
Thumbscrew – Michael Formanek, Mary Halvorson, and Tomas Fujiwara. Photo by Peter Gannushkin
Thumbscrew w/ Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek, Tomas Fujiwara
Sunday, February 8, 8pm
PONCHO Concert Hall, Cornish College
Thumbscrew Masterclass: Monday, February 9, noon
It’s been said that Thumbscrew guitarist and bandleader Mary Halvorson’s unique toning probably isn’t for everyone, “which is precisely what makes her essential” (Chris Barton, LA Times).
A unique voice, trained for three years under visionary composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton, Halvorson favors chaotic structures, provocative de-tuning techniques and sticky single notes, an approach that demands her listeners’ attention. Halvorson has gained reputability for her newest group Thumbscrew’s self-titled album, which shows off her playing in muscular, sinuous compositions. The New York guitarist is accompanied by equal talents in drummer Tomas Fujiwara and bassist Michael Formanek.
Boston-born, Brooklyn-based Fujiwara studied with legendary drummer Alan Dawson for eight years before moving to New York at the age of 17. A member of several ensembles, he has performed at festivals and venues around the world. “Drummer Tomas Fujiwara works with rhythm as a pliable substance, solid but ever shifting,” Nate Chinen wrote in the New York Times. “His style is forward-driving but rarely blunt or aggressive, and never random.”
One marker of bassist Formanek’s creativity and versatility is the range of distinguished musicians of several generations he’s worked with. While a teenager in the 1970s, he toured with drummer Tony Williams and saxophonist Joe Henderson; in the 80s, he played long stints with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Fred Hersch and Freddie Hubbard; in the 90s, he notably led his own quintet and played in Tim Berne’s barnstorming quartet Bloodcount. With acclaimed ECM releases The Rub and Spare Change and Small Places to his credit as a leader in recent years, with Tim Berne, Craig Taborn, and Gerald Cleaver, Formanek now forges ahead in co-op with Thumbscrew.
On the trio’s Cuneiform release, the team plays their array of originals, dividing the volume and spotlight evenly between the three musicians. “It really is a three-composer trio, and all of our tunes have our basic aesthetics attached,” Formanek says. “But we want everybody to have input … It’s one of the first co-ops I’ve been in where everyone’s really willing to take control at any given moment.” Bass and drum solos are taken within the pieces and they blend into a tight, inventive collaboration reminiscent of how the trio was formed.
Before Thumbscrew, Formanek subbed in cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum’s Sextet that Halvorson and Fujiwara played in. The trio’s accidental chemistry became the backbone for Thumbscrew.
This first album, released a year ago, has been acclaimed as “uncannily cohesive” (All About Jazz).
Admission is $8-$16.

Vijay Iyer Trio
Saturday, February 21, 8pm
PONCHO Concert Hall, Cornish College
Described by the Village Voice as “the most commanding pianist and composer to emerge in recent years,” Vijay Iyer brings his trio to Seattle once again for this special concert, made possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Brilliant milestones for Iyer in 2014: he was named among the 2013 MacArthur Fellows, joined the music faculty at Harvard, and released his first ECM record, Mutations, compositions scored for string quartet, piano and electronics.
Prior to the ECM release, Iyer’s third collaboration with poet Mike Ladd, Holding It Down: The Veterans’ Dreams Project (2013), based on the dreams of veterans of color from America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was hailed as #1 Jazz Album of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and described in JazzTimes as “impassioned, haunting [and] affecting.” Two tremendously acclaimed and influential albums before that, Accelerando (2012) and Historicity (2009), feature Iyer’s trio (drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Stephan Crump), described by PopMatters as “the best band in jazz.”
Tickets are $15-$25.

Kenny Wheeler Tribute
w/ Steve Treseler, Ingrid Jensen, Katie Jacobson, Geoffrey Keezer, Martin Wind & Jon Wikan
March 1, 8pm & March 2, 9pm
The Royal Room
Legendary trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler lived until age 84 and recorded up to the year that marked his final, 2014. In a long and distinguished career, the Canadian-born, London-based musician made his mark in a huge range of jazz repertoire. Shortly after his 1952 move to Britain, Wheeler made his way into the 60s-70s British free-jazz scene, which led to creative relationships that he would keep throughout his career.
“Kenny played the trumpet from a very rich sonic space, giving his ear the freedom to lead his trumpet,” trumpeter Ingrid Jensen writes of her interaction with Wheeler (Time, Marked, dothemath.typepad.com, 2014). She is reverent to his musicianship and brings a distinctive understanding to this tribute project.
The joint conception of Jensen and Washington-bred tenor saxophonist Steve Treseler, the tribute will combine imaginative improvisations in Wheeler’s style, interpretations of his works and original pieces dedicated to him. Of note: Treseler and Jensen’s recent premiere venture, the four-star album Center Song, was both declared one of the “Best Albums of 2014” (DownBeat magazine) and highlighted nationally on NPR and Jazz After Hours.
An all-star rhythm section that Jensen regularly plays with joins her and Treseler on the project. Piano great Geoffrey Keezer will feature on the set. Keezer’s discography trumps most other pianists of his age, while he also holds bragging rights to sharing the stage with Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Ray Brown, and Sting, among others. Keezer’s regular bandmate, New York-based drummer Jon Wikan, comes into the project as no stranger to the Seattle area. In 1996, Wikan immersed himself in the Seattle jazz scene and quickly became one of the busiest sidemen in the Northwest. With recent experience in expanding “tribute” playing, German-born bassist Martin Wind joins the powerful section. The Martin Wind Quartet, established in New York, has a 2014 album of Bill Evans’ music and speaks to Wind’s talents as an orchestral arranger and interpreter. The group also consists of young Honey Noble vocalist Katie Jacobson, once an Ella Fitzgerald Vocal Award winner at the Essentially Ellington competition.
Performances are at the Royal Room Seattle. On March 1, Mercer Island Jazz Ensembles begin at 6:30pm, Kenny Wheeler Tribute begins at 8pm; on March 2, the Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble features Ingrid Jensen at 8pm, Kenny Wheeler Tribute begins at 9pm. Admission is $8-$15.