Home » Jazz Articles » Mary Halvorson
Jazz Articles about Mary Halvorson
Jazz Interpretations of the French Impressionist Musical Revolutionaries Erik Satie and Claude Debussy
by Larry Slater
Jazz has had its fair share of musical revolutionaries. Charlie Parker in the 1940s. Ornette Coleman in the late '50s and John Coltrane in the '60s.Erik Satie and Claude Debussy were revolutionaries in the classical music world of 19th century France, and both have been a powerful influence on generations of jazz artists.Satie pushed boundaries with music that lacked bar lines and exhibited ambiguous tonality. Debussy was the first composer to cultivate a musical language that ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson: About the Ghosts in the Guitar
by Dean Nardi
No, guitarheads, recently Mary Halvorson has been inspired to put out records with her Amaryllis sextet more so than some jaggedy, lyrical shredding, but these are pretty darn good jazz records from a tight ensemble consisting of Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone) and a rhythm section of Nick Dunston (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). Saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins (alto) and Brian Settles (tenor) join the aforementioned party of six on half the tracks of Halvorson's About Ghosts album, ...
Continue ReadingYe Olde 2: Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time
by Glenn Astarita
Ten years after the first Ye Olde (Yestereve Records, 2015) was framed around a fantasy quest into a riotous Brooklyn guitar summit, trombonist extraordinaire Jacob Garchik returns with Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time, a 48-minute sci-fi prog jazz odyssey stretching from the heat death of the universe to the resurrection of consciousness itself. The original crew--Mary Halvorson, Brandon Seabrook, and Jonathan Goldberger on guitars, Vinnie Sperrazza on drums--anchors six of the eight tracks plus the ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson's Amaryllis Sextet At Domicil
by Matty Bannond
Mary Halvorson's Amaryllis Sextet Domicil Dortmund, Germany November 6, 2025 Sixty seconds before this concert's advertised start time, a member of the venue's tech team deposited a gym towel on each on-stage music stand. It was an ominous gesture for a chilly evening in autumnal north-west Germany. Mary Halvorson's Amaryllis Sextet clearly planned to push for the burn. The group has released three albums and features vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, trombonist Jacob Garchik, bassist ...
Continue ReadingChes Smith: Clone Row
by Glenn Astarita
Ches Smith, the San Diego-born Sacramento-raised drummer who studied philosophy at the University of Oregon before diving headfirst into the Bay Area's experimental music scene, has long been one of modern jazz's most restless spirits. His deep resume includes work with Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Mary Halvorson and Nels Cline, cementing his reputation as a first-call rhythmic architect for the avant-garde and progressive jazz. Following his acclaimed ten-piece ensemble album Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic, 2024), Smith took a bold ...
Continue ReadingNew Music From Halvorson, Grasso, Harvey & More
by Bob Osborne
A selection of the best of new jazz releases in 2025 with a few classic tracks from previous years. In particular Mary Halvorson's new album is a strong contender for album of the year.Playlist Mary Halvorson “Full of Neon" from About Ghosts (Nonesuch Records) 00:00 Pasquale Grasso “Pannonica" from Solo Be-Bop! (Sony Masterworks) 06:55 Stephen Philip Harvey “Tectonic Shift (Live) [feat. Dan Bruce & Bobby Selvaggio]" from Multiversal : Live At Bop Stop (Hidden Cinema Records) 12:09 Stanley ...
Continue ReadingA Few of My Favorite 2025 Jazz Things (So Far), Part 1
by Ludovico Granvassu
It seems like we were just ringing in the New Year a few days ago, and now it's already July. So let's start looking back at the songs that we have loved the most in the first six months of the year. Here's the first batch.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Etienne Charles “Gullypso" Gullah Roots (Culture Shock) 0:16 Host talks 4:01 John Sturino “Year of the Globe" ...
Continue Reading
