News
Rich Halley
Look for a new Rich Halley 4 CD on Pine Eagle Records early in 2012. "Back from Beyond" features new compositions
recorded at Sonarchy Radio in Seattle and in the studio in Oregon. The CD features Rich Halley on tenor, Michael
Vlatkovich on trombone, Clyde Reed on bass and Carson Halley on drums.
"Requiem for a Pit Viper" is on a number of lists of the best recordings of 2011 including The Village Voice by Francis
Davis, All About Jazz by Troy Collins, Something Else! by Victor Aaron and Lucid Culture.
"One of the best avant garde jazz records so far this year, this gets my nod easily over some
of the more highly touted records coming from New York or Chicago. It goes to show that excellence in jazz isn’t
necessarily tied to a location."
- -Victor Aaron, Something Else!
"Catchy, robust and often boisterous but also extremely erudite, the Rich Halley Quartet’s
Requiem for a Pit Viper is one of the most dynamic, entertaining albums of the year in any style of music."
- Lucid Culture
"The music's appeal is its unusual and engaging mixture of structure and freedom—sometimes
very wild freedom. More than a decade into an always gripping effort to perfect his singular, adventurous, often torrid
free bop small ensemble sound, Rich Halley sounds supremely-inspired by the company he is keeping, and he may have made
his best CD to date with Requiem for a Pit Viper."
- -Dan McClenaghan, allaboutjazz.com
"The album consists entirely of original compositions by Halley, which immediately cast it in
the light of "cutting edge." Combined with freedom of expression, independent thought, purposeful execution, the courage
to follow the inner self, the talent to give it voice, and then, to let the chips fall where they may; suddenly, jazz in
its purest, essential form is possible; jazz that must survive; jazz that is the original American art form, becomes the
reality. This is the free jazz of The Rich Halley Quartet."
- -C.J. Bond, jazmuzik.com
"Children of the Blue Supermarket", a live recording featuring poet Dan Raphael with Rich Halley on tenor and Carson
Halley on drums, is out on Pine Eagle Records and seems to be sparking some renewed interest in jazz and poetry.
"There have been times when jazz and the spoken word appeared inseparable. Brief times, but times
when the combination was a powerful artistic and (counter) cultural force. Children Of The Blue Supermarket brings those
times back, a reminder of how effective a partnership the jazz musician and the poet can create. Maybe it's the new thing."
- -Bruce Lindsay, allaboutjazz.com
"Dan Raphael is... terrific here: the phrases just shoot out, nearly every one hitting an unexpected
target somewhere beyond you... Striking as the poetry might be on its own, the sax shadowing it heightens every line. He has
a distinctive sound and style, comparable (not to say similar) to Von Freeman. He can't stretch out much here, but
is terrific nonetheless."
- -Tom Hull, Jazz Prospecting
The 2011 Penofin Jazz Festival is on Saturday afternoon, May 14 in Potter Valley, California
1:00 - Dottie Grossman (poet) and Michael Vlatkovich (trombone)
1:45 - Rich Halley Quartet with Rich (tenor sax), Michael Vlatkovich (Trombone), Clyde Reed (bass) and
Carson Halley (drums)
3:15 - Nicole Mitchell's Indigo Trio with Nicole (flute), Harrison Bankhead (bass) and Hamid Drake (drums)
4:45 - Dan Raphael (poet), Rich Halley (tenor sax) and Carson Halley (drums)
5:30 - Mike Reed's People, Places and Things with Mike (drums), Greg Ward (alto), Tim Haldeman (tenor) and
Jason Roebke (bass)
The 2011 Music for Powell Butte Concert is on Saturday August 6 at 7:00 PM.
The location is on top of Powell Butte, east of Portland off SE 162nd and Powell.
The Outside Music Ensemble
Rich Halley - tenor & soprano saxophone, wood flute
Michael Vlatkovich - trombone
Jim Knodle - trumpet
Troy Grugett - alto and baritone saxophone, percussion
Dave Storrs - percussion
Carson Halley - percussion
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