Zero Point - Plays Albert Ayler

Jeff Stockton, AllAboutJazz

1964 was a watershed year for Ayler. He formed his seminal trio with drummer Sunny Murray and bassist Gary Peacock and recorded Spiritual Unity, an album whose influence and stature can be heard in the music of Zero Point, an obscure free jazz trio based in, of all places, Mexico City. Plays Albert Ayler is among the titles offered by Ayler Records exclusively as a digital download and the MP3s add to the feeling that this is a secret document, that you are among the privileged who’ve heard it. Saxophonist German Bringas doesn’t attempt to match Ayler’s unmatchable vibrato and his switching from alto to tenor mitigates a bit of the power one associates with Ayler’s attack, but when Itzam Cano’s bass resonates, it underscores Peacock’s remarkably influential technique and Gabriel Lauber maintains a swirling continuous rhythm that flows from Murray’s sui generis style.
This band is a shining example of Ayler’s global reach.