[2] In fact, Ayler's style is difficult to categorize in any way, and it evoked incredibly strong and disparate reactions from critics and fans alike.

[2] His trio and quartet records of 1964, such as Spiritual Unity and The Hilversum Session, show him advancing the improvisational notions of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman into abstract realms where whole timbre, and not just mainly harmony with melody, is the music's backbone.

His ecstatic music of 1965 and 1966, such as "Spirits Rejoice" and "Truth Is Marching In", has been compared by critics to the sound of a brass band, and involved simple, march-like themes which alternated with wild group improvisations and were regarded as retrieving jazz's pre-Louis Armstrong roots.

[4] Born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Shaker Heights,[5] Ayler was first taught alto saxophone by his father Edward, who was a semiprofessional saxophonist and violinist.

After his discharge from the army, Ayler tried to find work in Los Angeles and Cleveland, but his increasingly iconoclastic playing, which had moved away from traditional harmony, was not welcomed by traditionalists.

[8] Ayler relocated to Sweden in 1962, where his recording career began, leading Swedish and Danish groups on radio sessions and jamming as an unpaid member of Cecil Taylor's band in the winter of 1962–63.

In 1963, Ayler returned to the US and settled in New York City, where he continued to develop his personal style and occasionally played alongside free jazz pianist Cecil Taylor.

Spiritual Unity featured the trio that Ayler had just assembled that summer, including bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray.

The liner notes of Spiritual Unity include a brief description of the musicians on that day, July 10, 1964, in the Variety Arts Recording Studio:[12] On July 17, 1964, the members of this trio, along with trumpet player Don Cherry, alto saxophonist John Tchicai, and trombonist Roswell Rudd, collaborated in recording New York Eye and Ear Control, a freely improvised soundtrack to Canadian artist and filmmaker Michael Snow's film of the same name.

However, later in 1964, Ayler, Peacock, Murray, and Cherry were invited to travel to Europe for a brief Scandinavian tour, which too yielded some new recordings, including The Copenhagen Tapes, Ghosts (re-released later as Vibrations), and The Hilversum Session.

Spirits Rejoice was recorded on September 23, 1965, at Judson Hall in New York City, and features a much larger band than the sparse trio of his earlier album Spiritual Unity.

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music describes Spirits Rejoice as a "riotous, hugely emotional and astonishingly creative celebration of the urge to make noise.

Val Wilmer referred to his singing as "tortuous",[17] and critics have stated that "his words and vocal delivery are truly frightening",[18] describing him as having "a bellowing, untrained voice that was wavering at its most controlled,"[19] and delivering lyrics in "a manic wail".

[25] In 1967 and 1968, Ayler recorded three LPs that featured the lyrics and vocals of his girlfriend Mary Maria Parks and introduced regular chord changes, funky beats, and electronic instruments.

"'"[27]) New Grass begins with the track "Message from Albert", in which Ayler speaks directly to his listener, explaining that this album was nothing like his ones before it, that was of "a different dimension in [his] life."

He claims that, "through meditation, dreams, and visions, [he has] been made a Universal Man, through the power of the Creator..." At around this time, there were hints that Ayler was becoming emotionally unstable, blaming himself for his brother's breakdown.

"[29] Noah Howard recalled seeing Ayler that summer, wearing gloves and a full-length fur coat despite the heat, his face covered in Vaseline, and saying "Got to protect myself.

This was a return to his blues-roots with very heavy rock influences, but did feature more of Ayler's signature timbre variations and energetic solos than the unsuccessful New Grass.

[32] Ayler routinely showcased his highly untraditional personal saxophone style in very conventional musical contexts, including children's songs, march melodies, and gospel hymns.

Despite largely positive critical reception, he remained poor for his entire life and often sought financial support from his family and fellow musicians, including Coltrane.

The so-called "titans" of free jazz in the 21st century who play saxophone, such as Charles Gayle,[39] Ken Vandermark,[40] Peter Brötzmann,[41] and the late David S. Ware,[42] were all heavily influenced by Albert Ayler.

On his 1969 album Folkjokeopus, English guitarist/singer-songwriter Roy Harper, dedicated the song "One for All" ("One for Al") to Albert Ayler, "who I knew and loved during my time in Copenhagen".

Canadian artist Stan Douglas's video installation Hors-champs (meaning "off-screen") addresses the political context of free jazz in the 1960s, as an extension of black consciousness.

[53] Improvising Ayler's "Spirits Rejoice", four American musicians, George E. Lewis (trombone), Douglas Ewart (saxophone), Kent Carter (bass) and Oliver Johnson (drums), who lived in France during the free jazz period in the 1960s, perform in the installation, a recreation of 1960s French television.

Starting in 2018, Chicago saxophonist Mars Williams has recorded and released four CDs in a series called "Mars Williams Presents An Ayler Xmas", documenting annual Christmastime live concerts, recorded in Chicago, Vienna, Krakow, and New York City and featuring intertwined holiday standards and Albert Ayler music.