Mars Williams - An Ayler Xmas Vol 2 (ESP Disc, 2018) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Last year, Mar William's released Volume 1 of An Ayler Xmas, this year, the saxophonist has followed up with Volume 2, which is another celebratory mash up of holiday music delivered in the style of Albert Ayler and with reference to his signature melodies.

Unlike the first volume that was recorded with his Ayler tribute group Witches and Devils from Chicago, Volume 2 is comprised half from a European version of the band, with the tracks pulled from a date in Vienna. So for half the album, joining Williams is cornetist Josh Berman, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, keyboardist Jim Baker, bassist Kent Kessler, multi-instrumentalist Brian Sandstrom, and drummer Steve Hunt, with a guest spot by trombonist Jeb Bishop. On the the other half, we have trumpeter Thomas Berghammer, bassist Hermann Stangassinger, drummer Didi Kern, and electronics wiz Christof Kurzmann.

The album begins with the 15 minute "Xmas Medley" in which we hear piano, cello, guitar, and drums in a royal rumble while the horns play with fanfare flare. The band switches between searing solos and traditional and not so traditional holiday songs, like the quote from the Waitresses ear-worm "Christmas Wrapping". Here, Jeb Bishop's trombone solo stands out, floating over the roiling undercurrents and weaving around the song quote studded accompaniment. The track breaks down in the middle and small instruments, like the finger piano, or forlorn calls from the bass, cry out from the void. The mood changes from bleak to hopeful, as there is a chorus from "Frosty the Snowman" followed by a chorus from a traditional tune, which finally pulls the group back to its feet as they go out in squelching triumph.

The next track, "O Tannenbaum - Spritis - 12 Days of Christmas" features the Vienna band. The mix of the two bands is noticeable at the start. Someone, possibly Kurzmann (who is credited with vocals), speak/sings the lyrics of "O Tannenbaum", first the original German version, then after an instrumental passage, the socialist anthem version known as "The People's Flag". Then, the group launches into Ayler's 'Spirits' and quickly gains momentum, showing the same enthusiasm and grit as their American counterparts. They reach a collective peak as Williams and Berghammer take off in different directions. William's wraps up the track with a fiery cadenza, stark against a silent backdrop, and signals the closing moments with a piercing note.

We're then brought back to Chicago, track three being a medley of "Love Cry" and "Christmas Wrapping" (the quote returns, this time growing and multiplying). Track four is an epic "Carol of the Drum - Bells - O Come Emmanuel - Joy to the World". The closing track brings us back to Vienna for a mashup of Ayler's "Universal Indians" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", featuring Kurzman's lloopp, a heartfelt solo from Williams, and a the refrain "we wish you a merry Christmas" and, whispered with an Austrian accent, "a happy New Year".

Volume 2 is another successful installment of Christmas and Ayler cheer. Whether you are tempted to pull it out between the holidays remains up to your feelings towards the songs out of their temporal context, but with the sheer musicianship and spirited deliver makes it a real possibility. Regardless, William's Ayler/Xmas concept remains strong and holds up well against international travel.

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Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas Vol. 4: Chicago vs. NYC (Astral Spirits / Soul What, 2020) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

Last year when I reviewed Mars Williams An Ayler Xmas Vol 3, I wrote that I was hoping that this would continue to be an annual event - a new collection of Ayler/Holiday mashups to counteract the deadly ear-poison of 'All I Want for Christmas (is you)'. I also secretly wondered how Williams could keep finding new inspiration with the theme. Now, knowing the answer to both and I'm pleased to report that there is nothing to be worried about. 

