Editing Hal Russell (section)

==Biography==
Born in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], United States,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> and raised in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], from the eighth grade, Russell began playing drums at age four, but majored in trumpet at college; he subsequently drummed in several big bands, including those of [[Woody Herman]] and [[Boyd Raeburn]].<ref name="biography">Huey, Steve. [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000550587|pure_url=yes}} Hal Russell biography], ''[[Allmusic]]'', accessed February 28, 2014.</ref>

As with many young players in the mid-1940s, Russell's life was irreversibly changed by bebop. In the 1950s he worked with musicians including [[Miles Davis]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Sonny Rollins]], [[John Coltrane]], and [[Duke Ellington]].<ref name="LarkinGE"/> He succumbed to drugs and was a heroin addict for ten years.<ref name="Corbett"/> In 1959, he joined the [[Joe Daley (musician)|Joe Daley]] Trio, whose ''Newport' 1963'', which was mostly studio material, was reputedly one of the earliest free jazz records.<ref name="Corbett">{{cite book|last = Corbett|first = John|authorlink = John Corbett (writer)|title = Extended Play: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein|year = 1994|publisher = [[Duke University Press]]|isbn=0-82231-473-8|pages = 110, 112}}</ref>

In the early 1970s, Russell was the regular percussionist for the band at the suburban Chicago Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. Here he played mostly drums, but occasionally vibes and keyboards. At the same time he would host many young jazz musicians for jam sessions at his home, or in Chicago nightclubs.

In 1979, Russell formed the [[NRG Ensemble]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/> which for most of its existence featured saxophonist [[Mars Williams]], multi-instrumentalist Brian Sandstrom, and percussionist Steve Hunt, among others.<ref name="biography"/> At this time he starting playing tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and trumpet, in addition to drums and vibes.<ref name="Corbett"/> Russell finally issued his first album in 1981 for the [[Nessa Records|Nessa]] label. In the late 1980s, the group began playing frequently in Europe, and began recording for ECM with ''The Finnish/Swiss Tour''.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Russell led the [[NRG Ensemble]] until his death.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>

In addition to the [[NRG Ensemble]], Russell always maintained several auxiliary bands, a partnership with pianist [[Joel Futterman]], the rock-oriented trio NRG 3 with Ed Ludwig on drums and Noel Kupersmith on bass, and [[The Flying Luttenbachers]] with Chad Organ on tenor sax and [[Weasel Walter]] on drums.<ref name="Corbett"/>

Cited by some as a missing link between the [[Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians|AACM]] and later Chicago [[free jazz]], Russell was experiencing greater public awareness before his death.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Just after completing the semi-autobiographical album ''The Hal Russell Story'', Russell died of a heart attack in September 1992.<ref name="obituary">Reich, Howard. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140304173054/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1992-09-07/news/9203210598_1_fred-astaire-miles-davis-musical Hal Russell obituary] at ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''</ref>