RICH HALLEY 4 (Rich Halley / Michael Vlatkovich / Clyde Reed / Carson Halley) celebrate the release of their new album CREATING STRUCTURE.

“Creating Structure… demonstrates the almost telepathic bond between these musicians, five albums (and counting) into their collective journey.”—Phil Freeman, The New York City Jazz Record

“Creating Structure is yet another powerful and compelling statement by the Rich Halley 4.”—Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

This will be a very special evening of music, featuring the rich chemistry of Halley et al unfurling some of their most engaging and critically-acclaimed music to date.

The evening also features a relatively new ensemble that includes saxophonists John Gross (Billy Mintz Quartet, Threeplay, Shelly Manne); Reed Wallsmith (Blue Cranes, Battle Hymns & Gardens, AU); Andre St. James (Mel Brown, Get Smashing Love Power, Pebble Trio); and Tim DuRoche (Battle Hymns & Gardens; Get Smashing Love Power, Pebble Trio).

RICH HALLEY 4

The Rich Halley 4 is composed of Rich Halley, tenor sax; Michael Vlatkovich, trombone; Clyde Reed, bass; and Carson Halley, drums. This group explores new musical spaces and approaches using the roots of American and world music as sources with an emphasis on spontaneous and compositional group improvisation. Rich has been working with Michael, Clyde and Carson in various combinations for more than a decade. The group has previously released four widely praised CD’s.

Rich Halley has released 16 recordings as a leader and is known for his asymmetrical and rhythmic compositions and his fiery playing.Halley began playing clarinet at age 11 and tenor saxophone at age 15. In 1965-66 He lived in Cairo, Egypt where he played in a band with an international repertoire. When he arrived at the University of Chicago in 1966 he found himself surrounded by blues music and culture and the explorations of the AACM. In 1967-68 he played in Home Juice, a blues band in Chicago that included Jeff Carp, Jordan Sandke and Paul Asbell. In 1968 he moved back to the Western US where he played in Latin bands, rhythm & blues bands and jazz groups in San Francisco, Albuquerque and Portland. His early influences included Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler as well as Jim Pepper, who was also from Portland.From 1977-81 Halley performed in the experimental group Multnomah Rhythm Ensemble that explored improvised music in combination with multi-media. During the 80’s and 90’s, Halley was the leader of the Lizard Brothers, a three or four horn sextet that released five recordings on Avocet and Nine Winds and included, reed player Vinny Golia, trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, trumpeter Rob Blakeslee, saxophonist Troy Grugett, saxophonist Gary Harris, trombonist Tom Hill, pianist Geoff Lee, bassist Phil Sparks and drummer William Thomas. Halley co-founded Portland’s Creative Music Guild in 1991 after being disappointed with the lack of performing opportunities for non-traditional jazz musicians. Since 1994 he has been the musical director of the Penofin Jazz Festival in Northern California, which has presented many leading creative jazz artists.Halley emphasizes the importance what he calls compositional group improvisation. This is the spontaneous development of musical structures by the group as it improvises, creating a varied musical story which provides a foundation for the drama and emotion in the music. Halley has performed with Vinny Golia, Obo Addy, Michael Bisio, Bobby Bradford, Nels Cline, David Friesen, Julius Hemphill, Andrew Hill, Oliver Lake and Tony Malaby.Halley was educated as a field biologist and received an M.S. in Biology from the University of New Mexico where he did research on rattlesnakes. His lifelong interest in nature has informed his music and led him on many trips into wilderness regions around the world. He worked for many years in information technology. He is married to Betty Halley and lives in Portland, Oregon.

JOHN GROSS/REED WALLSMITH/ANDRE ST. JAMES/TIM DUROCHE

John Gross plays the saxophone (tenor and alto), flute and clarinet. John began his musical career in California as a child, playing with the Sepulveda Youth Band, the Claude Hoppers, and the International Order of Foresters Robin Hood Band in the late ’50s with his sister Laury (trombone) and brother Jim (oboe). His first grown up gig was with Harry James, on tour in Nevada and California in 1961 at age sixteen playing alto sax. He then toured with Johnny Mathis for two years playing alto sax, clarinet, flute and piccolo; followed by tours with Stan Kenton, Lionel Hampton, and then Shelly Manne. John toured, recorded and worked as one of Shelly Manne’s Men at Shelly’s Mannehole in Los Angeles for five years. In 1970, John recorded Black, Brown and Beautiful with Oliver Nelson, and Night Song with Putter Smith. John joined Japanese composer/conductor Toshiko Akiyoshi’s big band in 1979, touring and recording with Toshiko and Lew Tabakin through 1983. Recordings with Toshiko and Lew include Tanuki’s Night Out, Farewell to Mingus, European Memoirs and From Love with Toshiko. John also played with Bill Holman’s big band in the 1980s. In 1987, John formed Threeplay with Larry Koonse (guitar) and Putter Smith (bass). More rrecently John has released recordings with Billy Mintz and with David Frishberg. He lives in Portland Oregon.

Reed Wallsmith is a composer/saxophonist living and working in Portland. He is the founder and leader of Blue Cranes. He performs and composes with Battle Hymns & Gardens and Luke Wyland, and has collaborated with Wayne Horvitz, Laura Gibson, Like A Villain, Ethan Rose, Eyvind Kang, John Gross, Tere Mathern Dance, Northwest Dance Project, AU and Cataldo, among others.

Bassist André St. James is a cornerstone of the rich, thriving Pacific Northwest jazz scene and works regularly with his own ensemble, Pebble Trio, The Kin Trio, Gordon Lee, Renato Caranto, and many others. Over the last three decades, St. James has worked with an astonishing who’s who of modern jazz including giants like Sonny Rollins, the Harold Land-Blue Mitchell Quintet, Andrew Hill trio and large bands, Bobby Hutcherson, Charlie Rouse, Pharoah Sanders, James Moody, Alan Shorter, Nancy King, and George Cables.

Tim DuRoche (drums) has worked with Battle Hymns & Gardens, the Pebble Trio, and the Kin Trio, as well as with an array of US and European avant-garde jazz innovators, including Dominic Duval, Burton Greene, Matana Roberts, Paul Plimley-Lisle Ellis, Bert Wilson, Urs Leimgruber, Jon Raskin, Perry Robinson, Jack Wright, Damon Smith, Marco Eneidi, Didier Petit, and Frank Gratkowski, among others. He’s the host of “The New Thing,” a weekly radio jazz radio show on KMHD 89.1 FM and is the author of the book Occasional Jazz Conjectures (Durable Goods).

The Creative Music Guild is a Portland, Oregon all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote experimental, improvised music by presenting concerts, workshops and other events that bring together internationally recognized musicians with local performers, audiences and music students of all ages. For over twenty years, the CMG has been a leader in cultivating Portland’s experimental and improvised music.