Thumbscrew: Wingbeats

 

City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, PA, described as the world's largest sanctuary for writers in exile, hosts musicians as well. The cooperative trio Thumbscrew (Mary Halvorson on guitar, Michael Formanek on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums and vibraphone) has enjoyed a series of weeks-long residencies there over the years, with an eye to developing new material. Their latest endeavor is Wingbeats, their eighth album, with just over an hour of stirring originals by each member of the group, plus their take on Charles Mingus’ Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk. The combination of intense workshopping at their residencies and the musicians’ dedication to composing specifically for this grouping results in music of impressive resilience and power. Their nuanced interactions and the freshness of their improvisations make for a genuinely stimulating musical experience. Fujiwara’s xylophone-like sound on the vibes provides a fresh angle to the ensemble. His work on Formanek’s mildly chaotic Somewhat Agree is especially impressive. I’m also drawn to the groove of Formanek’s How May I Inconvenience You Today?, the peaceful aura of Fujiwara’s Irreverent Grace with a soulful Formanek solo, and Halvorson’s sinuous solo on Fujiwara’s Knots. Their arrangement of the Mingus tune, with its myriad parts that somehow all fit together, is perfectly suited to the band’s talents and sensibilities. Wingbeats is a winner from start to finish. Highly recommended! 

Cuneiform Rune 520; Mary Halvorson (g) Michael Formanek (b) Tomas Fujiwara (d, vib); Brooklyn, NY, September 21-22, 2023; Wingbeats/ Greenish Tents/ How May I Inconvenience You Today?/ Irreverent Grace/ Pyrrhic/ Wayward/ Knots/ Singlet/ Somewhat Agree/ Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk; 61:15. www.cuneiformrecords.com

Thumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project

  Thumbscrew is the trio of guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara. Each is each a leader of their own ensembles and mutual participants in other bands, and they adopt a cooperative ethos when gathering for this group. On their fifth Cuneiform release, the trio elected to focus on the extremely influential music of Anthony Braxton, who turned 75 in June 2020. The Anthony Braxton Project offers succinct explorations of nine of his compositions, ranging from the early Composition No. 14 (heard here three times in solo renditions by each player) to Composition No. 274. While Braxton’s music and philosophy have been critically important to many musicians, his pieces are not often played outside of his own groups. Each of the players in the band has a particular association with Braxton. Halvorson probably has the strongest connection, having studied with him at Wesleyan. She’s been a member of many different Braxton groups. Fujiwara met Braxton through trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum, and has performed with the composer on several occasions. Formanek first encountered Braxton’s music back in the mid-Seventies, then followed Braxton’s output over the years until he finally worked with him in New York in the late Nineties. The trio had the unique opportunity to spend a long afternoon looking through Braxton’s archived scores. Halvorson notes that the “idea was for us to choose compositions of Anthony’s, mostly early compositions, which hadn’t been previously recorded.” They ended up with “pieces that captured our imagination and that we thought would work well for the instrumentation ... Our choices included graphic scores, complex notated pieces, and everything in between.” With the luxury of a four-week residence at Pittsburgh’s City Of Asylum, Thumbscrew could take the time to hone their interpretations of this famously difficult material. The most recent piece the trio tackled is Composition No. 274, a completely notated work from Braxton’s Ghost Trance Music series. Formanek notes that it’s “about how you deal with music that’s almost impossible to play and what happens when you do them with someone else, opening up possibilities you couldn’t plan.” Music that’s “almost impossible to play” presents the ultimate challenge to creative musicians, a challenge that is more than met by Thumbscrew on this endlessly fascinating release. Definitely recommended. 

