Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Glen Hall: Hallucinations

Glen Hall: Hallucinations

By Robert Spencer
November 1, 1999
View read count

Glen Hall plays tenor sax, soprano sax, bass flute, bass clarinet, as well as chipping in with electronics, samples, processing, and vocals. He is heard most clearly on tenor sax on this disc, and his is a strong voice, more bop-inflected than the environment of this disc might lead a listener to expect. For this is a tribute to the late great drughead William S. Burroughs, and it is vertiginous and just plain weird enough to satisfy old Burroughs' desiccated and depraved soul.

There are spoken-word passages, "Alamout" and "Grey Fingers," backed by swirls of sonic goo and delivered with proper Halloweenish intensity by Hall and Judith Merril. Snatches of this sort of thing whirl in and out of other areas of the disc.

But in and among it all, there is the fabulous trombonist Roswell Rudd, who is always worth hearing, and that goes double here. He and Hall shine on "Cut-Up," a great strolling piece to which they contribute solos - jazz solos - of the highest quality. Rudd is even better - indeed, he is at his tailgating best - on "Splintered Carnival," on which he also provides heavyweight support for Allan Molnar's marimba. These two tracks alone are well worth the price of admission.

Personnel

Glen Hall

various

Album information

Title: Hallucinations | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: InRespect

About Glen Hall

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Essential Michael Brecker
< Previous

Steve Lacy with Irene Aebi at Divers...
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.