Rich Halley Trio: Objects

Each member of Rich Halley's improvising trio participates equally in this session of free activity. Theirs is an avant-garde adventure intended to evoke some impressionistic value to each piece. While Halley's song titles mean very little at the outset, they allow the listener to attach meaning to the music. Since "Objects" is filled with motion and various textures, it tends to relay the energy found in a room full of dancing swingers; or head-bobbing members of the trio's audience. The wood flute incantation, atonal string bass chants, and native drumming of "Thickets/Pavement" reveal a natural, contemporary landscape that is quite similar to what Halley had worn in last year's Coyotes In The City. "The Search" asks questions. Don't you still get a thrill when small children ask you how things work? We all love to share; particularly where there is a need. Halley applies this common feeling, as his soprano saxophone whines incessantly. Clive Reed and Dave Storrs provide responsible answers. "Grey Stones" drives up-tempo across the country with a square attitude like that of "Milestones." Here, as in several other pieces, Halley's tenor infuses a fair amount of swing to the program. "Back in the 400 Club" starts out that way. Halley's can't-miss soprano blues places the listener in a relaxed setting where friends are friends and the daily routine maintains a respectable comfort level. Gradually, the trio drifts toward its rigorous workout to the beat of forceful bass & drums, along with Storrs' scatting. The trio builds higher and higher, until all the energy is spent. "Over the Rainbow" brings a different kind of pleasure. The lovely anthem serves as a basis for theme and variations, as Halley, Reed and Storrs ply the mainstream. Accessible and recommended, Objects represents a time for sheer enjoyment and a time for prolonged contemplation.