Jazz Articles about Mary Halvorson

AA.VV.: I Never Meta Guitar

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 25, 2011

L'etichetta portoghese Clean Feed ha chiesto al chitarrista newyorkese Elliott Sharp di curare una antologia di brani dedicati alla chitarra contemporanea e ha raccolto il risultato in questo ottimo album: sedici brani affidati a sedici diversi interpreti. Sedici storie che si compenetrano e che riescono a raccontare le mille sfaccettature legate alle illimitate possibilità dello strumento. Tutti gli interpreti hanno scelto di muoversi in solo ad eccezione di Michael Gregory che invece ha deciso di farsi affiancare da basso e ...

Weasel Walter/ Mary Halvorson/ Peter Evans: Electric Fruit

by Mark Corroto
January 15, 2011

The meeting of guitarist Mary Halvorson, trumpeter Peter Evans, and drummer Weasel Walter is something more than an informal chinwag and something less than a formal colloquy. These six improvised tracks act as a show-and- tell demonstration of the immense talents of tomorrow's--and, maybe today's--creative giants.In the past few years, Halvorson's trio disc, Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12, 2008), and septet session, Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12, 2010), have been tapped on numerous top ten lists, as has Evans' work ...

Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings

by John Sharpe
October 8, 2010

Guitarist Mary Halvorson has graduated, summa cum laude, from the Anthony Braxton academy to become a hot ticket, popping up in ensembles as diverse as Thirteenth Assembly, Ingrid Laubrock's Anti-House, Marc Ribot's Sun Ship and Crackleknob. And now, the adventurous Firehouse 12 imprint has released the keenly awaited followup to her debut as leader, Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12, 2008). This time out, her longstanding trio--completed by bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith, is supplemented by horns on six out ...

Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings

by Nic Jones
September 29, 2010

One of the things that make Mary Halvorson's music so distinctive is the sense of flux which ensures that every release under the guitarist's own name seems like a report back from musical territories as yet uncharted. Making Saturn Sings something of a milestone, as the addition of horns might have had a detrimental effect on the music of her trio, which has already reached a state of almost telepathic understanding. But there's no reason to fear, ...

Mary Halvorson: Saturn Sings

by Chris May
September 28, 2010

The arrival of a new star in the jazz guitar cosmos, and the chance it offers to wrest a little more of the instrument back from the smooth and fusion apes, is always something to celebrate. The emergence of Brooklyn-based Mary Halvorson, who debuted as a bandleader in 2008 with Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12 Records), has been accompanied by even more bunting than usual. “The most impressive guitarist of her generation" was an early verdict in All About Jazz. “Probably ...

Mary Halvorson - Reuben Radding - Nate Wooley: Crackleknob

by AAJ Italy Staff
June 23, 2009

C'è qualcosa di profondamente “politico" nella musica del trio Crackleknob, composto equilateralmente dalla chitarra della sempre più autorevole Mary Halvorson, dal contrabbasso di Reuben Radding e dalla tromba mutante di Nate Wooley. Se uso questo termine, ben conscio tra l'altro di venire probabilmente frainteso, lo faccio non perché nelle intenzioni dei tre musicisti ci sia un qualsivoglia evidente messaggio in tale direzione, ma perché la scelta di un linguaggio comune di questo tipo spinge l'ascoltatore a prendere una posizione, a ...

Mary Halvorson, Reuben Radding & Nate Wooley: Crackleknob

by Troy Collins
May 8, 2009

A compelling example of evenhanded group improvisation, the self-titled debut of the collective trio Crackleknob demonstrates the sort of congenial rapport fueled by longstanding friendships. Up and coming improvisers on the nascent Brooklyn scene, guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Reuben Radding and trumpeter Nate Wooley first played as a trio four years ago. Since then, they have collaborated in various situations ranging from impromptu line-ups to regular touring ensembles.

A fearless improviser, Radding has served as sideman to free ...