NRG Ensemble was an American
free jazz ensemble founded in the late 1970s by saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist
Hal Russell.[1][2]
The group's personnel was somewhat fluid, but included a core of drummer Steve Hunt, saxophonist
Mars Williams, guitarist/trumpeter
Brian Sandstrom, and bassist
Kent Kessler.[3] Their music kept
free jazz alive in Chicago throughout the 1980s, when it had largely disappeared from the jazz landscape.[2] Russell was the primary composer, but the other musicians contributed songs as well. Their
punning song and album titles (Conserving NRG, Hal on Earth) reflected the humor that permeated Russell's music.
After Russell's death in 1992, the NRG Ensemble recruited saxophonist
Ken Vandermark as a replacement, recording three more albums under the leadership of Williams.