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Mary Halvorson Quintet: Bending Bridges
by Troy Collins
The widely celebrated 2010 debut of Mary Halvorson's Quintet, Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12), confirmed the young guitarist's growing reputation with a selection of urbane compositions as impressive as her idiosyncratic improvisations. Bending Bridges expands upon the previous album's concepts, offering further proof of Halvorson's burgeoning talent, reinforced by an even greater sense of accord within the ensemble.Bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith once again support the vivacious frontline of trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and saxophonist Jon Irabagon, who ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson Quintet: Bending Bridges
by John Sharpe
For the sophomore effort from her quintet, guitarist Mary Halvorson reprises the winning formula of Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12, 2010). Again, there is a mix of pieces for the full ensemble and for Halvorson in trio; and, again, the end result defies classification, touching on spidery improv, jazz tradition and avant rock in a cleverly idiosyncratic brew. Only this time out, she is even more successful. Her writing has developed, unveiling appealing tunes enlivened by arrangements which extract the best ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone: Departure of Reason
by Troy Collins
Departure of Reason is guitarist Mary Halvorson and violist Jessica Pavone's fourth duo recording, following Thin Air (Thirsty Ear, 2009), On and Off (Skirl, 2007) and Prairies (Lucky Kitchen, 2005). As leading lights of the fertile Brooklyn scene, their unique musical vocabulary encompasses a wealth of seemingly unrelated genres, from flamenco and folk to madrigal and metal; their seamless transitions between these disparate styles serve as the underlying foundation for experimental improvisations that skirt the tenuous divide between free jazz ...
Continue ReadingAA.VV.: I Never Meta Guitar
by AAJ Italy Staff
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 ...
Continue ReadingWeasel Walter/ Mary Halvorson/ Peter Evans: Electric Fruit
by Mark Corroto
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 ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings
by John Sharpe
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 ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings
by Nic Jones
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, ...
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