Home » Jazz Articles » Rich Halley
Jazz Articles about Rich Halley
Rich Halley: Terra Incognita
by Troy Dostert
In a musical career that stretches back to the 1980s, tenor saxophonist Rich Halley has stoutly maintained his independent path in creating jazz that is inspired by the freedom of the '60s avant-garde but which also draws liberally from the language of bop. You can hear both Albert Ayler and Sonny Rollins in his playing. But it's not just his distinctive voice on his instrument that stands out; it's also the effort he's devoted to maintaining a steady cadre of ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley with Matthew Shipp, Michael Bisio and Newman Taylor Baker: Terra Incognita
by Karl Ackermann
Rich Halley's leader debut Multnomah Rhythms (Avocet, 1983) featured a large ensemble, a formation that the saxophonist favored for the better part of two decades. When he pared back personnel, he was equally committed to his quartet, recording six albums with trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, bassist Clyde Reed and son, Carson Halley on drums. The Outlier (Pine Eagle, 2016) expanded the quartet to a quintet with the addition of Vinny Golia on baritone sax and bass clarinet. The saxophonist downsized further, ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley: Terra Incognita
by Dan McClenaghan
Saxophonist Rich Halley usually sticks with his steady crowd. Indeed, when tallying Halley's collaborative compadres over the past couple of decades, his list of “recorded with" players comes down to a handful of names: drummer Carson Halley, trombonist Michael Vlatkovich and bassist Clyde Reed. Add cornetist Bobby Bradford on a couple of outings. The same for reedman Vinny Golia. And then there was the collaborator from the earliest days, drummer Dave Storrs, in the beginning of the new millennium.
Continue ReadingRich Halley 3: The Literature
by Jerome Wilson
Before now saxophonist Rich Halley has chosen only to play original music on all his recordings as a leader. Now, on his twenty-first disc, he changes up and goes back to what he calls “the literature," the music and musicians that influenced his career path. Most of what he covers here is by iconic jazz figures like Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman but he also reveals a few surprise influences. The music is played by a ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley 3: The Literature
by Jim Trageser
Tenor saxophonist Rich Halley decided, according to the liner notes, to make his twenty-first recording an all-covers collection. The title of the recording, he writes, comes from his thought that if “literature" connotes a body of work in classical music, then why not in jazz as well--and so he's collected a dozen of the songs that shaped his musical horizons. It's a pretty broad set of compositions, too, not just expected contributors Miles, Mingus and Monk, but Ornette ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley 3: The Literature
by Karl Ackermann
A native of Oregon, saxophonist Rich Halley spent enough time in Chicago to absorb the ethos of the AACM and intermingle the influences of Thelonius Monk, Charles Mingus, and Ornette Coleman, to name a few of his inspirations. Over his thirty-five year recording career he has worked with Michael Bisio, Bobby Bradford, Nels Cline, Vinny Golia, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Oliver Lake, Tony Malaby and many other top names. He has recorded nearly two-dozen albums as a leader, almost half ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley 3: The Literature
by Dan McClenaghan
After spending a few formative musical years in Chicago--where the winds blow the blues around--saxophonist Rich Halley made his way back to Portland, Oregon. Halley's recording career made its leap to the top shelf when he joined forces with drummer/record label honcho Dave Storrs at Louie Records. Four excellent recordings under Halley's name saw release on Louie Records between 2001 and 2005, including an early new millennium highlight, Objects (2002). In terms of style, Halley intersperses wild-eyed, fire ...
Continue Reading
