Mary Halvorson Amaryllis Sextet "Cloudward"

"An unflinching original who has revealed new possibilities within the music." (New York Times)

Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson, one of the most sought-after guitarists (not only) in New York City, is currently on the lips of all jazz critics/jazz aficionados. And her recording output is now also worthy of the Guinness Book. Now, in January, she is on tour with her unusual Amaryllis Sextet, with new compositions and a new album Cloudward in her luggage.

"Nobody makes music like them". Like many other media outlets, the US magazine JazzTimes made no secret of this when reviewing Mary Halvorson's latest record. With her double album Amaryllis & Belladonna (2022), the guitarist finally established herself as one of the most creative jazz musicians of our time. Amaryllis & Belladonna ranked number one in numerous end-of-year lists and the record was showered with compliments. With her sextet, Halvorson brings a beautifully crafted blend of compositions and improvisations that are both catchy and adventurous.

"Finding your own voice is the most important thing. Perhaps more than any other guitarist right now, in jazz and beyond, she has succeeded in this insidiously simple task," Pitchfork aptly summarizes Mary Halvorson's current status. American jazz, chamber music, improvisation and progressive pop influences are brilliantly combined by the spirited and highly flexible Amaryillis sextet, which also includes trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and vibraphonist Patricia Brennan.

Halvorson says: "All the music on Amaryllis was written in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, during one of the most bizarre periods I've experienced in my life. While composing for Amaryllis, I was expanding certain musical concepts I had developed in my life up to that point - the ones that felt fruitful - and leaving others behind, hitting the reset button and trying to rebuild from the ground up. Two years later, after the release of the first album, I was still writing music for Amaryllis.
All of the music on Cloudward was written in 2022, mostly in the fall and winter when things were starting to move. Life felt like a creaking machine starting up again. Air travel, as chaotic as it could be, resumed, and we found ourselves back in Cloudward. Performances, touring and recording took place after a long hiatus and with a renewed sense of gratitude. For me, this band just worked, both musically and personally, and the most important thing I felt when writing the music was optimism."