Charles Gayle - tenorski saksofon solo

Brezdomec, pantomimik, klovn in glasbenik Gayle (*1939) postaja ena izmed živih legend free jazza. Njegov sound je titanski, silovit kakor
Broetzmannov ali Aylerjev, njegova spiritualna moc sega cez vse religije in
suvereno preci zgodovino (prezrtih) jazzovskih praks. Charles Gayle je v
letih, ko v NYC ni dobil spila, dejansko nekaj casa zivel kot brezdomec, na
ulici, kar 20 let zapored pa je dan za dnem vsaj pet ur
vadil/igral/improviziral/komponiral v podzemni
ali na robu velemestnih cest. Konec osemdesetih so ga ponovno "odkrili" pri
Knitting Factory, mu razprli prostor in natisnili par izjemnih albumov; ko
so ga pred nekaj leti reaktivirali se Thurston Moore oziroma Sonic Youth in
Henry Rollins (sami njegovi strastni fani), pa so njegovi spili v dolocenih
krogih postali pravi obligatum, dogodek mitskih razseznosti. A brez
bojazni -- ta razseznost je zelo ozemljena, v nenehnem stiku s kruto
realnostjo brezkompromisnega svobodnega muzicista.

Charles Gayle made his first significant impact on the free jazz scene with
a series of critically acclaimed New York performances at the Knitting
Factory in the mid- to late '80s. The tenor saxophonist's hyper-kinetic free
expressionism draws on stylistic devices pioneered in the '60s by the late
free jazz icon Albert Ayler. Like Ayler, Gayle employs a huge tone which,
more often than not, he splits into its individual harmonic components.
Timbral distortion is a key aspect of Gayle's work. His improvisations
feature long, vibrating, free-gospel melodies, full of huge intervallic
leaps, screaming multiphonics, and a density of line that evidences a
remarkable dexterity in all registers of his horn (especially the
altissimo). Gayle is also capable of great lyricism, imbued with the same
bracing intensity present in his high-energy work.

Gayle began playing music at the age of nine. Except for a couple of years
of piano lessons as a child, he was self-taught. Piano was his first and
only instrument until he picked up a saxophone when he was 19. He listened
to jazz as a teenager in the '50s. Gayle was intrigued by bebop; hearing
Charlie Parker was a crucial experience. Gayle attempted to learn
conventional harmony by analyzing sheet music and working things out on a
piano. African-American church services had an profound effect on his music.
Gayle moved from Buffalo to New York City in the '60s, where he became
involved in the city's nascent free jazz movement. Gayle reportedly taught a
jazz course at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1969, where
one of his students was the saxophonist Jay Beckenstein. There is at least
one account of Gayle playing with drummer Rashied Ali's group around 1973,
but little else is known about his activities during this period (he is not
inclined to go into details when asked by interviewers about his past).
Gayle took to playing his horn on the streets and in the subways, relying on
donations from passers-by for income. Gayle lived a mainly precarious
existence for the next twenty years. He was poor and homeless most of that
time. Following his "discovery" in the '80s, gigs and tours coordinated by
the Knitting Factory began to earn him a modest, if relatively steady
income. Still, Gayle scuffled, though he was eventually able to rent a small
apartment on New York's Lower East Side. In 1988, Gayle recorded a series of
albums for the Swedish-based Silkheart label. Their release in 1990 gave his
music worldwide exposure. Subsequent recordings for Black Saint, FMP, and
the Knitting Factory house label garnered him more of a reputation.

In the '90s, Gayle took to performing on piano and bass clarinet in
basically the same style that he displays on tenor, though the latter
clearly remains his strongest instrument. Gayle's preferred ensemble
instrumentation usually consists of himself, a bassist, and a drummer. His
concerts are almost wholly improvised, and a single improvisation can last
the length of a set. By the turn of the millennium, Gayle's concerts had
taken on aspects of performance art. Gayle began dressing as a character he
called "Streets the Clown," complete with costume and face paint, whereupon
he would perform his music and preach a religious message to his audience.
Indeed, Gayle's in-concert expressions of his religious and political views
are a source of dismay to some critics and fans, and threaten at times to
overshadow his music. -- Chris Kelsey

"Charles Gayle is becoming one of the most important free jazz players in
New York and his popularity is constantly growing in both the jazz and
alternative rock scenes /.../ Gayle has made a convert out of just about
everyone who has heard him."
--Village Voice