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Rich Halley 4: Crossing the Passes
by AAJ Italy Staff
A trent'anni esatti dal primo album a suo nome, l'oggi sessantacinquenne tenorsassofonista (e ottimo compositore: ce lo dimostra questo lavoro) di Portland che risponde al nome di Rich Halley, segnato in gioventù dall'esperienza dell'AACM e poi attivo fra gli altri accanto a Vinny Golia, mette in luce alla testa di questo rodatissimo quartetto doti che farebbe piacere riscontrare in tanti giovanotti magari largamente più celebrati di lui. Vi si respira un'aria di grande solidità, strutture sicure e atmosfere robuste, in ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley 4: Crossing the Passes
by Dan McClenaghan
Tenor saxophonist Rich Halley kicked his recording career into high gear in 2001 with the flammable Coyotes in the City (Louie Records, 2001), a chunk of free jazz ferocious enough to scare off the feeble and the weak of heart. In a succession of CDs since then--a total of four at Louie Records before switching to his own Pine Eagle Records for five more--not much has changed. Halley is still a powerhouse sax man, in the mode of Sonny Rollins ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley: Back From Beyond
by Hrayr Attarian
Over a half a century after saxophonist Ornette Coleman launched the free jazz movement the genre is going strong thanks to such individualistic practitioners as tenor saxophonist Rich Halley. Halley's sound has matured and crystallized over the course of dozen or so albums, all critically acclaimed. On his fourteenth release as a leader, Back From Beyond, he showcases his versatility and virtuosity, switching from quiet lyricism on “Opacity" to unbridled fury on “Spuds." Regardless of style, his ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley: Back From Beyond
by Bruce Lindsay
The arrival of a new album by saxophonist and field biologist Rich Halley reliably signals a few good things: inventive composition and improvisation; tight, powerful, playing; driving grooves; a sense of humor...and squeak toys. Back From Beyond, credited to the Rich Halley 4, keeps up the pattern.Based in Portland, Oregon, Halley's extensive discography dates back to 1985. His tenor style has been compared to Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas and Albert Ayler; all three influences are discernible on Back ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley 4: Back From Beyond
by Dan McClenaghan
Tenor saxophonist Rich Halley can be relied upon to rip it up, either live or in the studio. His forte is free jazz that always seems to threaten to power into some steroidal bebop. He has released a string of fine records on the now-dormant Louie Records--including, perhaps the best of these, the no-holds-barred The Blue Rims (2003), with a piano-less quartet that included cornetist Bobby Bradford, who also played on saxophonist/free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman's considerably expanded reissue of ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley Quartet: Requiem for a Pit Viper
by AAJ Italy Staff
Con Requiem for a Pit Viper il tenorista Rich Halley fa debuttare un quartetto inedito, anche se composto da due suoi sidemen più fidati, Michael Vlatkovich al trombone e Clyde Reed al basso. A completare la formazione Carson Halley, figlio di Rich, alla batteria. Si tratta di un'opera con i piedi ben piantati nella cultura afroamericana, di cui vengono evocate alcune delle manifestazioni più dirompenti e significative. Il gruppo, infatti, passa attraverso situazioni differenti e canoni espressivi variegati, attingendo tanto ...
Continue ReadingRich Halley Quartet: Requiem for a Pit Viper
by Dan McClenaghan
It must be difficult for saxophonist Rich Halley to find a collaborative horn man who can keep up with him, who can match his free jazz ferocity and full-throttle momentum. Difficult, but not impossible. In the midst of three fine trio efforts for Louie Records, he offered up one quartet outing in which the saxophonist teamed with cornetist Bobby Bradford--best known perhaps for his work on Ornette Coleman's 1971-recorded The Complete Science Fiction Sessions (Columbia Records, 2000)--to produce 2003's The ...
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