One thing that keeps this idea interesting is the ever changing set of musicians joining Williams on the stage. Last year there was a collection of tunes recorded in Krakow, featuring a collection of New York and European mmusicians. The year prior it was a selection from a group in the U.S. and a group from Europe featuring musicians from each continent exclusively. This year, we have Chicago vs. New York. Some new faces join the old in Chicago, and features, along with Williams on sax and toy instruments, Josh Berman on cornet, Jim Baker on piano, viola, and Arp synth, Kent Kessler on bass, Brian Sandstrom on bass, guitar, and trumpet, and Steve Hunt on drums. Rounding out the band (even further on some tracks) in Chicago is Peter Maunu on Violin, Katinka Kleijn on cello, and Keefe Jackson on baritone sax. In New York, Williams is joined by Steve Swell on Trombone, Hilliard Greene on bass, Chris Corsano on drums, Nels Cline on guitar, and Fred Lonberg-holm on cello.

Another thing that makes this yearly (fingers crossed) installment exciting is the evolving repertoire. No, I did not go back to see which songs have been on which album and in what order, that's for someone more OCD than me to do, but I have a simple explanation: it just hardly matters. The combinations change, the interpretations range from wild (see 'Did You Hear They Found Light in Darkness Looking for Chestnuts' from Chicago) to sublime (on 'The Hanukah-xmas March of Truth for 12 Days of Jingling Bells With Spirits' from the Chicago band, there is a beautiful solo piano section from Baker which then gets poked at by Berman's cornet) and often in the same track, like the 28 minute rendition of 'The Hanukah-xmas March of Truth for 12 Days of Jingling Bells With Spirits' from NYC, where the regal melody is lightly shadowed by Cline's wavering electric guitar for a little bit before it takes everything quickly Downtown.

Of course my question is what's next? The recordings so far have drawn from touring, live situations where the audience and band have made for ever changing experiences. However, this year because of the pandemic there was no tour (though there was a live streamed concert). One may be tempted to think, following current patterns, Vol 5 could very well be a Mars Williams solo Ayler Xmas release. Who knows! 

A few notes: the vinyl version is built around contrast - it contains contains only tracks 3 & 6, which is the same medley from the Chicago and NYC groups respectively. The vinyl version does come with a download of everything. The NYC recording is also dedicated to Eric Stern, a friend and contributor to the blog, at whose concert series the NYC recording was made. 

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Mars Williams Presents - An Ayler Xmas (s/r, 2017) ****

By Paul Acquaro

I don't know what you all think, but it seems to me that a free jazz (of the fiery variety) holiday album is right on cue. I'm not in the mood for sweet, gentle, or traditional this year, there is just too much going on that is not sweet, gentle, or traditional, but I'm also not quite ready to forgo holiday cheer entirely. So, why not add a primal honk to some timeless Yule-tide melodies? I almost guarantee this is the mashup of 'Twelve Days of Christmas' and Albert Ayler's iconic 'Spirits' that you did not realize you had been missing.

Chicago-based saxophonist Mars Williams has been hosting a holiday show in the Windy City for the past several years. This year - I suppose sensing that the time was right - he has released Mars Williams presents: An Ayler Xmass, which is a live recording from the 2016 show at the Hungry Brain. The band, bestowed with the Ayler inspired name 'Witches & Devils' is: Williams on sax, toy instruments, Josh Berman on cornet, Fred Lonberg-holm on cello, Jim Baker on piano, viola, Arp synth, Kent Kessler on Bass, Brian Sandstrom on bass, guitar, and trumpet, and Steve Hunt on drums.

The album opens with 'Ma'oz Tzur (Hanukkah) - Truth Is Marching In - Jingle Bells', which is exactly what the title suggests. The song begins with a straight ahead take on the opening melody, serious, but with a dash of irreverence, then the Ayler workhorse appears, followed by a blast of an improvisation from Williams. The drums rumble behind him and the piano seems slightly out of sync, adding its own splash of color. The group gains ever more momentum until they break down into a rhythmless free-playing section that in turn ushers in 'Jingle Bells'. If you had any doubts about the concept, they must be erased by now. This is holiday music as we need it now.

