Though he doesn’t get all the notice the hotshots over in NYC enjoy, Portland, Oregon’s Rich Halley is actually one of jazz’s most advanced practitioners of the tenor saxophone today. His acute sense of melodic development enables his improvising to set forth a narrative that flows unexpectedly and logically at the same time. All with a tone that sports an enduring classic sound.
With Fire Within, Halley is once again using the Matthew Shipp Trio as his backing band. It’s not only such an amazing ensemble to mingle with, they align very well with Halley’s vision for purely improvised jazz, using elements of tradition in forging something completely original, avoiding the roads often taken. And they do it with the highest degree of musicianship.
Halley kicks off things with “Fire Within,” piping out a bop-based line and the trio putting controlled chaos behind it. But just because Shipp/Bisio/Baker take a different reaction to Halley doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit; it actually syncs quite well. Baker takes in a drum solo that’s also locked into the vibe of the song, and Halley ends matters on a bluesy note.
Bisio sets the mood for “Inferred,” ushering in a slow but fervent articulation from Halley as Shipp sensitively accompanies. As Baker moves to the snare drum, Shipp (and Bisio) begin to blur the lines between accompanying and co-leading, touching off a chase for notes.
As with “Fire Within,” Halley puts out a bop-derived thought to start “Angular Logic” and Shipp adroitly pulls it in another direction without forcing Halley to change his tactics. Shipp maintaining the pulse allows Baker and Bisio to play with a great deal of freedom and react more dynamically to what the two players are doing.
Bisio’s bow produces a thin, high-pitched sound that puts “Through Still Air” on a delicate footing, and Shipp with Halley expertly mine that sentiment.
Baker alone plays for the first three minutes of “Following the Stream,” his adroit manipulations of tone and timbre holding interest all the way through until the rest of the guys enter. Halley and Shipp’s alternative approach to making harmony results in something that is slightly strange but easily alluring. At one point, Shipp gets down with bluesy expressions while Bisio walks his bass, and Halley gets caught up in the mood as well. The playfulness extends out to an alternate chorded quote of “Milestones.”
The seriously advanced improvising of Fire Within is actually borne out of the fun that Halley clearly had joining forces again with this like-minded trio. Loose, but not disjointed; technically sound but ultimately resting on instincts. Those are the ingredients for another winning product from Rich Halley and the Matthew Shipp Trio.
Fire Within will drop on December 1, 2023 from Pine Eagle Music.
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