Mary Halvorson - Cloudward - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Nonesuch Records releases About Ghosts by Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellowMary Halvorson on June 13, 2025. The album features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis, the improvisatory band that also was featured on her critically praised albums Amaryllis, Belladonna, and Cloudward. Amaryllis comprises Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O'Farrill (trumpet). Saxophonists Immanuel Wilkins and Brian Settles join the ensemble on five tunes. Halvorson's last three records were named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeat's annual Critics Poll, where she was also named Guitarist of the Year in 2023 and 2024.

Thirsty Ear would like to congratulate Mary Halvorson, Guitarist and Composer, as Fellow for the 2019 MacArthur Genius Award. Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone have collectively been featured in the New York Times, Jazz Review, the Wire, Time Out New York, Time Out Chicago, the New York Press, Jazztimes, All About Jazz, BBC and Downbeat. From the collaborative minds and nimble fingers of Mary Halvorson (Guitar, Vocals) and Jessica Pavone (Viola, Vocals) come a minimalist rendering of emotions and themes, performed with stark clarity and introspection. InchThin AirInch is a presentation involving their vast talents as musicians, vocalists and poets. Their lyrics borrow from themes relating to everything from human relationships and travelling to more abstract and intangible elements. These melodies are offered in a sparse yet effervescent style that make the listener feel as though they are sitting right next to them, much like an impromptu coffeehouse performance. Both intimate and forward thinking, this is a true example of the power of thought, through a unique blending of avant folk with jazz underpinnings.

Thirsty Ear would like to congratulate Mary Halvorson, Guitarist and Composer, as Fellow for the 2019 MacArthur Genius Award. Electric FruitInch alludes to the vexing encounter between nature and technology, one of the most complex issues that we face as a global society. The album brings together a powerhouse of innovators?Weasel Walter, Mary Halvorson and Peter Evans?to emphatically capture, question and explore the throes of this crucial contradiction. InchElectric FruitInch is a stirring and potent recording of the dangerous confrontation between the innate and the artificial, the organic and the robotic. Each member of the trio brings their peculiarities, problems and powers to the table for a passionate discourse.