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.[1]
| The Finnish/Swiss Tour | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | November 1990 | |||
| Venue | Tampere Jazz Happening Internationales Jazz Festival, Zürich | |||
| Genre | Free improvisation, free jazz | |||
| Length | 1:02:01 | |||
| Label | ECM ECM 1455 | |||
| Producer | Steve Lake | |||
| Hal Russell NRG Ensemble chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
The AllMusic review awarded the album 4½ stars stating "This is an extraordinary record, full of fire, reckless abandon, and thrilling playing from Russell, obviously, but also from his great band."[2]
JazzTimes' Marc Masters wrote, "The deliriously happy sound of The Finnish/Swiss Tour is equally worthy of reverent veneration and ecstatic celebration."[3]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Hal Russell
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monica's Having a Baby" | 5:58 | |
| 2. | "Aila/35 Basic" | 7:17 | |
| 3. | "Temporarily" | Steve Hunt | 9:38 |
| 4. | "Raining Violets" | Brian Sandstrom | 5:03 |
| 5. | "For Mc" | 3:27 | |
| 6. | "Dance of the Spider People" | Mars Williams | 4:22 |
| 7. | "Ten Letters of Love" | 4:51 | |
| 8. | "Hal the Weenie" | 7:33 | |
| 9. | "Linda's Rock Vamp" | 4:04 | |
| 10. | "Mars Theme" |
| 9:48 |
| Total length: | 1:02:01 | ||
Personnel
editHal Russell NRG Ensemble
edit- Hal Russell – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, trumpet, vibraphone, drums
- Mars Williams – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, didgeridoo
- Brian Sandstrom – bass, trumpet, guitar
- Kent Kessler – bass, bass guitar, didgeridoo
- Steve Hunt – drums, vibraphone, didgeridoo
References
edit- ^ "Hal Russell NRG Ensemble: The Finnish/Swiss Tour". ECM Records. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Finnish/Swiss Tour (All Music Review)". All Music. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
- ^ "50 LPs from 35 Years of JazzTimes, Part. 3". jazztimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2017.