Photo: Amani Willett

Tonight, Mary Halvorson kicks off a busy December with the first of three European tour dates with the Ingrid Laubrock Octet.

The group, which also features Tom Arthurs (trumpet), Ted Reichman (accordion), Liam Noble (piano), Ben Davis (cello), Drew Gress (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums), will perform at Club w71 (Niederstetten, Germany) tonight, Tollhaus (Karlsruhe, Germany) tomorrow night, and Rote Fabrik (Zurich, Switzerland) on Saturday.

Sunday night, Ms. Halvorson will be back in New York to perform at The Stone with Matt Mitchell‘s Central Chain.

The rest of the month, which also includes the official debut of her new quartet, Reverse Blue, featuring Chris Speed (saxophone and clarinet), Eivind Opsvik (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums), is as follows.

12/14 :: Ingrid Laubrock’s Anti-House @ Barbès (Brooklyn, NY)
12/15 :: Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up @ Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
12/17 :: Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet @ Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
12/20 :: Mary Halvorson’s Reverse Blue @ Cornelia Street Café (New York, NY)
12/23 :: Jim Hobbs’ Aych + Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet @ Outpost 186 (Cambridge, MA)
12/30 :: Tom Rainey Trio @ Cornelia Street Café (New York, NY)

Learn more about Mary Halvorson at http://maryhalvorson.com

Photo: Amani Willett

Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson will perform with three of her own ensembles over the course of next two nights at The Stone in New York.

Tonight at 8:00 p.m., she’ll take the stage with the Mary Halvorson Quintet to preview music from its eagerly awaited 2012 release, Bending Bridges (Firehouse 12 Records), before adding special guests Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone) and Jacob Garchik (trombone) to the mix for the debut of her newest group, the Mary Halvorson Septet.

Tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m., she’ll celebrate the release of Departure Of Reason (Thirsty Ear Recordings), her fourth recording with violist Jessica Pavone. The longstanding duo plans to play selections from the record as well as a few surprise covers.

Winner of the Rising Star Guitar category of the latest DownBeat Critics Poll, Ms. Halvorson has been called “NYC’s least-predictable improviser” (Howard Mandel, City Arts), “one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise” (Steve Dollar, Wall Street Journal) and “a bandleader whose composition skills rival her brilliantly unorthodox instrumental technique” (Time Out New York).

Learn more about Mary Halvorson and her upcoming performances at http://maryhalvorson.com

Photo: Amani Willett

This October, Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson will perform with three of her own ensembles over the course of two consecutive nights at The Stone in New York.

On Friday, October 14th at 8:00 p.m., she’ll take the stage with the Mary Halvorson Quintet to preview music from its eagerly awaited 2012 release, Bending Bridges (Firehouse 12 Records), before adding special guests Ingrid Laubrock (tenor saxophone) and Jacob Garchik (trombone) to the mix for the debut of her newest group, the Mary Halvorson Septet.

On Saturday, October 15th at 8:00 p.m., she’ll celebrate the release of Departure Of Reason (Thirsty Ear Recordings), her fourth recording with violist Jessica Pavone. The longstanding duo plans to play selections from the record as well as a few surprise covers.

Her busy October schedule will also include New York club dates with Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up, Sifter and Weasel Walter/Peter Evans/Mary Halvorson, as well as two appearances with Anthony Braxton at Roulette and European tour dates with Ches Smith’s These Arches and The Thirteenth Assembly.

Ms. Halvorson, who recently topped the Rising Star Guitar category of the DownBeat Critics Poll, has been called “NYC’s least-predictable improviser” (Howard Mandel, City Arts), “one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise” (Steve Dollar, Wall Street Journal) and “a bandleader whose composition skills rival her brilliantly unorthodox instrumental technique” (Time Out New York).

Learn more about Mary Halvorson at http://maryhalvorson.com

On Saturday, June 25th, AUM Fidelity recording artists David S. Ware and the Darius Jones Trio will perform in Brooklyn as part of Undead Jazzfest.

Ware’s midnight solo set at Homage Skate Park marks the end of an unusually busy month of concerts by the 61 year-old saxophonist. A few weeks ago he played his first-ever solo shows in Canada, following an epic performance at Vision Festival 16 in New York with his all-star quartet, Planetary Unknown. He will also play a solo set tonight at The Stone as part of two weeks of concerts curated by AUM Fidelity’s Steven Joerg.

Critics have called Ware “a master musician” (Dan Warburton, The Wire), “a force-of-nature improviser” (Nate Chinen, New York Times) and “one of today’s more important artists” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure). BBC Music’s Daniel Spicer adds, “Ware’s playing is astonishing, pushing the limits of brain, fingers and equipment, ideas rushing out in a stream of furious, liquid invention, with an almost superhuman precision.”

