MARY HALVORSON Amaryllis Sextet

“The main thing I felt while writing the music was optimism,” says Mary Halvorson about the recent album Cloudward. The previous album Amaryllis from 2022 was written during the uncertain times of the pandemic. It was voted Album of the Year in the Downbeat Critics Polls. Now Halvorson is back with the same group as on Amaryllis, now officially called Amaryllis Sextet. Cloudward contains eight new compositions by Halvorson. It was released on Nonesuch Records and features Laurie Anderson as a special guest.

Mary Halvorson is being recognized all around as an innovator of the jazz guitar. Consciously avoiding clichés, she creates her own style, in which she subtly distorts her semi-acoustic guitar with electronic effects. The American guitarist has performed on our stage in various formations. The largest so far is the Amaryllis Sextet, which bridges jazz, experimental, new music and beyond. Mary Halvorson creates room to improvise, allowing her compositions to unfold differently every time.

Mary Halvorson guitar, Adam O’Farrill trumpet, Jacob Garchik trombone, Patricia Brennan vibraphone, Nick Dunston bass, Tomas Fujiwara drums