Corrected Discography
Disc 2 (total time: 78:41):
1. Spirits [Ayler] | Vibrations [Ayler] (18:06)
2. Holy Spirits [Ayler] (9:20)
3. Mothers [Ayler] (8:29)
4. Children [Ayler] (8:55)
5. Spirits [Ayler] (2:14)
Personnel: Don Cherry-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Gary Peacock-b; Sunny Murray-d. Jazzhuas Montmartre, Copenhagen, Denmark, 640903 (date in previous discographies given as 641105).
6. Vibrations [Ayler] (7:14)
7. Saints [Ayler] (6:38)
8. Spirits [Ayler] (4:44)
Personnel: Don Cherry-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Gary Peacock-b; Sunny Murray-d. Studio 2, Radiohust, Copenhagen, Denmark, 640910.
9. Archie Shepp interview (via telephone, no date)
Disc 3 (total time: 57:39):
1. [unknown title] (9:14)
2. [unknown title] (9:26)
Personnel: Albert Ayler, Frank Smith-ts; Burton Greene-p; Steve Tintweiss-b; Rashied Ali-d. Slug's, NYC, 6512.
3. Holy Ghost [Ayler] (9:42)
4. Infinite Spirit [Ayler] (11:53)
5. Alpha [Ayler] | Bells [Ayler] (17:24)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Michel Sampson-vln; Bill Folwell-b; Beaver Harris-d. Unknown location (probably NYC), 6610.
Disc 4 (total time: 72:30):
1. Our prayer [Donald Ayler] (4:25)
2. Ghosts [Ayler] | Bells [Ayler] (11:12)
3. Truth is marching in [Ayler] (7:02)
4. Omega [Ayler] (3:42)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Michel Sampson-vln; Bill Folwell-b; Beaver Harris-d. Berlin Jazz Festival, Berlin, Germany, 661103.
5. Truth is marching in [Ayler] (8:43)
6. Omega is the alpha [Ayler] (9:59)
7. Our prayer [D. Ayler] (7:49)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Michel Sampson-vln; Bill Folwell-b; Beaver Harris-d. Koncerthus, Stockholm, Sweden, 661110.
8. Don Cherry interview (870626)
Disc 5 (total time: 57:27):
1. Spoken introduction (1:05)
2. Truth is marching in [Ayler] (9:47)
3. Holy Ghost [Ayler] | [unknown title] | Light in darkness [Ayler] (9:06)
4. Our prayer [D. Ayler] (3:59)
5. [unknown title] [incomplete] (3:43)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Michel Sampson-vln; Bill Folwell-b; Beaver Harris-d. Tivoli Koncertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark, 661111.
6. Truth is marching in [Ayler] (8:58)
7. Japan [Ayler] | Universal Indians [Ayler] (5:42)
8. Our prayer [Donald Ayler] (8:11)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Michel Sampson-vln; Bill Folwell-b; Milford Graves-d. Newport Jazz Festival, Newport RI, 670630.
9. Truth is marching in [Ayler] (6:52)
Personnel: Donald Ayler-tp; Albert Ayler-ts; Richard Davis-b; Milford Graves-d. St. Paul's Lutheran Church, NYC, 670721 (Trane's funeral).
Disc 6 (total time: 56:38):
1. Music is the healing force of the universe [Mary Maria Parks] (7:47)
2. Birth of mirth [Parks] (10:38)
3. Oh! love of life [Parks] (7:15)
4. T.C.A. [Ayler] (9:24)
5. Heart love [Parks] (4:57)
6. A little prayer [Ayler] (5:15)
7. Holy Ghost [Ayler] (10:34)
Personnel: Albert Ayler-ss, ts, voc (4, 6); Steve Tintweiss-b; Allen Blairman-d; Mary Maria Parks-voc (1, 5-7) [ss is also listed]. Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence, France, 700725.
Disc 7 (total time: 73:41):
1. Music is the healing force of the universe [Parks] (7:35)
2. Desert blood [Parks] (10:26)
3. T.C.A. [Ayler] (7:26)
4. Oh! love of life [Parks] (9:46)
5. Island's harvest [Parks] (5:10)
6. Heart love [Parks] (5:37)
7. Ghost [Ayler] (10:55)
Personnel: Albert Ayler-ss, ts, voc; Steve Tintweiss-b; Allen Blairman-d; Mary Maria Parks-voc [ss is also listed, but not audible]. Shortwave broadcast, Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence, France, 700725A.
8. A man is like a tree [Parks] (6:43)
9. Holy Family [Ayler] [incomplete] (3:08)
Personnel: Albert Ayler-ss, ts; Steve Tintseiss-b; Allen Blairman-d; Mary Maria Parks-voc [ss is also listed, but inaudible]. Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence, France, 700727.
10. The airport tape (6:45)
Ayler group conversation with airline official: Mary Maria [Parks], Albert Ayler, and others. [Note mention of pending appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show!] Brussels International Airport, after 700727.
