king ubu Posted October 2, 2003 Report Share Posted October 2, 2003 (edited) As I will be leaving tomorrow, here comes my AotW: An incredible album, witty, funny, full of great playing by Russell, Mars Williams, Kent Kessler, Steve Hunt & Brian Sandstrom, and certainly one of my greatest discoveries within the past year. And in no way a typical ECM record, by the way! Actually, I wanted to pick the Vienna Art Orchestra's "Minimalism of Erik Satie" (hatOLOGY), but that one is OOP - I strongly recommend everybody interested in that one to pick it up as long as it's still around. It has certainly not been OOP long. Another candidate (maybe some other time?) was Sam Rivers' solo disc "Portrait" (FMP). ubu Edited October 2, 2003 by king ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 I've been eyeing "The Hal Russell Story" for a while. I now have a compelling impetus for orderding it, and it should arrive in plenty of time for me to listen to it well before October 25! In the meantime, I hope you have a fine holiday, Ubu Roi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 This should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 3, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 Thanks guys! I'll take the CD with me and hope for a lively discussion upon my return home! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted October 3, 2003 Report Share Posted October 3, 2003 what happened to the greazzzzzzzzzze?! hal...who? this music is too complicated and alienating for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted October 4, 2003 Report Share Posted October 4, 2003 ubu - great choice! I wish I owned this disc so I could participate. That VAO disc looks intriguing, too. I've recently started listening to Satie so I might have to try and track down a copy of that soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted October 7, 2003 Report Share Posted October 7, 2003 Found this used for $5.00, and am playing it now, and it's my first time hearing Hal Russell. My reaction: What the ..... am I listening too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 8, 2003 Report Share Posted October 8, 2003 Found this used for $5.00, and am playing it now, and it's my first time hearing Hal Russell. My reaction: What the ..... am I listening too? Now thats what i call a recommendation ! I'm going to order one right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2003 Alright guys, ... ...HAL'S COMING!... ...soon. I did freak up the date, I know, but nevertheless, COUNT THE DAYS! I really do hope some of you have already picked up this great and unique album (or will head to the store getting it real soon)! Dmitry: as you were so gracious as to pick me, I do apologize for my un-greazy selection. However, our favorite record producer would have certainly said: ZAT SWINGS about the Russell stuff. Maybe it's a little strange upon first listening, but once you get used to it, YOU'LL LOVE IT (GOTTA! ) you'll see. At least so it was with me. It quickly became one of my favorite records. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 27, 2003 Report Share Posted October 27, 2003 I don't have this now but when I heard it I found it tough going. Not for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 Great CD !! I picked this up after reading some of the quotes expecting a challenging listen ( i was right) , but was surprised how catchy some of the tracks are, Dark Rapture certainly sticks in the mind long after the last track has finished. I really enjoy the humour on some of the tracks, the dialogue & memories between them ( i wish i knew all the artists that some of tracks refer to , to really appreciate them) & the concept of the CD. i particularly liked My little grass shack 2 x 2 For M (an original tribute merging 2 Miles eras together). & Ayler Songs - Hal chooses two words that sum up Albert Ayler to a tee - 'HOLY SHIT'. A great choice for CD of the week King Ubu & many thanks for opening my ears to something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 (edited) Long ago, I heard Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble record on the Nessa label (when I did not know that "Nessa" was someone's last name) and could not get into it very well. I expected this reputed member of the Chicago "avant garde" to sound more like the AACM stuff that I was already into, but he was different from that in a way that I wasn't quite ready for... Around 20 years have passed since then, I'm older (if not wiser), and I've many times had the satisfaction of rediscovering music that before I heard differently or could not hear at all (With advancing age, it's not just the waistline that can expand!). So it was getting around to Hal Russell's turn when King Ubu announced this Album Of The Week. I've enjoyed "The Hal Russell Story" many times over the last few weeks. It is, at turns, wry, funky, romantic, iconoclastic, swinging, wild, poignant, nostalgic, and kind of visionary - sometimes all at once. This episodic work evokes for me, in music and words, a sequence of impressions from a jazz life, the life of Hal Russell. I am taken on a journey through time, from the Swing Era to Billy Holiday,..., from Miles Davis to Albert Ayler, culminating in Russell's NRG Ensemble performing in Europe, all the time fueled by an abiding need to improvise/survive and move towards expressive freedom. This recording ends with two appealing "encores"; the second is a rousing version of Peter Green's "Oh Well" (from back when Fleetwood Mac was a decent band). Well, I hope that "The Hal Russell Story" serves as my Rosetta stone for appreciating Hal Russell's previous work, just as (a few years ago) "Big Fun" and new speakers helped to reinvigorate my enthusiasm for Miles Davis's electronic music from "Bitches Brew" through "On the Corner". My next Hal Russell purchase will be "The Finnish/Swiss Tour" which sounds a bit more like some of Frank Zappa's work than does "The Hal Russell Story", though I've paired "The Hal Russell Story" with Zappa's "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" to good effect. I've also put "The Hal Russell Story" in a set with Billy's "Lady Sings the Blues" (the only record from her declining years that I can listen to) and her wonderful Commodore Recordings; they link well for me with much of "The Hal Russell Story", especially Russell's versions of "Dark Rapture" and "Gloomy Sunday". And, of course, Albert Ayler is a must, particularly after hearing "Ayler Songs" ... After "The Finnish/Swiss Tour", I hope to again check out that Nessa NRG Ensemble recording. I think I'll be ready for it. Edited October 30, 2003 by