In 1970, Daniel Caux, a writer and painter associated with the Fluxus movement,[3] was asked by the Maeght Foundation to curate an art exhibition, the focus of which was the United States.

[6] The opportunity to perform in France gave Ayler a chance to step away from this situation, and to revisit the country where he had played while in the army, and where he had developed an appreciation for martial music.

However, while traveling to France with the group, pianist Call Cobbs was detained at customs, causing him to arrive late and miss the first concert.

[10] Cobbs arrived in time for the July 27 concert, a recording of which was released in 1971 as Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, and the performance elicited a very positive reaction from the audience.

Bassist Steve Tintweiss and drummer Allen Blairman work well with Ayler, making one regret that this group did not last longer and record a full set as a trio."

However, Yanow also noted that "Maria's contributions lower the quality of the performances a bit for her singing on half the numbers and chanting on 'Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe' is an acquired taste and slightly inhibits the other musicians, taking up valuable space.

"[15] Writing for Pitchfork, Mark Richardson stated: "While [Mary Maria's] spoken words on 'Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe' are on the one hand painfully dated hippie drivel ('music causes all bad vibrations to faaaade away') there's something oddly fascinating about the clash between her sentiments and Ayler's insane screeches.

He's screaming through his tenor, pinching it to sound like a kazoo as the force of his wind drives it up a few octaves, and yet Maria's words ('it makes one want to love instead of hate, it puts the mind in a healthy state of thought') imply that what they're doing is a universal expression of affection and warmth."

"[17] In an article for All About Jazz, Mark Corroto noted that not only was Ayler without his keyboard player Call Cobbs, but that he was also without his brother Donald, who had suffered a breakdown.

"[18] Clifford Allen, writing for Paris Transatlantic, commented: "What is immediately apparent with these Maeght sessions is that, among the rhythm sections that Ayler employed, Tintweiss and Blairman are the closest approximation of the Grimes-Murray team that graced some of his earlier recordings."