unadorned, from the Black church... It often seemed as if the church were the very place for which this music was intended." In his liner notes, David Keenan wrote that the music "feels... like a last great summoning of powers... He draws on a huge reservoir of technique, digging deep into blues and gospel music and opening out to the roar of the cosmos... Ayler has rarely sounded so stately and - paradoxically - so at peace with himself... a lot of the material here feels as if he's finally come full circle, content to wrestle folk truths from the simplest of phrases, reducing the material to its most primal phonetics." He concludes by calling the recordings "uncomfortable epitaphs, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes frustrating but above all, reassuringly human". Jeff Schwartz, bassist, Ayler biographer, and author of "Free Jazz: A Research and Information Guide", noted that the styles of Tintweiss and Blairman "do not fit with Cobbs and Ayler's work", but wrote: "Cobbs and Ayler have never sounded better together. The gospel feels groove hard, and their work is telepathic on the ballads, such as 'Spiritual Reunion' and 'Universal Message.' Ayler's saxophone mastery is at its apex, as he plays in every register of the horn with incredibly flexible tone, articulation, beautiful melodic ideas, and solo structure. He still uses the hysteria he had developed on his 1965-66 recordings, but it takes its place alongside blues, tragic ballad, diatonic (march/hoedown), and Coltrane-like styles in his palette. Albert's achievement here is to unite the entire history of the saxophone, and make it serve his improvisational whim." In 1971, the album was awarded the Grand Prix International du Disque by the Charles Cros Academy, as well as an "In Memoriam" Prize by the Académie du Jazz. Track listing Volume 1 "In Heart Only" – 5:16 "Spirits (New Ghosts)" – 15:05 "Holy Family" – 11:44 "Spirits Rejoice" – 7:26 Volume 2 "Truth Is Marching In" – 8:10 "Universal Message" – 8:17 "Spiritual Reunion" – 7:57 "Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe" – 10:00 Recorded July 27, 1970 at the Maeght Foundation in St. Paul de Vence, France. Musicians Albert Ayler (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone) Mary Maria (vocals, soprano saxophone) Call Cobbs (piano) Steve Tintweiss (bass) Allen Blairman (drums) References 1970 live albums Albert Ayler live albums Shandar albums