NRG Ensemble

Hal Russell, a multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, stood out as a central participant in free jazz from the style’s emergence in the late 1950s through the 1980s. His primary connection was to the Chicago free jazz community; starting in the late 1970s he directed both a quintet and a trio that operated under the name NRG Ensembles. Shortcomings on the part of the ensemble’s first saxophonist prompted Russell to begin playing the instrument himself at age 50, after which he performed with notable commitment on tenor and soprano. He also handled drums, his initial instrument, as well as trumpet, piano, and vibraphone. In 1991 ECM Records issued the live album Finnish/Swiss Tour, thereby bringing wider attention to the previously underground work of an NRG Ensemble that featured Russell alongside his longtime associates Mars Williams, best known for his work with the Psychedelic Furs, Steve Hunt, Brian Sandstrom, and Kent Kessler. Russell maintained a pattern of moving between solo projects, including the notable Hal’s Bells, and the NRG Ensembles until his death in 2005.