AYLER YOUNG DROPS BY THE BOWERY ELECTRIC

NYC’s Ayler Young finished up his August residency at The Bowery Electric this Monday. It was my first time at this venue. Good thing I met up with Ayler outside, as he informed me that he was playing the downstairs room. Thankfully, the upstairs room would have been a little tight for him and his band of five.

The set started with Ayler being joined by twenty-two year old UK singer, Wølffe. Her voice meshed well with his raspy blue-eyed soul vocals. After a few songs with Wølffe he had to yell backstage for his band to come out and join him on stage. Whatever they were doing backstage worked. They sounded tight. The sax and backing female vocals added a nice funky feel while the flute on “You Can’t Buy Love” was reminiscent of classic Soul II Soul. I really liked his upbeat take on Etta James’ “I Would Rather Go Blind”. I believe this was his last scheduled show, but make sure to check out his website for more upcoming shows.

Article by: Michael DiGiovanni