Jazz Articles about Rich Halley

About Rich Halley

Extended Analysis

Rich Halley: Crossing The Passes

by Dave Wayne
October 17, 2013

In the popular media, jazz is seen as a completely urban phenomenon. There's plenty of precedent for this. It's not worth going into here. But the mere mention of the word “jazz" evokes images of neon- illuminated city streets, ice cubes tinkling in rock glasses, lit cigarettes, and bustling nightlife. For some, though, jazz is not about place. It's about spirit; a spirit unfettered and free in thought and action. Free enough to chip away at long-held archetypes to reveal ...

Album Review

Rich Halley 4: Crossing the Passes

Read "Crossing the Passes" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
July 8, 2013

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 ...

Album Review

Rich Halley 4: Crossing the Passes

Read "Crossing the Passes" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
May 7, 2013

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 ...

Album Review

Rich Halley: Back From Beyond

Read "Back From Beyond" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
July 13, 2012

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 ...

Album Review

Rich Halley: Back From Beyond

Read "Back From Beyond" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
June 26, 2012

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 ...

Album Review

Rich Halley 4: Back From Beyond

Read "Back From Beyond" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
June 8, 2012

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 ...

Album Review

Rich Halley Quartet: Requiem for a Pit Viper

Read "Requiem for a Pit Viper" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
December 13, 2011

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 ...