SEK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 ... It is, at turns, wry, funky, romantic, iconoclastic, swinging, wild, poignant, nostalgic, and kind of visionary - sometimes all at once. This episodic work evokes for me, in music and words, a sequence of impressions from a jazz life, the life of Hal Russell. I am taken on a journey through time, from the Swing Era to Billy Holiday,..., from Miles Davis to Albert Ayler, culminating in Russell's NRG Ensemble performing in Europe, all the time fueled by an abiding need to improvise/survive and move towards expressive freedom. This recording ends with two appealing "encores"; the second is a rousing version of Peter Green's "Oh Well" (from back when Fleetwood Mac was a decent band) ... Very well said, SEK! I never had a problem getting access to Russell's music. It strikes me as some of the funniest, weirdest, grooviest stuff around! Hope you have fun with the Finnish/Swiss album, as well! I have that one, too. Somehow though I prefer Story - I think it's the more rock-like stuff on Finnish/Swiss which makes me like it a little less (I never could relate to rock that much - with exceptions of course; going to see Bob Dylan next week once again...) What strikes me most about Russell is that he does not care about "genres" of "styles", and yet his music still never get ecclectic. It's more like he collects all his influences, the re-shapes everything along his own premises, and the outgrowth of this is a highly individualistic, and completely "new" musical universe. And then he's quite a player, too! Gary, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Keep the comments coming! Matthew, John B? I have very little time to listen right now, but I hope to give some more personal comments on the weekend. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEK Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 What strikes me most about Russell is that he does not care about "genres" of "styles", and yet his music still never get ecclectic. It's more like he collects all his influences, the re-shapes everything along his own premises, and the outgrowth of this is a highly individualistic, and completely "new" musical universe. Indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted November 2, 2003 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2003 A couple of thoughts on my (not so popular, alas!) album of the week, after another thorough listen: I love the opening Part I! That xylophone thing Russell plays has sort of a circus-quality, slapstick. The beginning of Part II ("Krupa") shows him to be a swing expert (an expert at both that thing so hard to describe in words and the style/era). "Blasé" (and "Gloomy Sunday", too) is a highly effective, very individualistic take on a quite seldom heard (at least these days) standard. Russell's soprano playing is marvellous! With "Dark Rapture" we enter groove territory. I love the sound of the bass saxophone (wish I had one myself!). Another groovy tune comes at the end ("Oh Well"). Much of the music on this album is dense, textural music, often the horns play rhythm parts, too (as on "My Little Grass Shack"). "For M" then, has some real good trumpet playing by Russell. It's fun how he jumps from cool directly to electric. He succeeds to make this a clear musical hommage to MD (you'd recognize that without knowing the title and narration), yet somehow it's still very much Hal Russell there! Another general observation is that this is group music. While the NRG Ensemble sometimes defies its name, on Part V (Birth of the Free) they really live up to their name! And Mars Williams has quite an energetic thing to say throughout on his tenor. The Ayler hommage is another of my favorite tracks on this disc. First you get the very effective coupled double basses, then the two tenors enter. They emulate Ayler, but if only for the duplication of tenor saxophone, it is something else than just a replica. (And that line in the narration "Then along came Ayler / Holy shit!" is another favorite moment of mine!). And after the Free part comes the rise of NRG. That passage where Russell plays over a didgeridoo-backdrop is great! They can produce so many sounds! That's one of the best things about this band (and this album in particular - in my opinion the still very good Finnish/Swiss album has a little bit more of a sameness, and more rock-influence in general, I think). A listing of the instruments played may help to get an image of the sound part: Russell: ts, ss, tpt, dr, xylophone, perc, gong, narration, vox Williams: ts, as, bass-sax, toy horns, wood flute, didgeridoo, bells, sounds, narration Brian Sandstrom: b, g, tpt, toy horns, perc Kent Kessler: b, tb Steve Hunt: d, vib, tympani, perc Hunt and the two bassists, by the way, do a great job on the whole album. From dance-inflected swing beats up to free colouring, funky grooves, rock to free pulse playing... The two encores are a nice (but actually not extremely necessary) addition. A lyrical tune, and another groove thing, they show the spectrum of NRG very well. Now once again, what strikes me most is that out of all these sometimes rather disparate influences, styles, components, comes a really great sound/band concept - and NOT a ecclecticism merging and melting together on a superficial level the parts of the puzzle. In some way, this is a post-modern album in the best sense. Not a "great narration" (although it is that, too, of course!), but a quizzical, comical, earnest, happy, sad, joyous, jumping, grooving, loud and often funny piece. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted November 2, 2003 Report Share Posted November 2, 2003 I was intrigued by the comments here, and having never heard Hal Russell I looked this album up on AMG--I was sad to read that Hal died 5 weeks after making this album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted November 3, 2003 Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 I saw a used copy today, but since I hadn't read the discussion thread before I figured I'd wait and check it out to see if I might be interested. Nothing I've read really helps me in terms of reference points...could anyone draw some comparisions with similar music/musicians (I know it won't be "exactly the same," but something to anchor my thinking)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted November 29, 2003 Report Share Posted November 29, 2003 Ho-ho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted December 1, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2003 Ho-ho Now what sort of reference point should this be "ho ho"? Pleeaze explain, dear gentleman! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.