I first saw him with Timebox at a jazz festival we were playing at as well about 1968(?). We were a band called the Blossom Toes incidentally. He was playing mainly the vibes then but did play some guitar (a white Fender Telecaster) but had not. at that time, developed his unique ' streaming' soloing ability.

I next met him when I was playing with Keith Tipett's Centipede Jazz orchestra along with Mike Patto, who was one of the singers, Zoot Money, Boz Burrell, Julie Driscoll (later Tipett), Maggie Nicolls and Robert Fripp. Mike's band (by then Patto) supported us on some concerts and by this time Ollie was playing the famous white 3 pick-up Gibson SG Custom - and in full flight. I can't tell you what a revelation that was to behold!

I used to go to as many Patto gigs as I could (mainly at the Torrington, North Finchley and the Hampstead Country Club) and, funnily enough, became quite good mates with Gary Moore who used to show up when ever he could for the same reasons as me!

---

 

The first player I saw who impressed me was Ollie Halsall. He was fresh and didn't play like anybody else. And that style became a little more common later on with people like Alan Holdsworth. But when I first heard these jazzy, saxophone style phrases on guitar I thought 'What's that?'. It was kinda like what I wanted to do myself but hadn't worked it out. He showed me what was possible."

Gary Moore
International Musician Vol. 8/10, October 1982.

---

 

They were a genuinely fantastic quartet who could cover every style worth covering with amazing panache and humour and, of course, there was Ollie who could rip your brains apart at the drop of a hat!

Olllie's playing was the 'state of the art' at that time, not just for his cosmic soloing ability, but also for his totally complete approach to the instrument: comping, rhythm playing, tone, timing , etc.

I, like many other 'disciples', used to look at that white SG and yearn to get one - genuinely believing it had some great bearing on the unique noises coming out off it. The first time I actually got to play with it was a mix of astonishment and disappointment as it really was the pits to play, with hardly any frets left and strings rusty enough to give you hand infections - Bloody hell!

Anyway, Bob Fripp couldn't make the last Centipede concerts due to King Crimson commitments and Keith asked me who I thought would be a good replacement. So Ollie, on my recommendation, took over Bob guitar chair for the last three Royal Albert Hall concerts and the Nancy Jazz Festival which were a hoot in more ways than one!

Moving on, I got offered a British tour with Gary Glitter [!] by his musical director Lance Dixon (another Jazz mate) but I couldn't do it. So, for a joke, I phoned Ollie and asked him if he'd like to 'try out' for the gig - fully expecting him to tell me to fuck off!

But he was really up against it financially at the time and jumped at the offer and, of course got the gig. He had no guitar at the time so I lent him my modified Telecaster. I was by then playing an SG standard.

Ollie with Brians SG Standard

I used to lend Ollie guitars sometimes as there was a period when he didn''t have his own. All the Patto/Boxer gear was snaffled up by the management company including his SG custom.

I got a call a few weeks later from Lance whilst they were still rehearsing to ask again if I could do the gig so I said "Why, has Ollie chinned Glitter?".

No, Ollie was cool but the other guitar player was not working out so I thought "fuck, Ollies doing it so I've got to!!", cancelled my BBC work [bad move!] and we did 'The Silver Star comeback Tour" - working men's clubs a gogo! [Hence the John Birch silver star Glitter band guitar which actually I played on the tour - every string tuned to A to get those Glitter riffs. Can you imagine Ollie putting up with that?]