Brooklyn-based alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones’ hour-long set at Littlefield is scheduled to begin at 10:20 p.m. His working trio, featuring bassist Adam Lane and drummer Jason Nazary, will be previewing music from his anxiously awaited second release, Big Gurl, coming this fall. The group will also close-out Joerg’s curatorship at The Stone on June 30th as part of a double-bill with the Darius Jones Quartet.

Jones has been a star on the rise since the release of his acclaimed 2009 debut, Man’ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing). Subsequent co-leader/sideman roles on Little Women’s Throat and Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys’ Betweenwhile followed in 2010, and he continued to thrill critics and fans alike earlier this year with the release of Cosmic Lieder, his highly regarded duo recording with veteran pianist/composer Matthew Shipp.

Learn more about these artists and their AUM Fidelity releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

AUM Fidelity‘s ongoing two-week series at The Stone continues tonight at 8:00 p.m. with a double-bill featuring two of the label’s most recent signings, Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys (pictured) and Little Women.

“Mike Pride’s attention to rock, punk, and the idea of having a band has taught him some things,” writes Clifford Allen in his Ni Kantu review of last year’s Betweenwhile (AUM065), “one of which is programming an album (or a series of compositions, for that matter)—there’s never a flag in this hour of music, building and relaxing tension within pieces that remain shy of the ten minute mark. One has only to hear the pyrotechnics in the curiously-titled ‘Reese Witherspoon’ and its blend of trance-like states, hip-hop, and spindly classicism to appreciate the cohesion and daring within this group.”

Critics called the record “way impressive” (Jim Macnie, Lament For A Straight Line), “great fun” (Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz.com) and “among the year’s standout jazz releases” (Time Out New York).

“If anything,” adds PopMatters.com’s Michael Kabran, “Betweenwhile shows us one sure-fire way to make a sizzling jazz record in 2010: gather a group of stellar musicians, add copious amounts of humor, and have a blast.”

Little Women and its AUM Fidelity debut, Throat (AUM061), also released last year, have earned similarly extensive critical praise.

“Who knows why music smacks you upside the head and demands that you listen,” writes the Chicago Tribune‘s Kevin Williams, “but Little Women—saxophonists Travis Laplante and Darius Jones, guitarist Andrew Smiley and drummer Jason Nazary—make that kind of music. Genre? Little Women don’t really have one. You can take a punk friend, a jazz friend and a metal friend, and all will be thrilled that you took them to the show.”

Reviewers noted the band’s “fearsome precision” (Hank Shteamer, Time Out New York), ”aggressive and tremendously exciting sound” (Tim Niland, Music And More), and “stark juxtaposition of a range of genres, including free jazz, metal, folk, noise and prog” (John Sharpe, AllAboutJazz.com).

“Little Women don’t play fusion,” adds Exclaim!‘s David Dacks, “they make jazz and rock scream at each other. The collision infects the wandering but communicative spirit of the best free jazz with metal’s sonic range.”

Learn more about AUM Fidelity, its artists and its releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com

The July issue of Jazzwise features four-star reviews of the two latest AUM Fidelity releases, Farmers By Nature’s Out Of This World’s Distortions (AUM067) and David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/William Parker/Muhammad Ali’s Planetary Unknown (AUM068).

In his review of the former, Kevin Le Gendre notes the trio’s trademark “contrast of high energy sonic exuberance and meditative delicacy.”

“Creating a developmental arc in a song that is more about understated, incremental movements rather than outright ‘chapter headings’ has been practiced by many in jazz over the years,” he writes, “but it is done with consummate authority here, and the title track is the high point of this extreme attention to detail in the touch of every member of the band. The result is a deeply wistful, bracing musical adventure.”

“The four musicians had never worked together as a group when they gathered in Brooklyn in late 2010,” explains Marcus O’Dair in his review of Planetary Unknown, “but the seven tracks they laid down are gravity-defying.”

He adds, “Both Ware and Parker have worked with Cecil Taylor, while Ali—who hasn’t recorded for 30 years—played with Albert Ayler; the spirits of both forefathers are evident here, alongside that of Coltrane at his most ecstatic. Despite its debt to the blistering, transcendent spirit of the 1960’s, however, the album feels fresh.”

Farmers By Nature kicks off its six-city European CD release tour tomorrow in Paris and Ware will play back-to-back solo sets this weekend in New York at AUM Fidelity’s two-week series at The Stone (Friday) and Undead Jazzfest (Saturday).

