Music

To many, Ayler represents the end of jazz, the logical conclusion of the evolutionary process started by Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong. Ayler himself described his music as ‘the only way left for [jazz] musicians to play – all the other ways have been explored’. You could argue that everything that has followed him is either a fusion, a recycling or a refinement of past developments. And it is this sense of Ayler as the last profound leap forward that makes him such a vital figure today, revered by the likes of guitarist John Fahey and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore as well as the likes of James Chance and Acoustic Ladyland.

Ayler only ever performed one gig in London, at the London School of Economics in 1966. This legendarily raucous performance was recorded by BBC cameras, but TV Centre bosses found it so alarming that it was never broadcast and eventually destroyed, apparently at the behest of the Director General. It seems strangely ironic that, exactly 40 years later, the London Jazz Festival (sponsored by BBC Radio 3!) should pay homage to Ayler with a concert from eclectic New York guitarist Marc Ribot. Feature continues

Ribot’s twangy electric guitar has graced recordings by artists as diverse as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, John Zorn, Tricky, the Lounge Lizards and Jazz Passengers. On Friday night at the QEH he presents Spiritual Unity, a tribute to Ayler featuring free jazz trumpet star Roy Campbell, Chicago drummer Chad Taylor and recently rediscovered free jazz bass great Henry Grimes. Grimes played on many of Ayler’s greatest albums before disappearing in 1967, presumed dead for decades, only to be found a few years ago working in a hotel in South Central LA. He’s recently been tempted back into music , and together he and Ribot explore Ayler’s music in what they describe as ‘seeking a ritual process through improvisation’, an attempt to experience the rawest moment of musical creation.

The results are raucous, ecstatic and surprisingly lyrical as they recreate the trance-like nature of Ayler’s music. Ribot’s gritty country-tinged guitar offers the perfect entry to Ayler’s blues- and gospel-based motifs, while Campbell’s fiery trumpet has something of Ayler’s storefront preacher about it. Grimes invocatory bass playing offer the spiritual anchor to the music and an explicit link to the past.

If that whets your appetite for Ayler’s music then there’s a showing on Saturday (2pm, Purcell Room) of Kasper Collin’s heartbreakingly sad but darkly beautiful film ‘My Name Is Albert Ayler’ (due to receive a full run at the ICA next year) which brilliantly captures the disturbed essence of a brilliant but troubled man. It’s followed by a free concert ‘Gathering Ghost’ (QEH front room, 4pm Saturday) featuring three stalwarts of London’s world-class free improv scene – saxophonist Caroline Kraabel, extra-ordinary singer Maggie Nichols and double bassist John Edwards.

Don’t worry if Ayler’s savage spirituality holds no interest for you. There are plenty of fantastic concerts at this year’s festival. Use our cut-out-and-keep cards on the opposite page to dip your toe in – just remember to ask an adult to help you with the scissors. Whether you’re interested in jazz legends, jazz for beginners, weird stuff, or homegrown talent, you might be surprised at how much of it you’ll love.

The London Jazz Festival kicks off with Marc Ribot’s tribute to Albert Ayler at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Friday. To win tickets to this and other LJF events, visit our website at www.timeout.com/music