WKCR is celebrating the life and music of saxophonist Albert Ayler with a 24-hour broadcast marking his 90th birthday on July 13th, 2026. This special broadcast will preempt all regularly scheduled Monday programming. Known for a sound and style that even John Coltrane admired, Ayler remains a defining figure of avant-garde jazz.
Ayler was born in a Cleveland suburb on July 13, 1936. He first picked up the saxophone under the guidance of his father, Edward, who taught alto sax to both Albert and his younger brother, Donald. Albert got his start performing alongside his father at their local church.
After being discharged from the army in 1962, Ayler moved to Sweden, where he sat in on a handful of sessions with the Herbert Katz Quintet and cut his first record, Something Different!!!!!. Around this time, he also played with Cecil Taylor in 1962 and '63—recordings that would later surface on Revenant Records' 2004 release, Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70). His proper debut album, My Name is Albert Ayler, came out in January 1963. Back in the United States, Ayler continued working with Cecil Taylor and joined Ornette Coleman for a jam session. It was during this period that he crossed paths with John Coltrane, who became something of a mentor to him. Bernard Stollman, founder of ESP-Disk, later recalled Coltrane's reaction to Ayler's playing: "From the first moment Coltrane heard Albert play, he acknowledged that Albert was the new force, that Albert had succeeded him in terms of generations of music." Ayler's output surged in 1964. That March brought the recording of Spirits (later reissued as Witches and Devils), followed in July by Spiritual Unity, featuring Gary Peacock on bass and Sunny Murray on drums. Widely regarded as Ayler's breakthrough, the album was also a landmark for ESP-Disk—it was the label's very first release, helping establish ESP as a key home for avant-garde jazz.
WKCR is proud to honor Albert Ayler's legacy with this 24-hour broadcast on July 13th, marking 90 years since his birth. Tune in on 89.9FM or stream live at wkcr.org. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for updates on this broadcast and more. Our web stream is also available 24/7 at wkcr.org.
