American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter is pleased to present an online artist talk between two preeminent composers and guitarists: Mary Halvorson and Nick Millevoi. The two artists will discuss their creative process, reflect on their artistic influences, and share recent work.
FREE, REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. SPACE IS LIMITED. PLEASE RESERVE ONE SPOT PER HOUSEHOLD. A Zoom link will be sent to you the day of the event.
Guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has been described as “a singular talent” (Lloyd Sachs, JazzTimes), ”NYC’s least-predictable improviser” (Howard Mandel, City Arts), “one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise” (Steve Dollar, Wall Street Journal), and “one of today’s most formidable bandleaders” (Francis Davis, Village Voice). In recent Downbeat Critics Polls Halvorson has been celebrated as guitarist, rising star jazz artist, and rising star composer of the year, and in 2019 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. Halvorson has released a series of critically acclaimed albums on the Firehouse 12 label, from Dragon’s Head (2008), her trio debut featuring bassist John Hébert and drummer Ches Smith, expanding to a quintet with trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and alto saxophonist Jon Irabagon on Saturn Sings (2010) and Bending Bridges (2012), a septet with tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and trombonist Jacob Garchik on Illusionary Sea (2014), and finally an octet with pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn on Away With You (2016). She also released the solo recording Meltframe (2015), and most recently debuted Code Girl (2018), a new ensemble featuring vocalist Amirtha Kidambi (singing Halvorson’s own lyrics), trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, saxophonist/ vocalist Maria Grand, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. One of New York City’s most in-demand guitarists, over the past decade Halvorson has worked with such diverse musicians as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, John Dieterich, Trevor Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ingrid Laubrock, Jason Moran, Joe Morris, Tom Rainey, Jessica Pavone, Tomeka Reid, Marc Ribot and John Zorn. She is also part of several collaborative projects, most notably the longstanding trio Thumbscrew with Michael Formanek on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums.
Nick Millevoi is a guitarist, composer, and writer whose music attempts to take on the history of electric guitar music and throw it in a blender. Millevoi leads the band Desertion Trio, who have released three records, the most recent of which was Twilight Time, described by Rolling Stone as “warmly nostalgic and potently surreal.” As a guitarist, Millevoi has toured throughout the US and Europe and has performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts and Jazz Night in America with artists such as Moppa Elliott’s Unspeakable Garbage, Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band, Deveykus, and Many Arms, as well as performing with Nels Cline, John Zorn, Bill Orcutt, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Fugazi’s Joe Lally, and many others. NPR Music says, “When Nick Millevoi plays the guitar, it's like a rocket darting skyward between clouds.” Nick is a regular contributor to publications such as Premier Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, and Reverb. His latest release is Streets of Philadelphia, a songbook of 25 compositions inspired by and named after streets in Philadelphia, and an album of ten of those compositions featuring a chamber quintet.