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Jazz Articles about Mary Halvorson
Mary Halvorson At 40
by John Eyles
Guitarist Mary Halvorson enrolled to study Biology at Wesleyan University, but she soon dropped the subject after sitting in on one of saxophonist Anthony Braxton's music classes there, instead studying jazz. By November 2004, shortly after her twenty-fourth birthday, Halvorson played guitar at the Royal Festival Hall, London, as a member of Braxton's quintet, the first of many appearances with the saxophonist. In addition, Halvorson played with or--from 2008--led a burgeoning number of groups, often including other Braxton alumni such ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson's Code Girl: Artlessly Falling
by Vic Albani
Esistono due donne nel mondo del jazz moderno che hanno mostrato di conoscere e capire in toto il genio musicale di Robert Wyatt. La prima, molto tempo fa e quindi in tempi non sospetti, è stata Carla Bley e non c'è altro da aggiungere. La seconda, che è invece colei di cui vogliamo scrivere, è Mary Halvorson, chitarrista newyorkese di Brooklyn, da almeno una dozzina di anni indicata dalla critica più attenta e intelligente quale una delle più intriganti personalità ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson's Code Girl: Artlessly Falling
by Troy Dostert
Aside from her most obvious musical talents, including her phenomenal guitar chops and her budding talent as a lyricist, Mary Halvorson has a special gift for understanding the abilities of her bandmates and drawing out their strengths to the fullest. Part of it is the way she tends to keep the same company in her assorted projects: bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara are the leading examples, having recorded extensively with her in their trio Thumbscrew, as heard on ...
Continue ReadingThumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project
by Mark Sullivan
The Thumbscrew trio celebrates avant-garde legend Anthony Braxton's 75th birthday with this project. Given access to the Tricentric Archives of Braxton's work, they focused on previously unrecorded pieces by the composer, multi-wind master and bandleader. In addition to their playing history together guitarist Mary Halvorson, double bassist Michael Formanek and drummer/vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara have all had extensive experience working with Braxton, making them ideally suited to these interpretations of his music. Seeking scores that fired their imaginations (as ...
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson, Arthur Briggs, Theo Hill and More
by Joe Dimino
This week we open with innovative guitarist Mary Halvorson. She brings great insights on her career and this new COVID-19 jazz world. We also listen and interview New York City pianist Theo Hill, who is now in Costa Rica during the global pandemic. Finally, we hear from Roberto Magris in Italy during the quarantine. Playlist Mary Halvorson “My Mind I Find in Time" Code Girl (Firehouse 12 Records) 00:00 Host talks 6:58 New Mayfair Orchestra “Time on my ...
Continue ReadingTomeka Reid Quartet: Old New
by Ian Patterson
Tomeka Reid cut her teeth in Chicago, recording with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell and Nicole Mitchell, but the cellist's 2016 move to New York seems to have fired her creative juices even more. The prolific Reid has appeared on nearly twenty recordings in that time, notably including the Art Ensemble of Chicago's We Are On The Edge (Pi Recordings, 2019), and also touring with the group in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. Given the demands on Reid's time, it is ...
Continue ReadingTaylor Ho Bynum 9-tette: The Ambiguity Manifesto
by Giuseppe Segala
All'interno della generazione di musicisti che si sono formati con Anthony Braxton negli anni Novanta, studiando presso di lui alla Wesleyan University e collaborando ai suoi lavori di quel periodo, Taylor Ho Bynum spicca insieme a Mary Halvorson per versatilità dinamica e dovizia progettuale. Bynum, nel periodo in cui ha diretto la Tri-Centric Foundation, dal 2010-2018, ha pure prodotto molti importanti lavori di Braxton, tra cui due poderose opere della serie Trillium e due spettacoli di Sonic Genome. La sua ...
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