MARY HALVORSON – About Ghosts – LP – Vinyl [JUN 13]

LP – 140g Black Vinyl.

Mary Halvorsons last three records were named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeats annual Critics Poll, where she was also named Guitarist of the Year in 2023 and 2024. Pitchfork noted in its review of her most recent record, There is something curiously absolute about Cloudward, whose eight pieces seem chiefly to express their own elegant systems of order and disorder, rather than reaching outside themselves to convey particular emotions or images. And Bandcamp said, Halvorson continues to give her excellent band plenty of freedom in how the pieces come together, producing her most richly contrapuntal music yet. That achievement speaks to the elasticity, presence, and imagination of her bandmates, who built spectacular, rigorous marvels from her malleable frameworks.

In addition to her three previous Nonesuch recordings, Halvorson has released a series of critically acclaimed albums, from Dragons Head (2008), her trio debut featuring bassist John Hbert and drummer Ches Smith, expanding to a quintet with trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon on Saturn Sings (2010) and Bending Bridges (2012), a septet with tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trombonist Jacob Garchik on Illusionary Sea (2014), and finally an octet with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn on Away With You (2016). She also released the solo recording Meltframe (2015). Her ensemble Code Girl, featuring vocalist Amirtha Kidambi, trumpeter Adam OFarrill, saxophonist and vocalist Mara Grand, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, released two albums, in 2018 and 2020.

One of New York Citys most in-demand guitarists, over the past decade, Halvorson has worked with such diverse musicians as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, 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 is also part of several collaborative projects, most notably the longstanding trio Thumbscrew with Michael Formanek on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Full of Neon
2. Carved From
3. Eventidal
4. Absinthian

Side B
1. About Ghosts
2. Amaranthine
3. Polyhedral
4. Endmost