Mary Halvorson

**rmpmcdermott** · 03-30-2019, 09:46 AM

In my opinion, one of the absolute original voices in jazz guitar today. I really adore her. I realize this kind of stuff isn't for everyone, but it completely inspires me.

**Hep To The Jive** · 03-30-2019, 11:53 AM

I thought Lets Get Weird This Morning was name of a song!

**ccroft** · 03-30-2019, 01:38 PM

I thought it said 'Let's Get WIRED This Morning'. Great title. Might have to use that one day :-)

Thanks for posting! I enjoyed it.

(... I wonder how long before the usual nay-sayers arrive...)

**rmpmcdermott** · 03-30-2019, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by Hep To The Jive

I thought Lets Get Weird This Morning was name of a song!

What a great name for a song!

**rmpmcdermott** · 03-30-2019, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by ccroft

I thought it said 'Let's Get WIRED This Morning'. Great title. Might have to use that one day :-)

Thanks for posting! I enjoyed it.

(... I wonder how long before the usual nay-sayers arrive...)

Eh, I don't mind the nay-sayers. I understand that this kind of jazz isn't for everyone, it isn't traditional. But to those who rail against avant and free jazz, I just like to remind them that Jim Hall played on an Ornette Coleman record in 1972...

**Cunamara** · 03-30-2019, 07:46 PM

Heck, I'm a Deadhead. Lots of this type of stuff sounds like a Dead show that wasn't very good. Free jazz is fine, but too many free/avant players can't actually play the instrument; others have excellent chops. I think Halvorson falls into the latter camp. She's clearly got time, structure, tone, technique and ears. That doesn't mean it's my cuppa most of the time. This was better than most to my ears.

**rmpmcdermott** · 03-30-2019, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

Heck, I'm a Deadhead. Lots of this type of stuff sounds like a Dead show that wasn't very good. Free jazz is fine, but too many free/avant players can't actually play the instrument; others have excellent chops. I think Halvorson falls into the latter camp. She's clearly got time, structure, tone, technique and ears. That doesn't mean it's my cuppa most of the time. This was better than most to my ears.

That's a totally fair assessment. I agree with you that there are free players who don't know their instruments and I also agree that Halvorson isn't one of those players.

She studied at Wesleyan with Anthony Braxton and Joe Morris (though she got a degree in biology). I think she also spent some time at the New School. So she's certainly someone who is serious about her instrument.

With all that said, I totally understand why it's not your cup of tea. That's perfectly reasonable.

TH · 03-30-2019, 10:48 PM

I was steeped on Joe Morris. Some musics take experiences of life in order for outside music to feel relevant and relatable. As we have a wide range of life experiences, we have different tastes. Glad we have an open minded community here. Mary's the real deal, she's got something valid to say and she says it with a style that reaches far. The performances of her's that I've witnessed have shown me that so there's so much unexpected treasure in directions I've never imagined. If it makes me think, it's good and very valuable in my book.
David

**rmpmcdermott** · 03-30-2019, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

If it makes me think, it's good and very valuable in my book.
David

100%

**Litterick** · 03-30-2019, 11:37 PM

Mary Halvorson explains what it is all about:

**mississippi** · 03-30-2019, 11:45 PM

I drink Vietnamese coffee these days and it is some good stuff. Seems to enlighten the ears some.

**cosmic gumbo** · 03-31-2019, 02:01 AM

Well so much for that old stuff, here's Mary last month with some new improved weird.

**Cunamara** · 03-31-2019, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott

She studied at Wesleyan with Anthony Braxton and Joe Morris (though she got a degree in biology). I think she also spent some time at the New School. So she's certainly someone who is serious about her instrument.

Thanks for providing some context abut Halvorson.

I like to think that I am musically open-minded, but the truth is that I'm not. Maybe more than some people, but I know folks that have just enormous ears and have an appreciation for a huge range of music (my wife being one of them). My tastes seem to be more limited.

Also, that's a lovely Guild Artist Award that she has there.

**ccroft** · 03-31-2019, 02:04 PM

Eh, I don't mind the nay-sayers...

I don't mind them either until they wander into "There's nothing to it, anybody can do that and you must be some kind of idiot for liking it" territory. Search Derek Bailey to see some amazing examples. Hard to do that to Mary though since she's got a score in front of her :-)

It's great that everyone has different tastes. Makes the world go round. I don't like Cherokee for EG. To my ears it's a silly dumb sounding tune, but I don't try to beat up folks that do like it.

**ccroft** · 03-31-2019, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

Well so much for that old stuff, here's Mary last month with some new improved weird.

Thanks for posting. I guess I really am getting old. Everyone in these vids look they're about 14 years old to me. Well... except for her bass players. They must be at least 30.

**mr. beaumont** · 03-31-2019, 02:45 PM

Generally my opinion on Mary is that her writing, especially ially for larger ensembles, is really cool.

Her improv is hit or miss for me. Sometimes I feel it starts off on "10" on the "out there" scale, and I'd like to have something more to grab on to and more of a "shape" to build on.

**takauya** · 03-31-2019, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

Well so much for that old stuff, here's Mary last month with some new improved weird.

Now, she decided to play normal and let the vocals do the weird? lol

**Average Joe** · 04-01-2019, 05:46 AM

At the risk of showing a lack of understanding, the first tune in the OP is a good example of why I've never gotten that far into her body of work. To me, it sounds like the presentation of a lot of tenuously connected ideas, each sort of interesting in their own right, but none really expounded upon. Feel free to tell me I have tin ears, but I'd like a bit more exposition, or a little more gradual exposition at least

I kinda like Saturn Sings though

**pcsanwald** · 04-01-2019, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott

She studied at Wesleyan with Anthony Braxton and Joe Morris (though she got a degree in biology). I think she also spent some time at the New School. So she's certainly someone who is serious about her instrument.

I went to school with Mary at the New School. She was an amazing player even then, with her own voice and sound and concept.

**P4guitar** · 04-01-2019, 04:48 PM

For me, the most important part of music is telling a story. Story telling is also the hardest part of improvisation. Very few are able to do it well, even fewer do it consistently. Free jazz doesn't tell a story, rather it comes across as an anti-story: a collage of twists and turns that to my ears have no connections, like random channel surfing or just plain old noise.

To each their own.

**takauya** · 04-01-2019, 06:03 PM

hahaha

**neatomic** · 04-01-2019, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott;944772... [I

there are free players who don't know their instruments and I also agree that Halvorson isn't one of those players.

She studied at Wesleyan with Anthony Braxton ...[/I]

not exactly a standard scholarly endorsement...lets see her play this one by braxton!!...haha

if halvorson muddles your brain, check out tashi dorji!

cheers

**rmpmcdermott** · 04-03-2019, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by P4guitar

Free jazz doesn't tell a story, rather it comes across as an anti-story: a collage of twists and turns that to my ears have no connections, like random channel surfing or just plain old noise.

This I have to respectfully disagree with. I think Ornette told stories and Sonny Sharrock told stories and Don Cherry told stories. Beautiful, unkempt stories.