To my ears, the deconstructed 'Jingle Bells' and reconstructed Ayler theme is just warm up for 'O Tannenbaum - Spirits - 12 Days Of Xmas'. A dark moan from the cello foreshadows a forlorn take on the first melody, setting the stage for the syncopated and upbeat saxophone solo which follows. Quotes from the '12 Days Of Xmas' melody begin appearing mid-way through the track before splitting off again, this time into an excellent cornet solo. The closing track 'Angels We Have Heard On High - Omega Is Alpha' begins with solo piano, but the gentle melody is festooned with Monkish intervals, Taylorish rhythmic stabs, and sustain. The horns blend perfectly with their take on 'Omega is the Alpha', bringing even more grit to the tune than in the original.

As I've said earlier, this is the right album for this season. It mixes the fire and passion of Ayler with the timeless melodies of the holidays in a serious mashup that highlights the best of both. It may not be playing at the nearby mall's Santa's workshop, but adventurous listeners, you finally have something to cue up for the Holidays this year.



In addition, Williams is taking the show on the road this year, working with a changing cast of players. After swinging through the East Coast and Chicago he'll be taking the show to Europe (See dates: http://www.marswilliams.com/ayler-xmas/).

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Mars Williams Presents: an Ayler Xmas Vol. 3 "Live in Krakow" (NotTwo, 2019) ****

By Paul Acquaro

Yeah, it's that time again! Last year, Mars William's Ayler Xmas rolled through Berlin and in a packed cellar club the quartet blazed through a set-list full of holiday madness, with Christmas and Chanukka favorites being lovingly deconstructed and glued back together with abandon. The show was even better than the album - Volume II - that had just been released. Well, as this seems to be becoming its own holiday tradition, a recording of this tour is now out as Volume III, and it's as every bit as wonderful as the time of the year.

Last time, the recording was a combination of William's American and European legs of the previous year's yuletide tour, featuring an American band on some tracks and a European one on the other. This time, the recording is from a stop at the Alchemia club in Krakow, Poland and features a multi-national mix of musicians. Aside from Williams on sax, there is also guitarist Knox Chandler and trumpeter Jaimie Branch and bassist Mark Tokar and dummer Klaus Klugel. If you think this sounds enticing enough, you're right, but there's plenty more! First, you get William's recitation of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" interpolated with the spirit of Ayler and a mariachi band. Then, you also get the absolute mad-cap mashup of  "The Hanukkah-Xmas March Of Truth For 12 Days Of Jingling Bells With Spirits" which you should not miss - Chandler's atmospherics along with the horns' intertwined mayhem is worth the listen alone. And, there is much much more.

I've said it many time and many ways, and hopefully I'll get to say it again next year: this is fun music made to make holiday listening so much better.

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Mars Williams - An Ayler Christmas Volume 5 (Astral Spirits, 2021) *****

By Kenneth Blanchard

Almost all the music reviewed at this location is shifted toward the extraterrestrial end of the spectrum. Even when the instruments and notes are perfectly ordinary, the music is exploring some dimension of sound and texture that would be entirely alien to fans of more popular genres. To put it mildly, the first time I listened to Albert Ayler’s Spiritual Unity, I really felt like I wondered into the ghost realm.

For that reason, the title An Ayler Christmas initially struck me as somewhat less plausible than a musical version of Silence of the Lambs. After spending a bit of time with it, it still strikes me that way. That is not a criticism. You might fill the theater for at least five shows with readers and reviewers from this blog.

That, at least, is what Mars Williams seems to have accomplished. I am reviewing Vol. 5 of an Ayler Christmas here. I knew Williams’ sax best from his addition to the Ken Vandermark 5 (Target or Flag 1998, Single Piece Flow 1997). He is backed up by an excellent band, including Kent Kessler another Vandermark 5 veteran. Kessler’s double bass is one third of the DKV Trio (with Vandermark and Hamid Drake).

There are really rich veins of music being excavated here. Much of the music right off Ayler’s albums, almost note for note if memory serves. I would go so far as to say that, were it not for the better recording technology, I wouldn’t be sure that it wasn’t the man himself.

