Hal Russell (born Harold Russell Luttenbacher, August 28, 1926 – September 5, 1992) was an American

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

composer, band leader and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

who performed mainly on saxophone and drums but occasionally on trumpet or

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

.Clarke, D.
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music: Hal Russell
Donaldclarkemusicbox.com, accessed May 6, 2014 Russel's fiery music was marked by significant humor, not unlike much of Dutch drummer

Han Bennink Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal fig ...

's output. His music was so accessible that ''People'' magazine hailed ''The Finnish Swiss Tour'' on ECM as one of its top 5 albums of the year. Russell set the table for the free improv and free jazz scene which exploded later in the 1990s in Chicago.

Biography

Born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, United States, and raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, from the eighth grade, Russell began playing drums at age four, but majored in trumpet at college; he subsequently drummed in several big bands, including those of

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

and Boyd Raeburn.Huey, Steve. Hal Russell biography ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'', accessed February 28, 2014. As with many young players in the mid-1940s, Russell's life was irreversibly changed by bebop. In the 1950s he worked with musicians including

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

, Sonny Rollins,

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, and Duke Ellington. He succumbed to drugs and was a heroin addict for ten years. In 1959, he joined the Joe Daley Trio, whose ''Newport' 1963'', which was mostly studio material, was reputedly one of the earliest free jazz records. In the early 1970s, Russell was the regular percussionist for the band at the suburban Chicago Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Here he played mostly drums, but occasionally vibes and keyboards. At the same time he would host many young jazz musicians for jam sessions at his home, or in Chicago nightclubs. In 1979, Russell formed the NRG Ensemble, which for most of its existence featured saxophonist

Mars Williams Mars Williams (born May 29, 1955) is an American jazz and rock saxophonist. Exposed to big band and dixieland jazz by his trumpet-playing father, Williams played classical clarinet for ten years, then migrated to saxophone in his last year of hi ...

, multi-instrumentalist Brian Sandstrom, and percussionist Steve Hunt, among others. At this time he starting playing tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and trumpet, in addition to drums and vibes. Russell finally issued his first album in 1981 for the

Nessa Nessa Diab, known mononymously as Nessa, is an American radio and TV personality and television host. Early life and education Nessa was born to an Egyptian father and mother. She has two brothers. She grew up in Southern California but her ...

label. In the late 1980s, the group began playing frequently in Europe, and began recording for ECM with ''The Finnish/Swiss Tour''. Russell led the NRG Ensemble until his death. In addition to the NRG Ensemble, Russell always maintained several auxiliary bands, a partnership with pianist

Joel Futterman Joel Futterman (born April 30, 1946 in Chicago) is an American jazz pianist and soprano saxophonist. A native of Chicago, Joel Futterman was influenced both musically and philosophically by Gene Shaw, with whom he worked with and studied for a ...

, the rock-oriented trio NRG 3 with Ed Ludwig on drums and Noel Kupersmith on bass, and

The Flying Luttenbachers The Flying Luttenbachers is an American instrumental unit led by multi-instrumentalist/ composer/ improviser/ producer Weasel Walter. The Flying Luttenbachers have created a body of work focused on musical extremity and dissonance. Over the cou ...

with Chad Organ on tenor sax and

Weasel Walter Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including A ...

on drums. Cited by some as a missing link between the AACM and later Chicago

, Russell was experiencing greater public awareness before his death. Just after completing the semi-autobiographical album ''The Hal Russell Story'', Russell died of a heart attack in September 1992.Reich, Howard
Hal Russell obituary
at ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

Discography

* ''

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'' (Atavistic, 1979, issued 2001) * '' NRG Ensemble'' (Nessa, 1981) – with NRG Ensemble * '' Eftsoons'' (Nessa, 1981) – with

* ''

Generation A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–⁠30 years, during which children are born and gr ...

'' (Nessa, 1982) – with NRG Ensemble & Charles Tyler * '' Conserving NRG'' (Principally Jazz, 1984) – with NRG Ensemble * '' Hal on Earth'' (Abduction, 1989) – with NRG Ensemble * '' The Finnish/Swiss Tour'' (ECM, 1991) – with NRG Ensemble * '' Albert's Lullaby'' (Southport, 1991, issued 2000) - with Michael Staron * '' Naked Colours'' (Silkheart, 1991

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

– with

* '' Hal's Bells'' (ECM, 1992) * '' The Hal Russell Story'' (ECM, 1993) – with NRG Ensemble With

*'' Destructo Noise Explosion!: Live at WNUR 2-6-92'' (ugEXPLODE, 1992)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Hal 1926 births 1992 deaths Avant-garde jazz musicians American jazz drummers American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American jazz vibraphonists 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century trumpeters The Flying Luttenbachers members 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians NRG Ensemble members