Disc 8 (total time: 66:24):
1. Phil Schaap, Andy Rotman, Steve Tintweiss (870701) (30:44)
2. Milford Graves (870713) (35:35)
Disc 9 (total time: 69:21):
1. Beaver Harris interview (870713), part 1 (18:42)
2. Beaver Harris interview, part 2 (9:16)
3. Beaver Harris interview, part 3/conclusion (19:43)
4. Phil Schaap & Elliott Bratton (6:14)
5. George Stell interview (with Ben Young & Steve Tintweiss), part 1 (15:24)
Disc 10 (total time: 71:49):
1. George Stell interview, part 2 (24:33)
2. George Stell interview, part 3 (8:26)
3. George Stell interview, part 4 (2:49)
4. George Stell interview, part 5 (23:05)
5. George Stell interviwe, part 6 (5:47)
6. George Stell interview, part 7 (7:06)
Disc 11 (total time: 73:58)
1. George Stell interview, part 8 (17:47)
2. George Stell interview, part 9: Albert Ayler speaks (8:44)
3. George Stell interview, part 10 (29:06)
4. George Stell interview, part 11 (2:11)
5. George Stell interview, part 12 (4:49)
6. George Stell interview, part 12 (2:52)
7. George Stell interview, part 13 (1:57)
8. George Stell interview, part 14/conclusion (6:29)
Robin Dunn has designed CD inserts for the volumes in the Tree.
Discographical Thoughts from Ed Rhodes
I have a few observations on our tree discography. Most of them will be
confined to the 1964 material; I feel I have the best handle on that. My
sense is, though, that we have similar issues throughout. This in no way
reflects on Joe's yeoman work on the tree or, for that matter, on the
contributions from the rest of us. Ayler's song titles have long been a
source of confusion. My own tack is to use certain recordings as a
reference and try to use the same title when I encounter the composition
elsewhere. This has its limitations, too. Anyway...
Disk 1, track 3: We list this under the title "Prophesy". On the ESP album of the same name, this title is used for a similar but distinct track that is played in Ayler's ballad style. This track we are distributing is in fact the same composition issued on Ayler's first Debut album - "Spirits", aka, "Witches and Devils" - under the title "Saints". It was issued a second time on the album "Spiritual Unity" under the title "Spirits". My sense is that we should use the title "Saints" to refer to this composition. Andy Wilson's comment, which I quote below, sheds some additional light on this. The title "Prophesy" is, IMO, suspect. The ESP release got most of the other titles wrong. And since the album was a posthumous release, I, for one, would want to see some confirmation from another source that Ayler used this title for any of his compositions.
Disk 1, track 7: We are listing this as an alternate take of "Spirits" recorded at the "Spiritual Unity" session. It is neither the same composition as that issued on the album of the same title, aka "Witches and Devils" - the tune which reprises a phrase from "Molly Malone" in the introduction - or the very different composition issued under the same title on "Spiritual Unity". It is, instead, the same composition issued as "Vibrations" on the Arista/Freedom album of the same title (aka, "Ghosts" on the Debut label). Andy Wilson commented on this in his June 13 email to the tree group.
"My disco states that ESP 1002 had a track named "Spirits". On earlier pressings this was the tune "Saints", later pressings this was the tune "Vibrations"."
Repeated usage suggests that the title "Spirits" is most appropriately attached to the track originally issued on Debut (the one with the "Molly Malone" phrase). The "alternate" we are distributing is a distinct title which appears in quartet versions on both the 2nd Debut album - "Ghosts", aka, "Vibrations" - and the 64-0902 date. The latter is an additional source of confusion but not with the title "Spirits". It seems to me that "Spirits" definitely does not apply.
Also, the 64-0710 date was, AFAIK, not recorded at the Cellar but, rather, at a studio that was ordinarily used to record Latin (salsa) demos.
Disk 2, track 1 (two separate titles): This may have already been
discussed. The CD track is two separate titles, "Spirits", and a second
composition that Ayler announces as "Vibrations". We list the third
composition (second track) as "Holy Spirits". The original issue of both
compositions - "Ghosts" (Debut), aka, "Vibrations" (Arista/Freedom) -
clearly reverses the two titles. By this reckoning, our discography should
read,
Track 1 - Spirits, Holy Spirits
Track 2 - Vibrations
Since Ayler's announcement runs against the Debut/Arista usage, we might be inclined to favor what the composer says. If we do that, we should remember to correct our usage when referring to the Debut/Arista release. OTOH…
Disk 2, track 6: In this case, our use of the title "Vibrations" is the same as on the Debut/Arista release. We have, then, an internal conflict. Our usage is not consistent internally, let alone when measured against other releases or Ayler's introductions. I am inclined to go with the Debut/Arista usage and call this track "Vibrations" but I'm open to suggestions.
Disk 2, track 9: I suspect that the Shepp interview comes from the same set of 1987 WKCR interviews that are the source of the other interviews in the tree. Shepp does mention the 80's in such a way as to suggest that the interview took place in that decade.
Disk 3, track 3: The title is given as "Holy Ghost". This does not seem correct. "Holy Ghost" is the little chromatic riff that was issued on Impulse's "The New Wave In Jazz". The same tune appears, untitled, on "Bells". I do not hear it here.
Disk 5, track 3: This track is also not "Holy Ghost". It also is a different composition from Disk 3, track 3.
Disk 5, tracks 6, 7, 8: AFAIK, the drummer on the '67 Newport session is Milford Graves, not Beaver Harris.
I think the 1966 titles need to be reviewed, though, frankly, I am not up to it at this point. I tried doing this when I was indexing my lp/cd collection and had occasion to check titles on the Hat Hut "Lorrach" release, the Berlin date, and the Slug's lp's against those on "Bells", "Spirits Rejoice" and the 66-67 Impulse material. I never got completely through it. My experience with this period in Ayler's career is that he sometimes interpolates the themes from multiple compositions into a single piece. Other pieces are played almost like medleys. Again, I used the protocol of referencing pieces to performances with which I am familiar. This helped me along but did not enable me to identify everything I heard.
I don't know what to say about the Mægth material in this regard.
Ed Rhodes
Last updated: 030410.