Rich Halley / Carson Halley / Clyde Reed

Putting aside original compositions for the moment, Portland, Ore-based tenor saxophonist Rich Halley devotes this CD to a dozen classics of the Jazz (and some Country) literature and it could well be his most authoritative disc. A veteran field biologist as well as a musician who has recorded with Bobby Bradford and many others, Halley’s 20previous leadership dates, like this one, usually feature Vancouver, B.C.’s Clyde Reed on bass and latterly Carson Halley on drums.

The Literature on this disc includes Jazz standards by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, Charles Mingus and others, plus ringers from C&W icons such as Hank Williams and the Carter Family, Truthfully as good as Halley’s discs were in the past he always sounded slightly uncomfortable with abstractions and unconventional techniques. This one on the other hand is a perfect vehicle to sincerely express his advanced FreeBop-like style. Even when he lets himself go with reed twists and turns during these selections, there are still tonal moorings to his narratives.

You can easily hear this on Ornette Coleman’s “Broad Way Blues”, where the Blues part of the equation is emphasized. Included in the curves of his astringent blowing are smoothing cadences, while the backing rides on a shuffle beat and thumps from the bass and drums. Hand claps and a slap bass routine characterize Ra’s “Kingdom of Not”, with the saxophonist’s jagged growls moving mercurially, but still sticking to near-mainstream by recapping the head. That same Jazz convention is followed on most tracks. In contrast the country classics are performed with sharper edges along with old-timey reverence, with the drummer’s parade-ground-music-like break on “Motherless Children” sounding more like Gene Krupa than anyone more modern. At the same time Halley’s solo parameters stay within the John Coltrane/Sonny Rollins axis.

Overall, the most affecting and original performances are of Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” and Mingus’ “Pussy Cat Dues”. The former is characterized by a blubbery tenor line with a secondary red lilt that oddly enough projects a pseudo-cowboy beat; while the latter takes the tune apart and puts it back together again with Halley’s improvising like that of an updated Booker Ervin, as well as adding his own altissimo narrative and upsurge flourish at the end.

Perhaps the band’s next outing should combine standards and originals and add another horn for variety. Still it may be hard to top this high-quality achievement.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Little Willie Leaps 2. Misterioso 3. Chano Pozo 4. Broad Way Blues 5. High Powered Mama 6. Mood Indigo 7. Brilliant Corners 8. Motherless Children 9. Pussy Cat Dues 10. Kingdom of Not 11. Someday You’ll Call My Name 12. Law Years

Personnel: Rich Halley (tenor saxophone); Clyde Reed (bass) and Carson Halley (drums)