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Jazz Articles about Mary Halvorson
Mary Halvorson: Meltframe
by Karl Ackermann
In a quietly forceful way, guitarist Mary Halvorson has cemented her place among the company of modern-day counterparts such as Eivind Aarset, Nels Cline and Terje Rypdal. The Brooklyn based composer/musician has performed with the likes of Anthony Braxton (both sharing credentials at Wesleyan University), cornet player Taylor Ho Bynum and the avant-garde group Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. Halvorson has recorded with trumpeter Nate Wooley, multi-reedist Jon Irabagon and Norwegian bassist Eivind Opsvik. The consistent factor in Halvorson's career to date, ...
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by Dan Bilawsky
It should come as no shock that Mary Halvorson's first solo guitar album is a mind-bender. In the past, regardless of where she's gone and who she's gone with, Halvorson has managed to surprise by liberally mixing uncommonly aggressive assaults, open-ended exploration(s), and, on occasion, calm(ing) cogitation. Here, standing all by her lonesome, all three of those aspects are in play. What's most shocking about this one is the material that Halvorson uses and the way she ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson: Reverse Blue
by Troy Collins
In the past few years, Mary Halvorson, already an acclaimed member of New York's Downtown improv scene, has been earning widespread recognition as a bandleader and composer of note. Her writing displays an increasing sophistication with each new effort, revealing a compositional maturity as distinctive as her idiosyncratic guitar technique.Her latest ensemble, Reverse Blue, first performed at NYC's Blue Note as part of Search and Restore's “Spontaneous Constructions" series. The group's name was inspired by her father's curious ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson, Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara: Thumbscrew
by Enrico Bettinello
È un trio intrigante, quello composto da Mary Halvorson alla chitarra, Michael Formanek al contrabbasso e Tomas Fujiwara alla batteria. Organismo collettivo, mette in contatto musicalità molto forti già individualmente e in grado di condividere processi di improvvisazione sempre mobili. Forme aperte che però mantengono sempre una forte coerenza interna, inerpicandosi a volte su grooves elaborati, altre esplorando gli angoli più nascosti e astratti che l'incontro tra le linee espressive creano. Nel linguaggio della ...
Continue ReadingI 10 Cd nel CD-Player di... Mary Halvorson
by Vincenzo Roggero
01. Bill Orcutt--A History of Every One (Editions Mego--2013). Lo stile chitarristico di Bill Orcutt è folle, bluesy e assolutamente unico. Questo nuovo disco è sorprendente. 02. Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog--Your Turn (Northern Spy--2013). Ho atteso questo disco a lungo. Costruito perfettamente cattura l'energia e la temerarietà della band. 03. Seaven Teares--Power Ballads (Northern Spy--2013). Sono una fan di Charlie Looker fin da quando ero ragazzina. Disco sontuoso, misterioso e ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson - Michael Formanek - Tomas Fujiwara: Thumbscrew
by Glenn Astarita
Kindred musical spirits unite on this composers' cooperative, featuring three musicians who have been forerunners and antagonists of new-fangled directions in the avant-garde jazz spectrum, other than ripping into customary modern jazz fare with a vengeance. The artists' divergent discographies offer a worldly testament to these aspects, besides their work as first-call session aces. With Michael Formanek's pronounced bass lines, guitarist Mary Halvorson's fascinating permutations, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara laying down a host of perky grooves, the group executes within ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson Septet: Illusionary Sea
by Phil Barnes
In 2009 Mary Halvorson was asked how relevant she felt that the word 'jazz' was to musicians of her generation. Her response was telling “Oh, I think about jazz all the time and although I don't play the traditional forms, I call myself a 'jazz musician.'.. trying to integrate everything into my own language." The corollary of this is that, while she has clear roots in jazz, Halvorson has assimilated influences from many genres of music and reflects this in ...
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