Holy Ghost: The Life And Death Of Free Jazz Pioneer Albert Ayler

Holy Ghost is the first extended study of free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler, who is now recognised as one of the most significant innovators in jazz history. Ayler masterfully synthesised children's songs, 'La Marseillaise', American march music, and gospel hymns, transforming them into powerful, rambunctious, squalling free-jazz improvisations. Some critics dismissed him as a charlatan, others as a heretic for unhinging jazz traditions. Some simply deemed him insane. However, like many geniuses, Ayler was largely misunderstood in his own time.

His divine messages of peace and love, apocalyptic visions of flying saucers, and the strange account of the days leading up to his body being discovered floating in New York's East River are central to his mystique. Yet, as Koloda points out, these elements have often served as a distraction, overshadowing his profound impact on the trajectory of jazz as one of the 1960s' most prominent avant-garde players and a major influence on others, including John Coltrane.

Richard Koloda, a musicologist and friend of Don Ayler, Albert's troubled trumpet-playing brother, has dedicated over two decades to researching this book. He traces Ayler's journey from his beginnings in his native Cleveland to France, where he received his greatest acclaim, and on to his untimely death on 25 November 1970, at the age of thirty-four. Koloda also addresses and resolves speculation surrounding Ayler's mysterious passing.

A remarkable biographical achievement and a significant contribution to jazz scholarship, Holy Ghost offers a new appreciation of one of the twentieth century's most important and controversial musical figures.