Albert's Lullaby is the first solo album by American avant-garde bassist, jazz composer, bandleader, producer; Michael Staron which in essence documented his trio collaboration with American avant-garde jazz composer, bandleader, and multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell recorded in 1991 and 1992 and released posthumously on the part of Mr. Russell on the Southport label in 2000.[1]
| Albert's Lullaby | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2000 | |||
| Recorded | October 24, 1991 - February 15, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 73:41 | |||
| Label | Southport S-SSD 0077 | |||
| Producer | Michael Staron - See liner notes - Southport S-SSD 0077 | |||
| Hal Russell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| All About Jazz | [3] |
| Jazz Review | [4] |
The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nas states, "Staron's major role in these collective improvisations cannot be overlooked, he is an equal partner firing up Russell's highly spontaneous notions."[2] Harvey Pekar on JazzTimes observed, "“Ghosts” contains Staron's unaccompanied arco and pizzicato work, on which he employs electronic and percussive effects and extended techniques. He's a versatile, forward looking and accomplished performer." .[5] On All About Jazz Glenn Astarita enthused "Albert’s Lullaby is a remarkable portraiture of an artist who most assuredly would be blazing new musical trails if not for his untimely death... Strongly recommended".[3] Jazz Review's Lee Prosser wrote "Albert's Lullaby is free jazz genius and improvisation at its finest... This is a fine example of when all goes right with free jazz in the hands of gifted performers, who, together, share a creative vision with the listening audience".[4]
Track listing edit
All compositions by Hal Russell, Bradley Parker-Sparrow and Mike Staron except as indicated
- "Edge of Night (Soap Opera Theme)" - 6:01
- "Albert's Lullaby" (Mike Staron) - 3:06
- "Vibrations" (Albert Ayler) - 5:29
- "Kyrie and Agnus Dei" (Staron) - 6:51
- "Who's There?" - 25:19
- "Ghosts" (Ayler) - 3:53
- "Aural" - 14:47
- "W" (Staron) - 6:58
- "To Groove" - 1:17
Personnel edit
- Hal Russell - tenor saxophone, trumpet
- Michael Staron - bass
- Bradley Parker-Sparrow - piano
- Rick Shandling - drums
References edit
- ^ "Michael Staron | Faculty A-Z | Faculty & Staff | School of Music | DePaul University, Chicago".
- ^ a b Allmusic Review accessed May 5, 2014
- ^ a b Astarita, G., All About Jazz Review, June 1, 2000
- ^ a b Prosser, L., Jazz Review Archived 2014-05-06 at the Wayback Machine, March 28, 2000
- ^ Pekar, H., JazzTimes Review Archived 2014-05-06 at the Wayback Machine, November 2000
External links edit
- Pekar, Harvey (25 April 2019). "Hal Russell: Albert's Lullabye". JazzTimes. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.