Sunday, March 12, 2017

Rich Halley and Carson Halley - The Wild

The Wild
Rich Halley - tenor saxophone, wood flute
Carson Halley - drums

The Wild is a new album of duets by saxophonist Rich Halley and his son Carson. I’ve seen the elder Halley’s name around, but have never heard him up to now. The album is divided into 10 tracks, ranging roughly from 4 to 8 minutes each, and the feel is free, even though there are some pre-determined melodies used as springboards to improvisation.

The album feels like a throwback, to a time when free improv, at least on this side of the pond, was more closely tied to the jazz tradition. The sax and drums format call to mind the classic Interstellar Space, and Halley is clearly influenced by Coltrane. He has enough of his own voice, though, contrasting sections of overblowing with lyrical phrasing, showing a tender side on occasion. In fact, it’s in these more reflective moments that I feel I’m more connected to his music, something I’ve observed with other artists who bring a lot of energy to their playing. Sometimes the conversation between musicians seems to be more nuanced at more relaxed moments.

What I like about this record is the performances unfold organically and at their own pace, with a variety of moods and tempos. Carson mixes up his approach between fixed tempos with a slight rock feel and totally free drumming. The length of the tracks means that, with a couple of exceptions, the Halley’s maintain a good level of focus and a sense of moving things forward, again linking to the jazz tradition.

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