Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Herb Robertson & Phil Haynes: Ritual

Herb Robertson & Phil Haynes: Ritual

By AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001
View read count

Trumpeter Herb Robertson has demonstrated his facility in (albeit unconventional) melodic settings. But he also has great potential for the "other" kind of improvised music. Ritual, a striking example of the latter, was performed on Leap Day, 2000. Recorded live to two-track in a darkened room lit only by candles (spooky!), he offers a tour of his truly vast sonic universe. With accompaniment by drummer Phil Haynes, Robertson explores some seriously extraterrestrial sounds.

By means only imaginable to this listener, he stretches the trumpet to the full limits of its sonic potential. Haynes is game for the occasional creative, punchy rhythmic interplay—but he plays much more the role of colorist than timekeeper. Thus their duets on Ritual consist entirely of free improvisation. Only toward the second half of the record does Robertson hint at any kind of linear play. The absence of conventional melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic forms creates an intriguing alternative to Robertson's more structured work as a sideman.

With their generous use of space, both these musicians make each note a deliberate act; and the dynamic range on this disc is dangerously huge. These two musicians treat structure as something to create in the moment and then wantonly destroy on a path elsewhere. As you might imagine, they occupy perilous ground.

Track Listing

Ritual Parts 1; 2; 3; 4.

Personnel

Herb Robertson

trumpet

Herb Robertson: trumpet; Phil Haynes: drums, percussion.

Album information

Title: Ritual | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: CIMP Records

About Herb Robertson

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Cynthia Sayer
< Previous

Larry Fuller: It's a Dream to Play w...
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.