Mary Halvorson

Mary Halvorson is an avant-garde jazz guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. A 2002 graduate of Wesleyan University, Halvorson has performed with Anthony Braxton, Robbie Lee, Taylor Ho Bynum, Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant, Marc Ribot, Susan Alcorn, Yo La Tengo and Tom Rainey. She leads a trio with John Hébert and Ches Smith, as well as a quintet with the addition of Jon Irabagon and Jonathan Finlayson. Her newest ensemble, Code Girl, features Tomas Fujiwara, Michael Formanek, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Amirtha Kidambi. Among her many collaborations, Halvorson has recorded a number of duo albums with violist Jessica Pavone, and recordings with Weasel Walter and Peter Evans have been released on Thirsty Ear and Walters' ugEXPLODE. Since 2014, Halvorson, Formanek, and Fujiwara have released four albums under the name Thumbscrew. Troy Collins of All About Jazz calls Halvorson "[a] singular talent ... Brooklyn-based guitarist Mary Halvorson has come into her own as a composer and improviser ... [L]ight years ahead of her peers, she is the most impressive guitarist of her generation. The future of jazz guitar starts here." Jon Garelick of The Phoenix writes, "It's that search for her own thing that's made Halvorson ... one of the most celebrated young guitarists in jazz, someone who has a unique sound both as a player and a composer." In 2017, 2018, and 2019 Halvorson won Best Guitar in DownBeat's International Critics Poll.In 2019, Halvorson was awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Grant for music: Experimenting at the intersection of jazz and rock with a signature sound on her instrument and an aesthetic that evolves and surprises with each new album and configuration of bandmates.Halvorson was one of the six fellows from New York City.