Mary Halvorson

Mary Halvorson has been described by JazzTimes as “a singular talent,” and by the Wall Street Journal as “one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise.” In recent DownBeat Critics Polls Halvorson has been celebrated as Guitarist, Rising Star Jazz artist, and Rising Star Composer of the year, and in 2019 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. One of New York City’s most in-demand guitarists, over the past decade Halvorson has worked with such diverse musicians as Tim Berne, Taylor Ho Bynum, John Dieterich, Trevor Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ingrid Laubrock, Jason Moran, Joe Morris, Tom Rainey, Jessica Pavone, Tomeka Reid, Marc Ribot and John Zorn. She’s released a series of critically acclaimed albums on the Firehouse 12 label, starting with 2008’s Dragon’s Head, her trio debut featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith. The group expanded to a quintet with trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon on 2010’s Saturn Sings and 2012’s Bending Bridges, a septet with tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trombonist Jacob Garchik on 2014’s Illusionary Sea, and finally an octet with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn on 2016’s Away With You. Her acclaimed 2018 and 2020 albums with her band Code Girl, which feature her original lyrics based around poetic forms, deployed a rhythm section of Formanek and Fujiwara. Most recently she released a double debut on Nonesuch with the interlocking pair of records Amaryllis and Belladonna. The former features a new sextet with Fujiwara, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, bassist Nick Dunston, trombonist Jacob Garchik, and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill (augmented by the Mivos string quartet on the album’s second side). On Belladonna, Halvorson wrote solely for guitar and Mivos.