Hal Russell NRG Ensemble: The Finnish, Swiss Tour - LP 180g Vinyl

Hal Russell's résumé includes performances with Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Sonny Rollins and many more. In 1960, he broke away from bebop rooted music to co-found the first free jazz group in Chicago and led his own, highly adventurous bands throughout the 80s. Most of his NRG Ensemble's repertoire of 400-plus tunes stems from his pen. The Finnish / Swiss Tour, the group's ECM debut, is a live album drawn from Russell's first-ever European tour in November 1990. The wide ranging nature of the music resists capsule summarization. It combines free jazz's intensities with numerous allusions to jazz history from Basie to Ayler to Jarrett, yet also contains a healthily iconoclastic blast of rock energy. The Boston Globe called the album „one of the most detailed and coherent samplings of free jazz to be heard anywhere“ and the instrumental virtuosity of each member „stunning“. NRG's freewheeling music reflects, in differing degree, a multitude of influences yet it is also undeniably one music rather than the eclectic's fashionable patchwork quilt. "Anything this band plays comes out sounding like something Hal has written," saxophonist Mars Williams opines. "That's how strong his input and his sense of direction are. He's really one of the masters, a totally original player and composer." FEATURED ARTISTS Hal Russell   Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Trumpet, Vibraphone, Drums Mars Williams   Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Didgeridoo Brian Sandstrom   Bass, Trumpet, Guitar Kent Kessler   Bass, Bass Guitar, Didgeridoo Steve Hunt   Drums, Vibraphone, Didgeridoo LISTEN TO MUSIC SAMPLES       A1 Monica's Having A Baby       A2 Aila / 35 Basic        A3 Temporarily       A4 Raining Violets       B1 For MC       B2 Dance Of The Spider People        B3 Ten Letters Of Love        B4 Hal The Weenie        B5 Linda's Rock Vamp       B6 Mars Theme TRACKLIST A1 Monica's Having A Baby 5:58A2 Aila / 35 Basic 7:17A3 Temporarily 9:39A4 Raining Violets 5:02B1 For MC 3:27B2 Dance Of The Spider People 4:22B3 Ten Letters Of Love 4:51B4 Hal The Weenie 7:33B5 Linda's Rock Vamp 4:04B6 Mars Theme 9:47