Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings

235

Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings

By

View read count
Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings
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 The 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 of the ten cuts in this 66-minute program. But even with the horns, Halvorson remains the dominant voice. Deservedly so: her playing is as bracingly unorthodox as it gets, while still being unmistakably guitar-derived.

Her compositional sense continues to be idiosyncratically unpredictable. To Halvorson, each piece, numbered reflecting the order in which it was written, represents a challenge to keep moving and keep changing. A challenge she meets not only by varying the mood between, but also, indeed, within the tracks. "Moon Traps In Seven Rings (No. 17)" provides a case in point. After a melodic a capella introduction by Hébert, alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon and trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson alternately sketch a lyrical refrain, only to be repeatedly intersected by a broad impasto of guitar skronk. A drum solo precedes a lightly swinging showcase for, first, alto sax, and then trumpet, before Halvorson takes center stage with fuzz guitar heroics, culminating in a high register single-note run which leads back to a recasting of the opening theme—this time, as a loose fugue, minus the guitar smears.

Thelonious Monk Competition prizewinner and maverick saxophone star Irabagon exercises judicious restraint with a plaintive edge. Nonetheless, his tonal distortions blend pleasingly with the leader's guitar scribbles on "Leak Over Six Five (No. 14)," while on "Crescent White Singe (No. 13)," he takes an astonishing solo, circular breathing a continuous yelping drone which sounds like an accordionist fighting with his instrument. Finlayson is more circumspect, his fizzing trumpet navigating choppy waters on the same track, but taking an extended Spanish-tinged outing on "Mile High Like (No. 16)," after the opening mariachi horns and involved theme. Of the trio tunes, on "Cold Mirrors (No. 15)" the tumbleweed can almost be heard blowing through, while "Sea Seizure (No. 19)"starts out rocky, but then abstracts a reggae beat for Halvorson's slurred notes and crab-like runs.

Each number is a world within itself which, though not necessarily hospitable on initial acquaintance, first intrigues and then captivates with repeated listens.

Track Listing

Leak Over Six Five (No. 14); Sequential Tears In It (No. 20); Mile High Like (No. 16); Moon Traps In Seven Rings (No. 17); Sea Seizure (No. 19); Crack In Sky (No. 11); Right Size Too Little (No. 12); Crescent White Singe (No. 13); Cold Mirrors (No. 15); Saturn Sings (No. 18).

Personnel

Jonathan Finalyson: trumpet; Jon Irabagon: alto saxophone; Mary Halvorson: guitar; John Hébert: bass; Ches Smith: drums.

Album information

Title: Saturn Sings | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Firehouse 12 Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Mary Halvorson Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.