Glen Hall: Hallucinations - Music and Words for William S Burroughs

Hallucinations: Music and Words for William S. Burroughs is a tribute to the late writer William S. Burroughs. Here, multi-woodwind specialist Glen Hall paints a moving portrait of this now legendary figure with a series of pieces that cover an A to Z sonic spectrum, complete with synthesized voices, doses of grunge-rock, blues, electronics, abstracts, middle eastern themes and just about anything else imaginable. Trombonist Roswell Rudd and Canadian based bassist Don Thompson lend a helping hand along with a large ensemble who utilize conventional instruments such as guitars, bass and drums while integrating ethnocentric instruments and something called an - electric dowl (still not sure what this is) along with samplers and tapes. It takes awhile to get a warm and fuzzy here as the music is complex and at times disjointed or harrowing in certain spots while many of these pieces are built upon fragmented themes that seem to evolve and overlap. Throughout, you will hear traces of cabaret, middle eastern modal motifs that might segue into a cool, moody swing passage or playfully reckless rock riffs along with electric guitar pyrotechnics and electronic soundscapes. Yet somehow (after repeated listens) it comes together rather nicely.

Adventurous yet at times puzzling and otherworldly, Hallucinations is quite interesting and in fact may enjoy some crossover appeal, mainly due to the disparity of the compositions along with some genre hopping. Give credit where it is due. The seldom recorded Glen Hall is a bold soul as he deserves kudos for putting this ambitious project together.........A cyclically evolving, mood evoking feast for the ears, which parallels the intriguing and often complex world of William S. Burroughs. Here, imagery prevails! * * * ½

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