Label: Cuneiform Records, 2020

Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Michael Formanek: bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums, vibraphone.

Guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara share responsibility for the output of Thumbscrew, a smart trio that vouches for complex polyrhythmic methodologies while seeking forward-looking perspectives in jazz. The group released five albums on the Cuneiform label, the newest of which is The Anthony Braxton Project, a collection of previously unrecorded pieces from the avant-garde/free jazz icon mentioned in the title that serves to celebrate his 75th anniversary. The work required some research and deciphering, but the trio's adaptations of Braxton’s diagrammatical scores and composition notes are presented with both innovation and inspiration.

The entry point in this enthralling sonic world is made with “Composition 52”, a paradigm for rhythmic accuracy and melodic angularity. Fujiwara’s drum fills are pretty cool, and I cannot refrain from exalting Halvorson’s chordal work here, which gives a sense of integrity between the unorthodox swinging pulse and the odd melodic excursions.

The imperious “Composition 274” advances with fragmented marching quality in a rhythm that reveals an impressive coordination of movements. These aspects are also displayed on “Composition 61”, where the accentuations and rudiments of the snare drum are even more intense.

“Composition 68” is unhurriedly introduced by bowed bass, sizzling snare brushwork and folkish guitar chops. Once again, coordination is key, and minimal expansions are added with no loss of ambiguity. The vibraphone, unexpectedly brought by Fujiwara, almost serves as an appeasing factor in a piece that, at a later stage and after stable suspensions, relies on fierce guitar exclamations and loose arco bass spasms to provide impetus.

Halvorson, who squeezes a blizzard of accentuations and rhythmic emphasis in her unique phrasing, plays slide guitar on the last track, the bouncy “Composition 79”. Racing over the supportive carpet offered by Formanek’s walking bass, her twisted melodies sometimes tag along and sometimes collide with the ones put forward by the vibraphone.

Also deserving mention, “Composition 14” is represented through a sonic triptych - solo guitar / solo bass / solo drums. While Halvorson stuns with soaring loops, quirky licks and rock-fueled strumming; Fujiwara, employing mallets, is incisive on cymbals and combative on toms. Formanek, instead, opts for a sober pizzicato statement with slides, bends and lots of space.

Fearless, Thumbscrew succeeds in its undertaking. The musicians’ talents together with their willingness to experiment generate an array of virtuoso rhythms and moods that will delight attentive listeners.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Composition 52 ► 05 - Composition 274 ► 11 - Composition 79

Label: Cuneiform Records, 2018

Personnel - Mary Halvorson: guitar; Michael Formanek: double bass; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

Avant-jazz trio Thumbscrew, a collaborative project co-led by guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, augmented their discography with the release of two new complementary if conceptually distinct albums, suitably entitled Ours and Theirs. Following the example of their second album, Convallaria, these sessions were born from a residency at Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum and demonstrate the strong sonic chemistry of musicians who have been regular presences in one another’s bands.

Theirs consists of ten visionary renditions of non-originals, including standards (“East of the Sun”, “The Peacocks”), post-bop sensations (Wayne Shorter’s “Dance Cadaverous”, Herbie Nichols’s “House Party Starting”, Stanley Cowell’s “Effi”), hard-bop classics (Benny Golson’s “Stablemates”), avant-garde numbers (Misha Mengelberg’s “Weer is een dag voorbij”), and even Brazilian (Jacob do Bandolim’s “Benzinho”) and Argentinean (Julio De Caro’s “Buen Amigo”) pieces.

Conversely, Ours exclusively comprises originals, having each artist contributing with three compositions.
Halvorson’s “Snarling Joys” exudes a sonic exoticism brought forth by flamenco-like attacks on the guitar and a thoughtful bass solo over a more temperate texture. There’s depth in the groove, yet, unrelated with the one presented on “Saturn Way”, which thrives with the percussive incantation of Fujiwara, its author, and also impresses through Formanek’s fluttering arco rumination.

Suffused with lamenting chords, “Smoketree” advances at a medium-slow tempo imposed by a groove in nine. The inventive artistry of Halvorson, the snare drum palpitations of Fujiwara, and the empathic statement of Formanek are prominent. The bassist also delivers on “Unconditional”, a flirtatious tune driven by Fujiwara’s mallet appeal. This composition still sounds intriguing despite carrying a more standardized jazz phrasing and harmonization.

Formanek’s “Cruel Heartless Bastards” goes back and forth in tempo, jolting with changed-up rhythms and textures. Although rhythmically complex, the piece encloses rock-driven passages outlined with power chords, robust bass pumps, and effusive drumming that bear some resemblance with Pixies or The Fall, even if not so rough on the surface. Its energy has less to do with the groovy march of “Thumbprint”, but gets closer to “Words That Rhyme With Spangle”, a post-rock piece that cracks out dynamic kinetics, morphing into a jumbled amalgam of speckled drum chops, unfettered bass, electronic seizures, and revolutionary guitar spins.

An advanced post-bop harmonization affiliates with sharp melodic angularity to fabricate “Rising Snow”, which finds a sensitive equilibrium between the raw strokes of the pulse and the atmospheric velvety of the guitar.

The experimental sounds of Thumbscrew evolve with large amounts of imagination and boldness not to disappoint you. Whether playing originals or covers, their rhythmic deconstructionism and eccentric melodic conductivity make you dabble in this luxurious sonic bubble bath for the ears.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Cruel Heartless Bastards ► 04 - Smoketree ► 08 - Words That Rhyme With Spangle