Cuneiform Rune 475; Mary Halvorson (g) Michael Formanek (b) Tomas Fujiwara (d, vib); Pittsburgh, PA, September 8-11, 2019; Composition No. 52/ Composition No. 157/ Composition No. 14 (Guitar)/ Composition No. 68/Composition No. 274/ Composition No. 14 (Drums)/ Composition No. 61/ Composition No. 35/ Composition No. 14 (Bass)/ Composition No. 150/ Composition No. 79; 46:50. www.cuneiformrecords.com

Thumbscrew: Ours/Thumbscrew: Theirs

They each lead a number of bands and play in other groups, but when guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara convene as Thumbscrew, the collective identity of the trio becomes the key to the enterprise. The band had a pair of well-received discs on Cuneiform (skremsky.tumblr.com/search/thumbscrew) before the label decided to go on hiatus. But Thumbscrew persisted, convincing label owner Steve Feigenbaum to put out not one but two new releases recorded during a June 2017 residency at Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum. Ours, a collection of original songs by each of the three bandmembers, and Theirs, a selection of covers by disparate composers including Stanley Cowell, Misha Mengelberg, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, and Julio De Caro, form a matched pair with 100 minutes of dynamically balanced and lively creativity. Start with Theirs, a carefully sequenced program of some truly lovely compositions. Does anyone ever tire of hearing expressive renditions of Herbie Nichols’ exquisite House Party Starting or Jimmy Rowles’ The Peacocks? I hesitate to pick any favorites from this bounty of stimulating performances, but I’m quite partial to their unusual high-spirited treatment of Brooks Bowman’s East of the Sun and the unstoppable groove the trio applies to Cowell’s Effi, first released on Max Roach’s Members, Don’t Get Weary album from 1968.

The equal balance of the playing extends to the composing chores on Ours, with each member of the band contributing three pieces specifically designed for this group. Halvorson’ Snarling Joys lead off the disc with a snaky low-key groove that provides a fine occasion for a lovingly textured Formanek bass solo. Fujiwara’s Saturn Way features some energetic drumming and some of Halvorson’s delicately spiky playing. Her crafty playing emphasizes the acoustic properties of her hollow-body electric guitar, with subtle sculpting by way of sparingly used effects. Formanek’s warm arco bass plays a big role here as well. The bassist’s jittery Cruel Heartless Bastards is up next, with staggered rhythms that evoke a mutant surf sound. Halvorson’s Smoketree is a slightly bittersweet ballad at first before the beat moves things in a heavier direction. There’s more of Halvorson’s innovative guitar spirit in a wild solo full of unexpected leaps, and an energetic Formanek bass solo is also prominent. Her piece Thumbprint is similarly digressive while mostly keeping the focus on Halvorson’s angular guitar lines. A pair by Fujiwara follow. One Day is hushed at first before Fujiwara moves from brushes to sticks and the piece blossoms into a mid-tempo romp. The fairly mellow Rising Snow gives Halvorson a chance to stretch out with a crisply understated solo. The final two pieces are by Formanek. His Words That Rhyme puts the emphasis on the group’s interaction with a stop/start structure that might falter without the dynamic elucidation that this tightly integrated unit provides. Unconditional closes the program with what may be the most conventional music of the date, a gently loping and restful ballad. Halvorson is impressive on this one, with an engaging solo over Fujiwara’s mallet work and Formanek’s measured walking bass. Somehow Halvorson, Formanek and Fujiwara successfully balance their fierce individuality with an equally unrelenting commitment to the collective and the music, and they make it work every time. Ours and Theirs are triumphs of creative music-making, and both are strongly recommended. 

Ours: Cuneiform Rune 439; Mary Halvorson (g) Michael Formanek (b) Tomas Fujiwara (d); Pittsburgh, PA, June 22-25, 2017; Snarling Joys/ Saturn Way/ Cruel Heartless Bastards/ Smoketree/ Thumbprint/ One Day/ Rising Snow/ Words That Rhyme with Spangle (angle bangle dangle jangle mangel mangle strangle tangle wangle wrangle)/ Unconditional; 55:54. 

Theirs: Cuneiform Rune 441; Mary Halvorson (g) Michael Formanek (b) Tomas Fujiwara (d); Pittsburgh, PA, June 22-25, 2017; Stablemates/ Benzinho/ House Party Starting/ The Peacocks/ East of the Sun/ Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)/ Buen Amigo/ Dance Cadaverous/ Effi/ Weer is een dag voorbij; 46:07. www.cuneiformrecords.com