''Prophecy'' is a live album by American free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler recorded in New York City on June 14, 1964 and first released in 1975 on the

ESP-Disk ESP-Disk is a New York-based record company and label founded in 1963 by lawyer Bernard Stollman. History Though it originally existed to release Esperanto-based music, beginning with its second release (Albert Ayler's ''Spiritual Unity''), ESP b ...

label.Albert Ayler discography
accessed October 29, 2014
accessed October 29, 2014

Background

The album features Ayler's trio, with bassist

Gary Peacock Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, pianist ...

and drummer

Sunny Murray James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray (September 21, 1936 – December 7, 2017) was an American musician, and was one of the pioneers of the free jazz style of drumming. Biography Murray was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, where he was raised by an ...

, and contains five tracks representing roughly half of that evening's concert, which was taped by Paul Haines. A recording of the entire concert, including five additional pieces, was released by the German label In Respect as ''Albert Smiles With Sunny''. According to

Bernard Stollman Bernard Stollman (July 19, 1929 – April 19, 2015) was an American lawyer and the founder of the ESP-Disk record label. Biography He was born to a Jewish family in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and grew up in Plattsburgh, upstate New York, where ...

, founder of

, "released ''Prophecy'' after Albert died, without Albert's signature, but because I also had a copy of the same tape I released mine through a company in Germany... as a correct move for me and Al... tape was better quality than his and also at the correct speed, so mine sounds better." (According to

Val Wilmer Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz, gospel, blues, and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include ''Jazz People'' (1970) and ''As Serious As Your Lif ...

, Ayler's recordings for

were made "against the advice of

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...

and other musicians who thought that artists should hold out for a price commensurate with their talent." Ayler justified his decision, stating: "I felt my art was so important that I had to get it out. At that time I was musically out of this world. I knew I had to play this music for the people.") The additional tracks from ''Albert Smiles with Sunny'' were reissued by

Revenant Records Revenant Records is an American independent record label based in Austin, Texas, which concentrates on folk and blues. Revenant was formed in 1996 by John Fahey and Dean Blackwood. Revenant's 2001 box set, '' Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: ...

on '' Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70)''. In addition, all of the June 14, 1964 tracks, plus the single May 1, 1965 track from the album '' Bells'', were reissued by ESP-Disk as ''Bells & Prophecy: Expanded Edition''. The Ayler trio would go on to record '' Spiritual Unity'' less than a month later.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars stating: "Ayler alternated the simple march-like themes with wild and very free improvisations which owe little if anything to the bop tradition, or even his contemporaries in the avant-garde. Ayler always had his own individual message, and his ESP sessions find him in consistently explorative form".Yanow, S.
Allmusic Review
accessed October 29, 2014 The authors of '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' awarded the album 3½ stars, and stated that the album "was an important session in laying down some of the basic language of the saxophonist's career." All About Jazz commented: "Though the trio had honed a group sound and method comprising slow and loping or extremely fast themes; Murray's constant percussive chatter and vocal wailing providing an alternate pure-sound springboard; Peacock's constant harmonic filigree creating yet another aural web, these are presented in ''Prophecy'' as a much looser framework".Allen, C.
Albert Ayler: Prophecy/Bells Review
July 14, 2005

Track listing

''All compositions by Albert Ayler'' # "Spirits" - 7:15 # "Wizard" - 8:00 # "Ghosts (First Variation)" - 10:00 # "Prophecy" - 6:35 # "Ghosts (Second Variation)" - 7:40

Personnel

* Albert Ayler -

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Sonny Murray -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Albert Ayler 1975 live albums Albert Ayler live albums ESP-Disk live albums