Rich Halley & Carson Halley: The Wild

Rich Halley & Carson Halley document their duo practice on The Wild with a series of no-holds-barred improvisations. The saxophonist father and his drummer son have been pursuing their spontaneous music making for decades at home, long before Carson first recorded with the Rich Halley Quartet featuring Bobby Bradford in 2008. They each bring influences from all over the map, with the younger man citing Rage Against The Machine and Elliott Smith, among others, while Rich has clearly listened to and learned a lot from musicians like John Coltrane, Fred Anderson, and Gene Ammons. When the saxophonist threatens to explode on the spot, the drummer keeps him grounded with his flowing percussion. From Memory is a good example of Carson maintaining a groove while Rich blows up a storm. Most of the pieces are imbued with a good-natured frenzy, but they can get gentle as well, as on the lovely Snake Eyes. No matter what they’re up to at any given moment, the pair is “still just playing the blues,” as Carson writes in a brief liner note. Family bands always have a special connection, and here, in stripped down form, is the latest proof. Definitely recommended.
Pine Eagle 010; Rich Halley (ts, wood fl) Carson Halley (d); Portland, OR, June 27 & August 27, 2015; Wild Lands/ Progenitor/ Flat Plane of the Sky/ The Stroll/ Cursorial/ The Old Ways/ From Memory/ The Recon/ Snake Eyes/ Notes From the Wild Lands; 59:35. www.richhalley.com

Luca Sisera Roofer: Moscow Files

The Swiss bassist Luca Sisera and his bandmates in Luca Sisera Roofer recorded Moscow Files in the Russian capitol with the added presence of alto saxophonist Alexey Kruglov. As the jacket notes, this music is “absolutely live improvised,” with “no edits, no overdubs, [and] no fixes,” a mode of operation that can end in triumph or disaster depending on the talents and mutual attentiveness of the participants. It’s all very precarious, as the group no doubt realizes, judging by the whimsical cover photo (from a series by Martin Baumgartner called Unsafies) of a person standing atop an open refrigerator door. That person could fall at any moment, but for now stays aloft, just like the music. By turns boldly noisy, quietly intense, or wistfully melodic, these free improvisations sometimes welcome the listener while at other times the music can keep the listener at arm’s length. While I’m particularly fond of We’re REW!, a fairly gentle exercise featuring the entwined saxophones of Kruglov on alto and Michael Jaeger on tenor, there’s always something fascinating going on in this music. The song titles, by the way, are palindromes devised by Kruglov, whose alto sax acts as catalyst and instigator throughout this fascinating and successful encounter. Recommended.
Leo CD LR 811; Maurus Twerenbold (tb) Alexey Kruglov (as) Michael Jaeger (ts) Yves Theiler (p) Luca Sisera (b) Michi Stultz (d); Moscow, Russia, March 2017; Music is UM/ Re: Foo? Roofer!/ S... Use , ask saxes, us!/ We’re REW!/ Ac ultra art - Luca!/ Maurus sur U. Am./ E.t.c. A ton did not act E./ Use caps, slee, free jazz. A leer feels space.au; 40:17. www.leorecords.com