Track One, “The Divine Peacemaker Plays Dreidel In Frightful Weather,” joins Ayler’s “Divine Peacemaker” with “Let It Snow.” Williams likes to pour in a lot of sound, but he brilliantly places individual players in spaces of quiet and then blends in a complimentary instrument. In my favorite moment, Peter Maunu’s lovely violin gives us a bit of fragrant Christmas incense, with is following an instrument that struck as mostly bagpipe. The effect was stunning.

Many of Ayler’s compositions sound like they were performed before a large holiday gathering. “The Angels Sing with the New and Old Ghosts in the Manager” weaves Ayler spirits with traditional melodies “Hark the Herald Angels” and more modern samples such as “Feliz Navidad” into a tapestry that is beautiful to the ear and velvety to the touch. The sixteen-minute cut begins with an Ayleresque solo that sets just the perfect mood for the larger band to come in behind of. The energy constantly builds after that and doesn’t taper off until very near the end.

The exquisitely titled third cut “Did You Hear They Found Light In Darkness” begins with honest to God sleigh bells. A horn chorus follows and the crowd of merry makers lights up. Ayler’s “Light In Darkness” finds its perfect match in “Do You Hear What I hear?” The pace is builds a church around it, on Christmas eve.

I am not sure that this is what you want to play on Christmas morning with Grandparents in attendance. Unless, of course, your grandmother happens to be Patti Smith. But if you want to cut the Christmas cookie sweetness with some genuinely brilliant free jazz, this is your next cocktail.

If you are looking for something a little less demanding, I recommend a collection Jingle Bell Jazz. If you find the right one, it has the Dexter Gordon Quartet playing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Might be the most perfect cut he ever recorded. Meanwhile hunt down Mars Williams recordings. Something for the stocking.

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Mars Williams (1955 - 2023)

Mars Williams (© Cristina Marx/Photomusix)

By Martin Schray

In addition to Post Punk, I also had a fondness for Pop and New Wave at the beginning of the 1980s. I particularly liked the Psychedelic Furs (who I discovered only with their fourth album Mirror Moves) but not for their guitar riffs (often the main criterion for whether I liked music or not back then), but because of their crazy saxophone. I can still hum songs like “Heaven“ or “Heartbeat“ by heart to this day, especially the saxophone part. The man who played these lines was Mars Williams, who I came across again in the 1990s and later, but this time as a member of the Chicago free jazz scene. Now this great musician has passed away after battling ampullary cancer for over a year.

Williams was born in Elmhurst; Illinois in 1955. His father was a jazz trumpeter who encouraged him to play an instrument and young Mars started learning the clarinet at the age of 10. However, he switched to alto and later to tenor saxophone. He attended Karl Berger’s Creative Music Workshop before studying with the crème de la crème of improvisors like Don Cherry, Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton. In the 1980s - apart from playing for the aforementioned Psychedelic Furs, The Waitresses and Billy Idol (among others) - he was a saxophonist in Hal Russell’s NRG Ensemble, which he took over after Russell’s death and where he met Ken Vandermark. In general, Williams was a man of many interests. Also in the 1980s, he co-founded the Funk and Acid Jazz band Liquid Soul and was an active member of the New York City downtown scene, playing with John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Elliott Sharp and Fred Frith. But most of all he was known for his connections in the Chicago scene, where he played with practically everyone - especially with Ken Vandermark in various groups (Audio One and the Chingiale duo, for example) and finally in Peter Brötzmann’s Chicago Tentet, for whom he composed several pieces. He also was the leader of projects like Witches & Devils, Slam, XmarsX and Mars Williams presents: An Ayler Xmas in changing line-ups. In the last years he was part of excellent bands: The European-American outfit Switchback, for example, Boneshaker (with Kent Kessler on bass and Paul Nilssen-Love on drums), Michael Zerang’s Blue Lights, Keefe Jackson’s Lightly So and the Chicago Reed Quartet. I saw him several times in Germany, where he toured quite often, possibly because he became famous as the featured artist of the prestigious Moers Festival, where he played gigs with Liquid Soul and XmarsX (among others a legendary gig with a broken arm).

