Wonderful, just wonderful. This is a recent live session by Mary Halvorson featuring fellow Braxton alumnus Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone, with Chris Lightcap on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums.
There is a more straight ahead feel to this session than much of Mary’s usual work and I feel that this can be attributed to the rhythm section. Lightcap and Cleaver play more of a traditional supporting role behind Mary and Ingrid and they are more inclined to latch on to a recognisable groove than her usual rhythm section (Michael Formanek and Tomas Fujisawa) who are more open-ended in their approach and are much more willing to challenge and confront Mary.
This session has the feel of an old-fashioned “blowing session”, gently adventurous and just oozing with a sense of fun. In particular, it is just a pleasure to listen to the sheer intelligence of Mary’s accompaniments. No matter what size of ensemble she is playing with, whether or not she chooses to solo, she always makes her presence felt, quietly but authoritatively, which is a hallmark of the great bandleaders in jazz.
There is a lovely moment at the end of the session when Ingrid shouts out to the unseen audience, “We miss you! All of you!” A sentiment shared, I am sure, by every working musician around the world right now.