Mary Halvorson announces new album, Cloudward, and shares first single ‘The Gate’
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Looking ahead to early next year, a release that has me salivating is ‘Cloudward’ from Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson.
Arriving on the 19th of January via Nonesuch Records the 8-song release sees Halvorson backed by her sextet Amaryllis, a group that includes Patricia Brennan (vibes), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet).
“All the music on Cloudward was written in 2022, mostly in the fall and winter, when things started moving forward” Halverson says. “Life felt like a creaky machine starting up again,” she continues.
“Air travel, however chaotic, had resumed, and we were once again cloudward. Performances and tours and recordings were happening after a long hiatus and with a renewed sense of gratitude. This band, for me, was quite simply working, both musically and personally, and the main thing I felt while writing the music was optimism.”
Halvorson stands out as one of the most exceptional and distinctive jazz guitarists in the world. One who continuously exceeds expectations with her unsurpassed talent. ‘The Gate’, the opening track on the album, exemplifies this point flawlessly.
