Rich Halley 4: Dusk And Dawn

  Portland, Oregon saxophonist Rich Halley has the best of two worlds in the Rich Halley 4. On Dusk And Dawn, he gets to collaborate with his son Carson Halley on drums, and with a pair of very long-term (26 years and counting) musical companions in the persons of trombonist Michael Vlatkovich and bassist Clyde Reed. That’s a lot of experience to pack into this energetic collection of four Halley originals alternating with a trio of group improvisations. I’ve been fortunate enough to hear all of these musicians live many times over the years, and it’s always a joyous occasion to spend time with them. The combination of Halley’s tenor roar, Vlatkovich’s sly trombone, Reed’s grounded bass, and Carson Halley’s uncluttered but forceful drumming gives the music an undeniably positive and searching spirit. The original compositions leave plenty of room for improvising within the form. The group improvisations, on the other hand, allow for spontaneously generated melodies. At times, it is easy to be unsure of whether or not the underlying structure was written or improvised. But it doesn’t really matter, since the music maintains its grasp on the listener at all times. Especially remarkable passages include the unaccompanied trombone and bass dialogue in Retrograde, the soothing opening section of After Dawn, the swaggering Spatter with a typically rapturous tenor solo and a talkative trombone solo, and Carson Halley’s superbly constructed drum solo on Stretching the Sinews. Dusk And Dawn is. for this listener, a gas from start to finish. Check it out and you’ll probably agree. 

Pine Eagle 016; Michael Vlatkovich (tbn) Rich Halley (ts) Clyde Reed (b) Carson Halley (d); Portland, OR, November 18-19, 2023; Spherical Aberaton [sic]/ The Return/ Retrograde/ After Dawn/ Spatter/ Stretching the Sinews/ The Hard Truth; 52:46. richhalley.bandcamp.com

Rich Halley: Fire Within

  Fire Within is the third collaboration between saxophonist Rich Halley and pianist Matthew Shipp’s trio with Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums. Their rapport is inspiring through five collectively composed performances. The level of unconscious synchronicity the quartet displays is genuinely uncanny, as the musical focus shifts from player to player with an intuitive logic. Halley, with a formidable command of his instrument, seems more ruminative than I’ve heard him play in the past. While his tone may be a bit lighter, his imagination hasn’t flagged at all. Angular Logic offers some of his most robust and excitable playing of the session, provoking the rhythm section into some complex and upbeat areas. The always wonderful Matthew Shipp is in very fine form, accompanying Halley with immense sensitivity and soloing with a delicious sense of propulsion. With his big sound, bassist Bisio holds down the bottom with a calm and measured approach to his improvisations. Baker, who lays out often, is a vigorous and sensitive drummer, perfectly attuned to the needs of the music. His African-flavored opening to Following the Stream sets the stage for a turbocharged exploration of the many possibilities of the format, from a calm piano solo to furious onslaughts of sound from Halley’s tenor sax. Only the brief and moody Through Still Air, with its focus on Bisio’s whiny arco playing, failed to excite me. Fire Within presents a formidable improvising ensemble, well worth hearing. Definitely recommended. 

Pine Eagle 015; Rich Halley (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, July 12, 2023; Fire Within/ Inferred/ Angular Logic/ Through Still Air/ Following the Stream; 54:31. www.richhalley.com

Rich Halley: Terra Incognita

Pianist Matthew Shipp’s working trio with  Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums is capable of generating plenty of sparks when they convene. Add the tenor saxophonist Rich Halley, and the proceedings grow downright combustible on Terra Incognita. Halley is based in Portland, Oregon, but he travels annually to northern California in May for a small jazz festival that he curates. When Shipp, Bisio, and Baker came to the 2018 festival for a trio set, Halley played in a trio on the following day with Bisio and Baker. This studio recording came together that August, with the saxophonist making his way to Brooklyn for the date. Working in this quartet format is something of a departure for Halley, who hasn’t recorded with any pianist since 1988. His tenor commands your attention for his rugged and muscular sound, dense with passion and displaying an almost endless imagination. Each of the six spontaneous compositions are credited to all four musicians, with Baker’s crisp and direct drumming often used as the starting point. From the sauntering Forager and the graceful The Elms to the tempestuous title track, the players find plenty of common ground to explore. Especially worthy of note are Shipp’s relaxed solo on Forager, Halley’s passionate and barely under control solo on Centripetal, Bisio’s inquistive solo that closes Terra Incognita, and throughout, Baker’s disciplined dynamics. It’s a true meeting of the minds, and a journey into Terra Incognita that all fans of improvised music will find worth taking. Recommended.
Pine Eagle 012; Rich Halley (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, August 21, 2018; Opening/ Forager/ Centripetal/ The Elms/ Terra Incognita/ The Journey; 59:07. richhalley.com

Rich Halley 3: The Literature

From the beginning of his recording career in August 1981, West Coast saxophonist Rich Halley has either played his own compositions or delved into free improvisation. With The Literature, new from the Rich Halley 3, Halley and long-time companions Clyde Reed on bass and Carson Halley on drums dip into material by some of his influences, which range from Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk to the Carter family and country singer Jimmie Rodgers. The results are consistently inspired renditions of classic compositions, no matter the source. The trio tears right into Miles Davis’ Little Willie Leaps to establish their working method of putting their own modernistic spin on familiar melodies. Coleman and Monk get two selections each, and we’re also regaled with tunes by Duke Ellington (a starkly beautiful Mood Indigo), Charles Mingus (a sensitive reading of Pussy Cat Dues), Sun Ra (a snappily swinging version of Kingdom of Not from Super-Sonic Jazz), and others. The trio attacks it all with a stirring mix of respect and reinvention. There are many special moments scattered among the 57 minutes, including Reed’s forceful bass solo on Monk’s Misterioso, Carson Halley’s rollicking drum solo on Mongo Santamaria’s Chano Pozo, the trio’s unified strut on Coleman’s Broad Way Blues, and Rich Halley’s powerfully angular solo on Monk’s Brilliant Corners. I highly recommend adding The Literature to your collection and finding your own favorites.
Pine Eagle 011; Rich Halley (ts, clapping) Clyde Reed (b) Carson Halley (d, clapping); Portland, OR, August 26-27, 2017; Little Willie Leaps/ Misterioso/ Chano Pozo/ Broad Way Blues/ High Powered Mama/ Mood Indigo/ Brilliant Corners/ Motherless Children/ Pussy Cat Dues/ Kingdom of Not/ Someday You’ll Call My Name/ Law Years; 57:53. www.richhalley.com

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