Because Williams was such a prolific musician, involved in so many types of music, it’s hard to point to albums that stand out from his oeuvre. You can start with Hal Russell’s NRG Ensemble, possibly The Finnish/Swiss Tour (ECM, 1991). And of course, there are all the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet recordings, but especially the only recently released Ultraman vs. Alien Metron (Corbett vs. Dempsey, 2022) because Williams composed the track of the single-sided album. Mars Williams presents an Ayler X-mas Vol. 1-5 (on Soul what and NotTwo Records) are great fun to listen to, particularly in the Christmas season. Boneshaker’s self-titled debut (Trost Records, 2012) and Thinking Out Loud (Soul What, 2014) are great trio albums. The two Switchback albums, Live in Ukraine (Multikulti, 2016) and Switchback (Multikulti, 2015) with Wacław Zimpel on clarinets, Hilliard Green on bass and Klaus Kugel on drums are personal favorites as well as the Chicago Reed Quartet’s Western Automatic (with Dave Rempis, Nick Mazzarella and Ken Vandermark). And yes, give Mirror Moves by the Psychedelic Furs a listen.

In a message shared by Williams’ family and friends confirming his death, they wrote: “Until the end, Mars’ inexhaustible humor and energy, and his love for music, pushed him forward. As it became clear in late summer that his treatment options were coming to an end, he chose to spend six weeks of the time he had left living as he had since he was a teenager – out on the road performing night after night. Those last performances with the Psychedelic Furs will live on with all of the other incredible contributions that Mars has made as a person, and as a musician, and that boundless energy will continue to inspire." 

His life was truly dedicated to music. I will miss his soulful tone and hardly anybody could overblow notes like he could. Another great saxophonist gone this year.

Listen to Mars Williams with An Ayler Christmas: 

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Mars Williams on Corbett vs. Dempsey

By Taylor McDowell

Prior to his untimely passing in 2023 , Mars went through his own musical archive and hand-selected recordings that he wanted to be heard. After a long and winding career - dotted with numerous landmarks (like his time with the Psychedelic Furs, or later on his annual Ayler Xmas performances) - Mars dipped into a proverbial well and procured some real gems. Chicago record label/archive/art gallery/bookstore Corbett vs. Dempsey (which has a knack for producing brilliant archival recordings) released three of those titles this year.

As someone who has always enjoyed Mars’s playing, these recordings are a treasure and a homage to a colorful, storied man who made great music. Music reviews aside, this writer would like to express his gratitude to CvsD and Mars’s family for making this music available, and to Mars for his foresight, vision and for making fucking crazy awesome music.

NRG Ensemble - Hold That Thought

Hal Russell’s NRG Ensemble is kind of a free-jazz anomaly in that it lasted for so long. Founded by Russell in the late ‘70s, the ensemble continued to record and perform for two-decades. After Russell’s passing in 1992, Williams took up the torch and, joined by Ken Vandermark, continued to push the ensemble to new heights.

Hold That Thoughtwas recorded at a live show in Holland in 1996. It is an absolutely barn burner. Alongside Williams and Vandermark (holding down the reeds) are longtime NRG Ensemblists Steve Hunt (drums) and Brian Sandstrom (bass, guitar and trumpet), as well as Chicago bassist Kent Kessler.

From the onset of the dual-reed overblown passage at the start of Straight Time , to the final swinging minutes of Cut Flowers, the entire performance is a highmark of the venerable Chicago free jazz scene. Mars and Ken are a formidable frontline - punching out catchy heads in unison before diving off into freer terrain. With Hunt, Sandstrom (whose multi-instrumentalism functions as wildcard here) and Kessler as a rhythm section, each “tune” throbs with energy. Frenzied solos and wild collective improvisation bring such heightened tension to the music, and returning to the head only has the effect of launching the music into orbit. Listen to the title track to hear what I mean.

