"My Name is Albert Ayler" at Anthology Film Archives

“One of the most starkly beautiful and moving documentaries ever made about a jazz musician." --Jazz Times (USA)

MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER
(Sweden, 2005, 79 min)

Anthology is pleased to present MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER, a new documentary about the prophetic free jazz saxophonist Ayler, who today is seen as one of the most important innovators in jazz. Ayler was obsessed with his radical music and by the thought that people one day would understand it, as he said in his own words “If people don't like it now, they will." In 1962 he recorded his first album in Sweden. Eight years later he was found dead in New York's East River, aged 34.

The documentary follows the trail of Albert from his native town of Cleveland by way of Sweden to New York, meeting family, friends and colleagues who help tell the story of his life and music. Albert himself guides us with his voice and music. Seven years in the making, the film includes newly discovered footage of Ayler and his band.

Accolades on the film from its release in UK this year:

“An extraordinary portrait of an extraordinary musician...Something of a triumph ... manages to bring its austere subject alive, turning Ayler's short, turbulent life into a compelling narrative. ... shows that, underneath the brash, proto-punk tone of Ayler's saxophone, there was a real heart." --SIGHT & SOUND

“Heartbreaking as it is, this film is a rarity and not to be missed." --ALL ABOUT JAZZ (USA)

“During his cruelly short lifetime, tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler, who died at the age of 34 in 1970, often claimed that his tumultuous, spiritual form of free jazz would be understood by audiences only after he died. ... A loving and elegantly crafted documentary that charts the saxophonist's commitment to his art ... His music, which this film will make you wish to run out and hear, is the sound of a pack of lions unleashed." --DAILY TELEGRAPH

“An excellent documentary film... about artistic integrity in the face of poverty, and of commitment to a musical vision." --THE GUARDIAN

“a tender and slightly unsettling love letter to iconic avant-garde saxophonist Albert Ayler" --TIME OUT (CRITIC'S CHOICE)

“Collin's film is a haunting mesh of old cine footage, paint-stripping live performances and interviews with surviving friends and family. A strange shot of a semi-naked Ayler, staring silently into the camera, threads through the film, as if the subject is daring you to dismiss him..." --THE SUNDAY TIMES

A loving and elegantly crafted documentary that charts the saxophonist's commitment to his art ... His music, which this film will make you wish to run out and hear, is the sound of a pack of lions unleashed." --DAILY TELEGRAPH (Sukhdev Sandhu)

“By turns illuminating and heartbreaking ... completely alters the way you hear and feel the music." --THE WIRE MAGAZINE

SCREENING TIMES: Thurs Nov 8 - Wed Nov 14 at 7pm and 9pm nightly. Add'l screenings on Sat/Sun at 5pm.

DIRECTOR IN PERSON: On Thursday, November 8, director Kasper Collin will introduce the film and take part in a post-screening Q&A.

About Anthology Film Archives: Founded in 1970, Anthology's mission is to exhibit, preserve, collect documentation about, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-garde cinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 700 films to date. Directions: Anthology is at 32 Second Ave. at 2nd St. Subway: F or V to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker.

Tickets: $8 for adults, $6 for students & seniors; $5 for members.