Tomas Fujiwara

Celebrating Anthony Braxton on his 75th birthday, THUMBSCREW digs into the Tricentric Archives, focusing on previously unrecorded pieces by the legendary composer, multi-wind master and bandleader. The all-star collective trio releases its fifth album for Cuneiform, The Anthony Braxton Project. For fans familiar with Braxton’s music the project offers a whole new window into his genius for designing protean musical situations pregnant with possibilities. Those less acquainted with his work might find themselves enthralled and amazed by the sheer diversity of rhythmic and melodic material explored by Thumbscrew.

With the exception of Questions (composed about 10 years ago), these compositions were written for Patricia and Tomeka. As I composed, I had the sound and personalities of these two friends in my mind, and imagined a myriad of sonic possibilities for the unique instrumentation of vibraphone, cello and drums. As I wrote, I put soundtracks to the images in my head, the stories of my life, both real and imagined.

Thumbscrew (Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara, Mary Halvorson) - Convallaria (2016) {Cuneiform Records RUNE 415}
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© 2016 Cuneiform Records / Thumbscrew | RUNE 415
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Modern Creative / Experimental / Improvisation

Three hyper-progressive improvisational jazz and cross-genre artists push the envelope again on their 2nd album for Cuneiform Records. The musicians' busy schedules via numerous and largely prolific solo and group-based projects have rocketed their respective artistries into the limelight, especially ECM recording artist Michael Formanek (bass) who for the past several decades has become a household name within these circles. Nonetheless, it's an adventurous exploration, led by guitarist Mary Halvorson's signature phraseology, comprised of extended lines that vaporize into the cosmos amid her diminutive note-bending jaunts and so on. Here, drummer Tomas Fujiwara generates a buoyant underpinning with colorful accents in parallel with Formanek's fluid and powerful support.

Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson’s new album, Cloudward, is due January 19, 2024 on Nonesuch Records. The album features eight new compositions by Halvorson, performed with her sextet Amaryllis; the improvisatory band that performed on her critically praised 2022 albums Amaryllis and Belladonna comprises Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). Labelmate Laurie Anderson also is featured on the album track “Incarnadine.” The dual 2022 releases’ acclaim included being named Jazz Album of the Year in DownBeat’s annual Critics Poll.

Tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Matt Bauder is one of those young musicains who has an equal capacity to play in and out of the formal idiomatic conventions. When with Memorize the Sky he goes out, profiting from his studies with the innovative composers Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier and Ron Kuivila. Conversely, his band Day in Pictures (now reformed by replacing Angelica Sanchez for Kris Davis) operates completely in jazz domains, and does it very much according to the tradition. The truth is that the jazz tradition has defined a space for freedom right from the start, and Bauder is a master of combining that freedom with form.