Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village

Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village
Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village
Live album by Albert Ayler
Released	1967
Recorded	December 18, 1966/February 26, 1967
Genre	Jazz
Length	37:28
Label	Impulse!
Producer	Bob Thiele
Albert Ayler chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[2]

Albert Ayler In Greenwich Village is a 1967 live album by free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler. It was his first album for Impulse! Records, and is generally regarded as being his best for the label.^[3]

Originally released on LP, the album has since been reissued on CD.

Background[]

At the urging of John Coltrane, Impulse! Records' first recordings of Ayler were made live. A single track recorded at the Village Gate in 1965 was released on the album The New Wave in Jazz and Albert Ayler in Greenwich Village was recorded at the Village Vanguard and Village Theatre, New York City in 1966 and 1967.^[4] Unusually, Ayler plays alto rather than his more usual tenor on the opening track, a tribute to Coltrane, who was present when the two tracks on side two of the album were recorded. The two versions of Ayler’s band heard on the record both feature two bass players, which "sharpens the sound considerably, producing a rock-solid foundation for Ayler’s raw witness".^[5]

Further tracks from the same performances were released on the double album The Village Concerts, and both albums, along with the 1965 track mentioned above and one further track, were combined to produce the double CD album Live in Greenwich Village: the Complete Impulse Recordings.

Track listing[]

All tracks composed by Albert Ayler (except where noted)

"For John Coltrane" – 13:38
"Change Has Come" – 6:24
"Truth Is Marching In" – 12:43
"Our Prayer" (Donald Ayler) – 4:43

Personnel[]

Performance[]

Albert Ayler – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Donald Ayler – trumpet
Bill Folwell – bass
Joel Friedman – cello
Henry Grimes – bass
Beaver Harris – drums
Michel Sampson – violin
Alan Silva – bass

Production[]

Barbara Flynn – design
Robert Flynn – design
Nat Hentoff – liner notes
George Klabin – engineer
Joe Lebow – design
Charles Stewart – photography
Bob Thiele – producer

References[]

^ Allmusic review
^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 15. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
^ Allmusic: In Greenwich Village – Overview
^ Kahn, A.: The house That Trane Built: London, Granta Publications, 2006
^ Cook, R. and Morton, B.: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, 8th ed.: London, Penguin Books, 2006

[1] Allmusic review

[RSJRG-2] Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 15. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.

[3] Allmusic: In Greenwich Village – Overview

[4] Kahn, A.: The house That Trane Built: London, Granta Publications, 2006

[5] Cook, R. and Morton, B.: The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, 8th ed.: London, Penguin Books, 2006

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