish it got a little more in depth in each era it covered, but I also understand that to some extent it's hard to get that type of information. He wasn't covered ad nauseum like a Coltrane or Miles. Hopefully (and I've heard there's something in the works) someone will have the desire and ability to go even further into Ayler's life and what made him tick. People like Henry Grimes (who was still thought dead when this book was written) and Ronald Shannon Jackson are still around, but won't be forever. The window of opportunity to talk to people that actually played and knew Ayler is closing...