Mary Halvorson: Cloudward

Guitarist, composer & raconteur Mary Halvorson could very comfortably (and rightfully) wear the sobriquet of "The Charles Mingus of Guitar" if she wanted to. But even that open-ended comparison would limit her as she outdoes herself again on Cloudward.

Though it must surely be getting harder to top herself given the string of releases—the deliberately articulate schizophrenia Amaryllis and Belladonna (Nonesuch, 2022), the unbridled trio synergy Multicolored Midnight (Cunneiform, 2018), the crackling mad invention propelling 2018's Code Girl (Firehouse 12 )—Cloudward makes it look easier. Almost involuntarily.

Composed yet amorphous, decisive yet laden with anxious questions such as "Where do we go from here?" and "Why bother?" Halvorson's clouds make Cloudward—the guitarist's unique take on the reading of the Tarot—a sonic immersion not to be missed. For instance, the imposing "The Tower," a stunningly odd creation it is difficult to turn away from; surrounded by the same pirate sextet which gave the world Amaryllis, so much happens in its quixotic eight-minutes—ghost guitar and fx scrawling scale-like into a lonely strum, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan ushering in the clouds, Thumbscrew ally, rhythm twisting drummer Tomas Fujiwara brushes in, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill's flares in. It is a hell of a track. A coupe of your time in real time.

The whole of Cloudward is like that, as Halvorson insists each voice gets more of a say. "Collapsing Mouth" could be considered a Brennan & O'Farrill duet until . . . well until it is not and bassist Nick Dunston takes hold and trombonist Jacob Garchik parlays and parallels O'Farrill. "Unscrolling," marked by Dunston's nearly crazed bowing, lifts one up from their own doom scrolling, and thank the powers that be for that.

"Desidarata," proof positive that Jimi Hendrix lives on in the heart of every great guitarist, cranks up the amps and the action. The guitarist sets the rock tone to Fujiwara's ecstatic bashing, then breaks off to accompany trumpet and trombone in their pursuit of the heights. From there it is headlong into jam and noise city as Halvorson, (unleashing her inner Jeff Beck with glorious ease) just cranks and cranks and cranks. It is exhilarating! It is liberating!

"Incarnadine," featuring violinist and spoken word & art rock icon Laurie Anderson, revels in its devilish twists of sound and beauty. The joyous closer, "Ultramarine" breaks from a frenzied bass solo into a race with Halvorson, countered by Brennan, Garchik, O'Farrill. Vibes and guitar then fall into cascading unison to Fujiwara's skipping beat. Then it ends. Just like that.

And just like that because Cloudward is just too good.