The group shifts dynamics on tunes such as Automatic Platinum, which begins with a bass-electric guitar-vibes improvisation before the theme is introduced on horns and, later Vandermark and Williams take turns ripping brilliantly wild solos. Pet Peevefeatures some snakelike playing by Williams (soprano or sopranino) and Vandermark on clarinet, and double-double bass plucking by Sandstrom and Kessler on this exotic-hued track. In the Middle of Pennsylvania is a standout and intriguing performance that is bookended with the intermingling of bowed bass, trumpet, reeds, vibes and radio (turning the knob to find snippets of music in between the static). Two spoken intros (presumably by Mars) offer a fleeting glimpse at the rapport built between this band and the audience. He introduced the last piece (Cut Flowers) and told the crowd that after that they were free to leave, to which one spectator audibly responded, “And free to stay!” It had to have been an enthralling performance and one that is fortunately preserved. Without reservations one of the best archive releases of the year. 

Mars Williams & Hamid Drake - I Know You Are But What Am I?

Recorded live at Chicago’s Empty Bottle in 1996, this recording pairs Williams with Hamid Drake in a duo setting - to my knowledge the only recording of this pair yet available. While the sound quality is a bit lacking, it actually lends to the aura that I Know You Are But What Am I? falls in the category of some legendary bootleg that has finally surfaced for production.

It begins with The Worm- a piece penned by Williams and dedicated to then Chicago Bulls NBA star Dennis Rodman. A punchy melodic/rhythmic theme is introduced by Williams and Drake before they launch into a high-octane improvisation that never wanes. The subsequent pieces I Know ,You Are, and But What Am I? are a series of improvisations that cover a broader palette of hues and styles. I Know features some sensitive and probing solo improvisation by Mars that stands in stark contrast from The Worm’s insistent drive. You Are begins with Williams on a straight horn (soprano or sopranino) playing long, wavering intonations from a distinctly “eastern” sounding scale. Drake's rolling toms propel William’s sidewinder tones before Mars cedes the floor to Drake, who projects the piece’s rhythmic foundation into a dense polyrhythmic solo that could have come from a Milford Grave’s recording. But What Am I?opens with a dual-reed statement that elicits the obvious comparisons with Rashaan Roland Kirk. The rest of the piece melds the best of their preceding performance by juxtaposing subtler sound explorations with raucous energy pursuits. On the whole, I Know You Are But What Am I? is a wonderful document of these two Chicago comrades, and one hopes that there are more archival recordings of these two in duet. 

Mars Williams, Darin Gray, Chris Corsano - Elastic

I already owned the previously released recording of this trio (culled from the second set of the same performance in 2012), so I was thrilled to see more material from this group surface. Darin Gray (bass) and Chris Corsano (drums) are Chikamorachi - a powerhouse [a]rhythm section most often heard in their collaboration with Akira Sakata. They are volcanic in every sense of the word: a pyroclastic flow that topples all in their path; magma bubbling to the surface to form strange, forbidden moonscapes; sparks and embers of erupting lava in the night sky. As far as improvised settings goes, this is one of the finer groupings that I’ve heard Mars in.

They cover a lot of ground in this live set. Set One 1and Set One 2 (Part C) are full frontal assaults that batters the senses. Corsano is omnipresent - his playing is everywhere at once, while Gray is the thunder to Williams’s lightning. While they can flex their improvised muscles, some of the finer moments are when they let the music open up to breath. The trio transforms the music into entirely different beasts - meditative, brooding, conspiring - relying on unconventional techniques that blur the distinctions between each of their contributions. In addition to fantastic playing on various reeds, Williams is credited with playing “toys” (something that comes up a lot in his works). These contributions are no mere gimmick: though it’s hard to discern what he’s doing at all times (there’s definitely a toy piano in the mix), he uses these little instruments for their percussive sonorities to add layers to Gray and Corsano’s restless soundscapes. As in the best of group improvisations, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. On Elastic, Williams, Gray and Corsano demonstrate a camaraderie that is readily experienced in the music. Highly recommended.

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