{"id":7692,"date":"2024-01-24T22:52:37","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T04:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=7692"},"modified":"2024-02-11T19:50:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T01:50:05","slug":"review-mary-halvorson-cloudward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-mary-halvorson-cloudward\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mary Halvorson&#8217;s &#8216;Cloudward&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\">Mary Halvorson gives a wide range of effects and musical roles to her guitar, and the result is always idiosyncratic. The guitarist&#8217;s compositions have a complex, innovative edge, and&nbsp;<em>Cloudward&nbsp;<\/em>(Nonesuch, 2024) is more evidence as to why she deserves all the acclaim that comes her way. The intensity and progression of &#8220;Desiderata&#8221; is a fantastic display of her compositional and instrumental chops. The tune opens with a rock verve that dissipates into reserved trumpet and trombone melodies that the guitar tastefully punctuates. Things get hectic once Halvorson turns on the distortion and ignites the mood with an aggressive solo full of technical mastery and otherworldly effects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=3093171620\/album=64553709\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;Desiderata&#8221; shows that Halvorson is such a good guitar player that one could forgive her if she only composed to serve the guitar above all else. However, this is never the case, especially not with Amaryllis, a group that brings out some of her most holistic writing. In Amaryllis, which features Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O\u2019Farrill (trumpet), everyone gets their chance to shine. Although Halvorson&#8217;s guitar is integral to the success of&nbsp;<em>Cloudward<\/em>, much of it is slightly to the left of the spotlight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In the slightly angular opening of &#8220;The Gate,&#8221; the guitar shadows the horns in a flamenco-esque melody before Garchick takes a dexterous solo. Halvorson and Brennan provide expressive texture &#8211; whenever the vibraphone embarks on mesmerizing flourishes, the guitar responds in kind. The band finishes &#8220;The Gate&#8221; with aplomb in its second half, which features a powerful trumpet solo and intense drumming. Fujiwara has a different but equally crucial role in &#8220;Unscrolling,&#8221; which starts with his kit setting the subtle mood. Dunston takes the bow to his bass for a captivating extended solo. The juxtaposition between the abrasive tone of the bass and the low-key ambiance of the rest of the band is fascinating.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=3323267073\/album=64553709\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The calmer moments of&nbsp;<em>Cloudward&nbsp;<\/em>show that Amaryllis is equally impressive in quiet and loud contexts. The entrancing &#8220;The Tower&#8221; is the closest the album gets to outright balladry, and Brennan takes full advantage with a stunning solo. The gorgeous, crystalline tone of the vibraphone is perfect for the spacious setting. The space is more surreal in &#8220;Incarnadine,&#8221; which features Laurie Anderson on violin. Interesting, understated bursts of improvisation guarantee that \u201cIncarnadine\u201d will never be played anywhere close to the same way twice. The engrossing, eerie atmosphere is a testament to the strong connection among these musicians, which is evident throughout the entirety of&nbsp;<em>Cloudward<\/em>. This album is a stellar showcase of forward-thinking jazz &#8211; the type of music that keeps the genre fresh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong><em>Cloudward i<\/em>s now available on Nonesuch Records.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/maryhalvorson.bandcamp.com\/album\/cloudward\" title=\"\"><strong>\u00a0It can be purchased on Bandcamp.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Tracklist: 1. The Gate; 2. The Tower; 3. Collapsing Mouth; 4. Unscrolling; 5. Desiderata; 6. Incarnadine; 7. Tailhead; 8. Ultramarine. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Personnel: Mary Halvorson (guitar), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O\u2019Farrill (trumpet).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mary Halvorson gives a wide range of effects and musical roles to her guitar, and the result is always idiosyncratic. The guitarist&#8217;s compositions have a complex, innovative edge, and&nbsp;Cloudward&nbsp;(Nonesuch, 2024) is more evidence as to why she deserves all the acclaim that comes her way. The intensity and progression of &#8220;Desiderata&#8221; is a fantastic display [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":301,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/mary-halvorson-store-20231.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-204","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7405,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/cloudward-mary-halvorson\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":0},"title":"Cloudward: A Conversation with Mary Halvorson","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"January 6, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Philosopher G.K. Chesterton once commented, \"There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.\" Here on the ground, architects must follow rigid rules and principles to ensure the sturdy erection of their vision and avoid collapse. But what happens when you work in a place where\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Mary1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1213,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/thumbscrew-braxton\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":1},"title":"Review: Thumbscrew&#8217;s &#8216;The Anthony Braxton Project&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"July 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It would be hard to find a trio better equipped to tackle an entire album of saxophonist Anthony Braxton's compositions than Thumbscrew. Braxton is an accomplished veteran of the avant-garde, free improvisation, and everything in between. Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomas Fujiwara (drums, vibraphone), and Michael Formanek (bass) do not approach\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2556,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/thumbscrew-never-is-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":2},"title":"Review: Thumbscrew&#8217;s &#8216;Never is Enough&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"February 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It hasn't even been a year since Thumbscrew released their superb record in tribute to Anthony Braxton, but the trio is already back with Never Is Enough (Cuneiform Records, 2021). Braxton's influence is still apparent, especially in the more rigid moments, but this album is a completely different experience. For\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/thumbscrew.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9879,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/best-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":3},"title":"PostGenre\u2019s Best of 2024","author":"PostGenre Writing Staff","date":"December 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The albums we collectively felt were the best of 2024 (technically from Thanksgiving 2023 to Thanksgiving 2024) show a beautiful range of diverse voices. I don\u2019t think any of us consciously chose our albums based on identifiers like race, gender, or nationality. The fact it is replete with musicians from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Best of Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Best of Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0340-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0340-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0340-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0340-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4073,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/fujiwara-march\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":4},"title":"Review: Tomas Fujiwara&#8217;s Triple Double&#8217;s &#8216;March&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"February 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The debut recording of Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double was extraordinary. The two-drum (Fujiwara and Gerald Cleaver), two-guitar (Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook), and two-horn (Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet and Ralph Alessi on trumpet) structure of the band is something rarely seen. Even in the bold avant-garde scene that Fujiwara\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/unnamed-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/unnamed-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/unnamed-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/unnamed-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11183,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-garchiks-ye-olde-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7692,"position":5},"title":"Review: Jacob Garchik&#8217;s &#8216;Ye Olde 2: At The End of Time&#8217;","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"August 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Strap yourself in for an exhilarating ride. Trombonist and composer Jacob Carchik\u2019s Ye Olde 2: At the End of Time (Yestereve, 2025) is the follow-up to the first Ye Olde (Yestereve, 2015) from a decade earlier. The older album imagined a band of heroes journeying through an imaginary medieval Brooklyn.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ye-Olde-plus-Simulacrus-pic-by-Ernest-Stuart.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ye-Olde-plus-Simulacrus-pic-by-Ernest-Stuart.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ye-Olde-plus-Simulacrus-pic-by-Ernest-Stuart.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ye-Olde-plus-Simulacrus-pic-by-Ernest-Stuart.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7692"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7835,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions\/7835"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}