Leader Projects
Amaryllis
Mary Halvorson, guitar/composer; Adam O'Farrill, trumpet; Jacob Garchik, trombone; Yvonne Rogers, piano & synthesizer; Nick Dunston, bass; Tomas Fujiwara, drums
Photo © Ernest Stuart
Mary's flagship sextet earned Group of the Year honors in the two most recent DownBeat Critics Polls thanks in part to the success of its third Nonesuch Records release, About Ghosts, which was chosen as the best new jazz album of the year by NPR Music, Slate and the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll among others. "With this particular band," writes Nate Chinen, "she's surrounded by incredible improvisers who really understand her language."
Canis Major
Mary Halvorson, guitar/composer; Dave Adewumi, trumpet, Henry Fraser, bass; Tomas Fujiwara, drums
Photo © Ernest Stuart
Mary's newest ensemble is a return to the small group format after a decade of writing and arranging for larger bands. This quartet made its debut in early 2025 with a two-night stand at the Jazz Gallery (video below) and has since toured across America and Europe performing at clubs, festivals and historic venues such as the National Concert Hall in Dublin and Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Italy. Look for its debut release on Nonesuch Records in 2027.
Collaborative Projects
Sylvie Courvosier & Mary Halvorson
Sylvie Courvosier, piano/composer; Mary Halvorson, guitar/composer
Photo © Veronique Hoegger
Since its serendipitous 2017 debut, Crop Circles (Relative Pitch Records), this longstanding duo has been steadily developing its own original sound and language. The Financial Times' Mike Hobart writes, "Bone Bells, their third album, expands their multidisciplinary approach into a vibrant juxtaposition of expressive emotions, playful asides and intimate moments. Traditions are referenced, boundaries stretched and the musically odd coheres into familiar shapes."
Mary Halvorson & Tomas Fujiwara
Mary Halvorson, guitar/composer; Tomas Fujiwara, drums/composer
Photo © Ernest Stuart
Built on a musical relationship that spans the last 20+ years, this stripped-down collaboration features original music by both artists as well as works by select female composers featured in Terri Lyne Carrington's collection, New Standards, Vol. 1. Heard below opening the 2025 New York Guitar Festival (via New Sounds with John Schaefer), this longstanding duo continues to play distinctively intimate concerts all over the world.
Thumbscrew
Mary Halvorson, guitar/composer; Michael Formanek, bass/composer; Tomas Fujiwara, drums/composer
Photo © Brian Cohen
The history of this collective ensemble spans more than a dozen years and eight releases on the Cuneiform Records label. It's highly regarded body of work is a rare opportunity to hear these acclaimed bandleader/composers blend their talents into a cohesive synergy that exceeds the sum of its parts. Thumbscrew toured Europe in late 2024 and most recently performed at Portugal's Jazz em Agosto in August 2025.