Learn more about AUM Fidelity, its artists and its releases at http://www.aumfidelity.com

Photo by Jim Clouse

Tonight at 10:00 p.m., vocalist Fay Victor and the eminent improvising quartet Other Dimensions in Music will celebrate their recent release, Kaiso Stories (Silkheart Records), at The Stone as part of a two-week series of concerts curated by AUM Fidelity‘s Steven Joerg.

The group, which features trumpeter Roy Campbell. Jr., multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and drummer Charles Downs, will play the opening set at 8:00 p.m. before Ms. Victor joins them for their first performance together since Kaiso Stories was released in March.

“For Kaiso Stories,” writes François Couture on his blog, Monsieur Délire, “Fay dug deep into her roots in Trinidad and Tobago and came up with a handful of traditional songs to reinvent. What we have here is a blend of Caribbean melodies and swinging, fluid, occasionally ecstatic free jazz. This project is a complete success and a wonderful opportunity to discover this singer.”

Time Out New York picked tonight’s event as one of its must-see shows and critics have called Kaiso Stories “highly enjoyable” (Chris Monsen, Perfect Sounds), “unusual and wonderful” (Kurt Gottschalk, The New York City Jazz Record), “one for the initiated to treasure” (Stanley Zappa, Free Jazz) and “simultaneously true to its origins and entirely new” (Lawrence Joseph, Montreal Mirror).

“The frontline blends with Victor in remarkable dialogues,” adds Signal To Noise reviewer Robert Iannapollo. “Campbell, in particular, shares a close affinity with her, as the disc’s opening attests. Victor is at the vanguard of jazz singers and Kaiso Stories is yet another important addition to her discography.”

Learn more about Fay Victor and her collaboration with Other Dimensions in Music at http://www.fayvictor.com

Photo by Ben Gerstein

AUM Fidelity‘s two-week run of concerts at The Stone, curated by Steven Joerg, begins tonight with duo performances by Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp (pictured) and Cooper-Moore & William Parker.

Joerg talks about the series, and AUM Fidelity’s upcoming 15th anniversary, in feature articles in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal and Village Voice.

Overall, the series will present more than 20 performances by AUM Fidelity recording artists and related musicians through June 30th.

Each night will feature sets at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m., and draw from a wide range of configurations including rare solo and duo sets, notable first-time collaborations and critically acclaimed working ensembles.

Admission will be $10 per set except Friday, June 24th when it will be $20 per set.

“I thank The Stone for the opportunity to ask some of my favorite musicians and human beings to share some very good time together in late June 2011,” says Joerg. “These artists are among the most gifted musicians in the world today. They manifest sonic visions of the future, with love in their hearts, to bolster and inspire us in the present moment. Much new music will be revealed every night.”

Here’s the complete schedule of events:

Thursday, June 16th

First set: Darius Jones & Matthew Shipp

Second set: Cooper-Moore & William Parker

Friday, June 17th

Both sets: Joe Morris/William Parker/Gerald Cleaver

Saturday, June 18th

First set: William Parker (solo)

Second set: William Parker’s New York Quartet

Sunday, June 19th

First set: Other Dimensions In Music

Second set: Other Dimensions In Music featuring Fay Victor

Tuesday, June 21st

First set: Sabir Mateen & Matthew Shipp

Second set: TEST

Wednesday, June 22nd

First set: Roy Nathanson’s Sotto Voce

Second set: Roy Campbell’s Akhenaten Ensemble

Thursday, June 23rd

First set: Mike Pride’s From Bacteria To Boys

Second set: Little Women

Friday, June 24th

First set: David S. Ware (solo)

Second set: Cooper-Moore (solo)

Sunday, June 26th

First set: Jim Hobbs Trio

Second set: Joe Morris Quartet

Tuesday, June 28th

First set: Rob Brown Trio

Second set: Charles Downs’ Centipede

Wednesday, June 29th

First set: Eri Yamamoto Trio

Second set: Daniel Carter & Reuben Radding

Thursday, June 30th

First set: Darius Jones Trio

Second set: Darius Jones Quartet

Learn more about AUM Fidelity at http://www.aumfidelity.com

Today is the official street date for AUM Fidelity‘s two June releases, Farmers By Nature’s Out Of This World’s Distortions (AUM067) and David S. Ware/Cooper-Moore/William Parker/Muhammad Ali’s Planetary Unknown (AUM068).

Out Of This World’s Distortions is the second recording by the improvising trio of Gerald Cleaver (drums), William Parker (bass) and Craig Taborn (piano), which takes its name from its acclaimed 2009 debut, Farmers By Nature (AUM053). This latest effort further demonstrates the highly fruitful level of interaction its members have cultivated over the past four years.

