Mary Halvorson began her set at Joe’s Pub on Sunday with one
of the first pieces she composed for her trio, with bassist John Hébert and
drummer Ches Smith. Its melody shifted and buckled as she played, occasionally
twisting in on itself, and I couldn’t help but think that her aesthetic for the
band had evolved -- even though the personnel on this date had Tomas Fujiwara,
a frequent collaborator, filling in for Smith.
Halvorson specializes in strangely tuneful provocations, and
that was as true on Sunday as it is throughout Dragon’s Head, her excellent debut, released last year on
Firehouse 12. One of the most striking things about hearing her in person, on
her bandstand or someone else’s, is the stubborn physical dimension of her
sound on guitar. Last fall, in preparation for a preview feature,
I asked her about this (among other things), and found her response to be
fascinating:
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