| Hal's Bells | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Recorded | May 1992 | |||
| Studio | Rainbow Studio Oslo, Norway | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 52:58 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 1484 | |||
| Producer | Steve Lake | |||
| Hal Russell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hal's Bells is a solo album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Hal Russell recorded in May 1992 and released on ECM later that year. [1] [2]
The AllMusic review awarded the album 4½ stars stating "Although Russell died soon after recording this, there's no sense of desperation on this record; instead there is pure joy, the silly seriousness that Russell brought to all of his recordings." [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
All compositions by Hal Russell except as indicated
Hal Russell was an American free jazz composer, band leader and multi-instrumentalist who performed mainly on saxophone and drums but occasionally on trumpet or vibraphone. Russel's fiery music was marked by significant humor, not unlike much of Dutch drummer Han Bennink'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.
Nice Guys is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago, recorded in May 1978 and released on ECM the following year—their debut for the label. The quintet features trumpeter Lester Bowie, saxophinists Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell and rhythm section Malachi Favors Maghostut and Famoudou Don Moye.
The Third Decade is an album by the Art Ensemble of Chicago recorded in June 1984 and released on ECM the following year.
NRG Ensemble was an American free jazz ensemble founded in the late 1970s by saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell.
Ellington '65 is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded in 1964 and released on the Reprise label in 1965. The album features recordings of popular tunes arranged by Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, a formula that was revisited on Ellington '66 (1966).
Featuring Paul Gonsalves is an album by American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington. Without new material to work with, Ellington recorded the album with his orchestra and saxophonist Paul Gonsalves in 1962 during a four-hour recording session. It was not released until 1985 by Fantasy Records.
Time and Time Again is an album by jazz drummer Paul Motian recorded in May 2006 released on ECM the following year. The trio features guitarist Bill Frisell and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano.
Spirits is a solo double album by Keith Jarrett recorded at his home studio over May–June 1985 in New Jersey and released on ECM September the following year, featuring Jarrett performing on various instruments he had on hand: two flutes, three sets of tablas, a shaker, six recorders, his voice, a soprano saxophone, a piano, a guitar, a glockenspiel, a tambourine, a cowbell, and a bağlama.
Nan Madol is an album by Finnish jazz drummer and composer Edward Vesala, recorded over two days in April 1974 and released on ECM's JAPO imprint later that year. It was re-released on ECM in 1976.
Bitter Funeral Beer is an album by the Bengt Berger Bitter Funeral Beer Band with Don Cherry recorded in January 1981 and released on ECM the following year.
Eventyr is an album by Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer Jan Garbarek recorded in December 1980 and released on ECM September the following year. The trio features guitarist John Abercrombie and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos.
Twelve Moons is an album by the Jan Garbarek Group recorded in September 1992 and released on ECM the following year. The septet features rhythm section Rainer Brüninghaus, Eberhard Weber and Manu Katché, percussionist Marilyn Mazur and singers Agnes Buen Garnås and Mari Boine.
Rava on the Dance Floor is a live album by Italian jazz trumpeter and composer Enrico Rava with Parco della Musica Jazz Lab, performing songs by Michael Jackson recorded in Italy in 2011 and released on the ECM label.
The Finnish/Swiss Tour is a live album by the Hal Russell NRG Ensemble recorded in November 1991 at Tampere Jazz Happening in Finland and the Internationales Jazz Festival in Switzerland and released on ECM October the following year. The quintet features saxophonist Mars Williams and rhythm section Brian Sandstrom, Kent Kessler and Steve Hunt.
The Hal Russell Story is the final album by the Hal Russell NRG Ensemble, recorded in Switzerland in July 1992 and released on ECM the following year—Russell's final recording before his death, five weeks later.
Hal on Earth is an album by American avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell recorded in 1989 which was originally released on cassette and released on CD on the Abduction label in 1995.
Generation is an album by American avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble with Charles Tyler, recorded in 1982 and originally released on the Nessa label. It was reissued in 2014 with two bonus tracks previously unreleased from an early audition recording made when the band was a pre-Sandstrom quartet.
Eftsoons is an album by American avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell with Mars Williams recorded in 1981 and originally released on the Nessa label.
Elixir is a live album by American avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell's Chemical Feast recorded in Chicago in 1979 and released posthumously on the Atavistic label in 2001.
Journal Violone II is an album by bassist Barre Phillips recorded in June 1979 and released on ECM the following year. the trio features reed player John Surman and singer Aina Kemanis.