Out There: ayler.co.uk
Notable jazz resources online and elsewhere.
Albert Ayler was a most unique musician. Patrick Regan’s website about the great saxophonist, ayler.co.uk, will celebrate its 25th anniversary in a few months (which means that it launched just a couple of years after Google and predates both Facebook and YouTube). The website contains biographical notes and a detailed discography fit for day-to-day navigation of Ayler’s recorded work. A page brings the focus on Donald Ayler and another on the complicated question of inconsistent tune titles. Most resources would end there, but this is just a start. Next comes an an extensive, full-text, archive of the press coverage Ayler has received over the years, starting with early 1960s articles from his Cleveland hometown. Reviews of many live performances are hosted, as are a large volume of record reviews and magazine covers that featured Ayler. Access to this material in its original form—with all its often off the mark messiness—is invaluable, as it constitutes an integral part of the story of Ayler’s music coming into contact with the world at large. Are there many more extensive online collections of material about a single jazz musician? I am not sure.
Patrick Regan’s website performs another valuable function: it acts as a record of the interest (or absence thereof) in Ayler’s music over time. It includes a chronological repertoire of the Ayler compositions recorded by others and of the dedications made to him, with both listings pointing to unforeseen corners of various musical undergrounds. The website is updated every first of the month, additions are discussed on the What’s New page and reader contributions are welcome. What’s New inevitably becomes What’s Old, and the page’s 25 years' worth of monthly updates (and humorous non-news) would constitute a prime source for researchers trying to reconstitute the spotty history of the concern with one of avant-garde jazz’s primary exponents. Don’t be fooled by the website’s strong commitment to its original year 2000 look. It is an up-to-date, comprehensive, and outstanding resource.