After More Than 40 Years, a Landmark Free Jazz Album is Back in Print

In the 1970s, saxophonist Alan Braufman was part of a collective of musicians who transformed a vacant building in Lower Manhattan into a hub for New York City's free jazz scene. They lived in the building at 501 Canal Street, performed in the building, and recorded in the building. One of those performances, a free-jazz record titled Valley of Search fell out of print after its release in 1975, but over the years it developed a cult following. Now, after nearly 50 years, the record is being reissued by his nephew, Nabil Ayers.

As Braufman tells WNYC host Jami Floyd, the album provides an alluring glimpse into the small, but thriving, downtown free-jazz scene of the time.

"What we did then would not be possible today, to just move down from Boston and not have to do much at all in terms of making money to survive and spend all the time we had practicing," Braufman said.

You can hear the full interview with Braufman and Ayers about the album's legacy and the jazz scene in 1970's Downtown Manhattan above.