“This isn’t a piano trio with rhythm and the keyboard out front,” explains AllAboutJazz.com’s John Sharpe. “The three parts are wholly equal…an almost telepathic understanding, promoting exciting seat of the pants navigation and unfettered expression, safe in the knowledge that any unexpected turns will be spiritedly pursued. Their egalitarian outlook ensures ample space for each, arising in unforced natural progressions.”

Point of Departure‘s Troy Collins adds, “This studio session pristinely conveys a continuous exchange of ideas that expand through a wide range of dynamics, veering from understated pointillism to raucous expressionism. Their conversational interplay espouses the hushed tones of pellucid key strokes, bowed string harmonics and shimmering cymbal washes as readily as the dense note clusters, thrumming bass drones and roiling trap set palpitations of their more aggressive excursions—often segueing seamlessly between approaches in the same tune…a novel variation on an enduring format that transcends customary expectations through considered interplay and empathetic unanimity.”

Farmers By Nature will celebrate its new release with a performance at Montreal’s Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival on June 21st followed by a six-city tour of France, Slovenia and The Netherlands beginning June 24th.

Planetary Unknown documents the birth of the new improvising supergroup of the same name, while also marking the first collaboration by Ware and Cooper-Moore (né Gene Ashton) in 30 years and the first appearance on record by Ali since the early 1980′s. The all-star quartet just made its live debut at Vision Festival 16 on Friday night, an event Time Out New York named one of its 25 must-see NYC summer jazz shows.

“Almost immediately,” writes The Wire‘s Julian Cowley, “the collective force of this stellar group kicks in, evolving dynamic forms that revitalize yet again the blazing language of free jazz. Cecil Taylor once observed that John Coltrane’s tone was beautiful because it was functional, meaning that it was always involved in actually saying something, never an empty display of his formidable technique. Such functional beauty is the business of this quartet.”

“Every moment is breathtaking,” declares The New York City Jazz Record‘s Marc Medwin. “The level of invention is staggering, Cooper-Moore matching Ware in every trill, arpeggio and overtone-laden growl with swoops, chordal passages and inter-registral showers of crystal…expanding on every implication in Ware’s vast vocabulary. The team of William Parker and Muhammad Ali is no less engaging.”

Point of Departure‘s Ed Hazell adds, “David S. Ware plays with such solemn power and majesty that his soloing begs comparisons to mountains or waterfalls. In fact, it’s hard to avoid ecological metaphors when discussing his latest album, Planetary Unknown, so completely do Ware, pianist Cooper-Moore, bassist William Parker, and drummer Muhammad Ali create their own world of sound, a landscape in which one can sense the presence of the divine in much the same way that Walden inspired Thoreau or Yosemite John Muir. Listening to this quartet makes Transcendentalists of us all.”

Planetary Unknown is currently planning future performances, but Ware is celebrating the record, as well as his other recent titles on the label, with a series of solo shows in Toronto (this past Sunday night), Montreal (tonight at the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival) and New York (June 24th at The Stone and June 25th at Undead Jazzfest).

Learn more about AUM Fidelity, which will present two weeks of music at The Stone starting on Thursday night, at http://aumfidelity.com

Photo by John Rogers

Tonight, eminent saxophonist/composer David S. Ware will give his first-ever solo performance in Canada at St. Andrew-by-the-Lake Anglican Church on Ward’s Island in Toronto.

Doors open at 5:00 p.m., and Ware will go on at 7:00 p.m., following a 6:00 p.m. opening set by The Shuffle Demons Duo featuring saxophonist Richard Underhill and drummer Stich Wynston.

Tickets are $18. For advance reservations and additional information, please e-mail roughidea@gmail.com

This event, presented by ROUGHIDEA, is part of a short Canadian tour, Ware’s first in nearly a decade, that will also include a June 14th appearance at the Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival in Montreal.

His solo tour will continue in New York later in the month, where he will perform at The Stone on June 24th, as part of two weeks of music curated by AUM Fidelity’s Steven Joerg, and at Homage Skate Park on June 25th as part of the Undead Jazz Festival.

Ware is celebrating a string of recent releases on AUM Fidelity, including his latest, Planetary Unknown, the first recording by a new all-star quartet of the same name featuring pianist Cooper-Moore, bassist William Parker and drummer Muhammad Ali. The group made its live debut on Friday night at Vision Festival 16.

Recent reviews have called him “a master musician” (Dan Warburton, The Wire), “a force-of-nature improviser” (Nate Chinen, New York Times) and “one of today’s more important artists” (Troy Collins, Point of Departure). BBC Music’s Daniel Spicer adds, “Ware’s playing is astonishing, pushing the limits of brain, fingers and equipment, ideas rushing out in a stream of furious, liquid invention, with an almost superhuman precision.”

Learn more about his AUM Fidelity discography at http://aumfidelity.com