Join Maltodextrin on Friday, March 20th at 1pm to hear his recent interview with Brooklyn-based guitarist // composer, Mary Halvorson, ahead of her upcoming show at The Freight in Berkeley on April 3rd.
Halvorson’s distinctive sound and innovative approach to her instrument have earned her widespread recognition over the past two decades, including numerous best-of-the-year lists, a 2019 MacArthur Foundation fellowship and Guitarist of the Year honors in the DownBeat Critics Poll for the past nine years. When not leading her own award-winning bands, she can be heard in a wide variety of creative partnerships and on more than 70 releases as a co-leader or side woman.
Her most recent recording, About Ghosts, was selected as the best new jazz album of 2025 by NPR Music, Slate and the voters in both the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll and the 18th International Critics Poll, which also named her Composer and Guitarist of the Year.
This year she’ll be focusing on her newest group, Canis Major, featuring Dave Adewumi (trumpet), Henry Fraser (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). “Canis Major feels like the start of something very special,” she explains. “The music has been growing exponentially each time we play. It’s been many years since I’ve led a smaller band, and I’ve really been enjoying the depth, interplay and intensity that this configuration brings to my music.”
Photo: Elena Olivio
