{"title":"Mary Halvorson","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn in 1980 in Brookline, Massachusetts, Mary Halvorson is a Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer who has earned widespread recognition as one of the most original and influential guitarists of her generation, winning DownBeat Critics Poll Guitarist of the Year for nine consecutive years and receiving a 2019 MacArthur Fellowship. Beginning her musical education on violin, she switched to guitar at age 11 after discovering Jimi Hendrix, initially wanting to be a rock musician before her first teacher, a jazz buff, steered her toward jazz. She attended Wesleyan University initially for biology but switched her focus to music after sitting in on a class taught by Anthony Braxton, who became a pivotal mentor alongside avant-garde guitarist Joe Morris, both encouraging her to pursue her own voice and experiment freely. Halvorson describes the guitar as a \"neutral vessel\" not associated with any particular genre, and her music incorporates elements of jazz, flamenco, rock, noise, and psychedelia in a fiercely individual style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter studying at Wesleyan and The New School, Halvorson moved to New York City in 2002 and quickly became one of the city's most in-demand guitarists, appearing on more than 75 releases as co-leader or sidewoman. Her debut album \u003cem\u003eDragon's Head\u003c\/em\u003e appeared in 2008 on Firehouse 12 Records, a trio featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith, which critics called \"the most original jazz guitarist to emerge this decade\". She expanded to a quintet with trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon on \u003cem\u003eSaturn Sings\u003c\/em\u003e (2010) and \u003cem\u003eBending Bridges\u003c\/em\u003e (2012), a septet with tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trombonist Jacob Garchik on \u003cem\u003eIllusionary Sea\u003c\/em\u003e (2014), and an octet with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn on \u003cem\u003eAway With You \u003c\/em\u003e(2016). Her 2015 solo album \u003cem\u003eMeltframe \u003c\/em\u003ewas called \"category-exploding\" by NPR and placed 7th in the Jazz Critics Poll. In 2013 she formed the trio Thumbscrew with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, recording several critically acclaimed albums. \u003cem\u003eCode Girl \u003c\/em\u003e(2018) marked her first attempt at writing lyrics for her original works, sung by Amirtha Kidambi and inspired by Robert Wyatt and Elliott Smith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalvorson signed to Nonesuch Records in 2022, releasing the twin albums \u003cem\u003eAmaryllis\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBelladonna\u003c\/em\u003e, which feature her string quartet writing interpreted by The Mivos Quartet alongside her Amaryllis sextet with Adam O'Farrill, Jacob Garchik, Patricia Brennan, Nick Dunston, and Tomas Fujiwara. The Guardian gave them five stars, calling them \"new landmarks in Halvorson's already inimitable discography\", and they were named Jazz Album of the Year in the 2022 DownBeat Critics Poll. \u003cem\u003eCloudward\u003c\/em\u003e appeared in 2024 featuring her Amaryllis sextet plus guest Laurie Anderson on violin, followed by \u003cem\u003eAbout Ghosts\u003c\/em\u003e in 2025, which NPR Music, Slate, and the Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll named best new jazz album of the year. Halvorson teaches at The New School's School of Jazz and has worked with diverse musicians including Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, Taylor Ho Bynum, Ingrid Laubrock, and Myra Melford.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"mary-halvorson-about-ghosts-2025-nonesuch-vinyl-lp","title":"Mary Halvorson - About Ghosts (2025 Nonesuch Vinyl LP)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMary Halvorson - \u003cem\u003eAbout Ghosts\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eVinyl LP - 2025 Nonesuch Records\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOne of jazz's most acclaimed contemporary guitarists\u003c\/strong\u003e - Halvorson's distinctive extended techniques and compositional vision\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAll-star octet\u003c\/strong\u003e - featuring Immanuel Wilkins, Patricia Brennan, Adam O'Farrill\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrand new June 2025 release\u003c\/strong\u003e - dedicated to steel guitar pioneer Susan Alcorn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGuitarist and composer Mary Halvorson presents her latest octet work, eight compositions recorded at New York's Sear Sound featuring an ensemble of contemporary creative music's finest voices. The lineup includes alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, tenor saxophonist Brian Settles, trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, trombonist Jacob Garchik, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, bassist Nick Dunston, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, with Halvorson on guitar and pocket piano. Released on 13 June 2025 by Nonesuch Records and dedicated to steel guitar innovator Susan Alcorn (1953-2025), the album showcases Halvorson's compositional approach that balances written precision with improvisational freedom, her distinctive guitar sound—combining extended techniques, angular melodies, and unconventional tone colours—leading the ensemble through music that defies easy categorization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHalvorson's compositions create frameworks that allow each musician's individual voice to emerge while maintaining coherent collective identity. Her guitar playing, instantly recognizable through her use of effects, unusual fingerings, and distinctive phrasing, functions as both lead voice and textural element. The octet format allows fuller orchestration than her smaller groups while maintaining the intimacy and flexibility essential to creative improvisation. Wilkins' alto saxophone and Settles' tenor provide contrasting approaches to the frontline, while Brennan's vibraphone adds harmonic and melodic colours rarely heard in contemporary jazz contexts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rhythm section of Dunston and Fujiwara, both leaders in their own right, provides foundation that supports without constraining, their interaction creating rhythmic complexity and dynamic range. O'Farrill's trumpet and Garchik's trombone complete the horn section, their contributions adding both ensemble weight and solo possibilities. Recorded at Sear Sound, mastered and lacquer cut at Masterdisk, and pressed at GZ Media, this album continues Halvorson's exploration of composition and improvisation that has made her one of contemporary jazz's most distinctive and celebrated voices.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nonesuch","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43216824533051,"sku":null,"price":75.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0630\/3203\/3339\/files\/a1750061569_10_852e54a5-eee2-4dd4-9cfd-ccf392fa837a.jpg?v=1771106408"}],"url":"https:\/\/lushliferecords.com.au\/collections\/mary-halvorson.oembed","provider":"Lush Life Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}