Mary Halvorson Archive

Thumbscrew – Convallaria – Cuneiform

by Audiophile Audition | Apr 8, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Thumbscrew – Convallaria – Cuneiform – Rune 415, 72:58 ***: An album of music that is demanding and forceful. (Mary Halvorson – guitar; Michael Formanek – doublebass; Toma Fujiwara – drums) Even after several listenings of Thumbscrew’s most recent release Convallaria, it is still a challenge to find a way to begin the review of this most eclectic album. Avant-garde jazz does not lend itself easily to interpretation, and consequently finding descriptors for the music is taxing. In medieval Europe, a thumbscrew was a torture instrument designed to crush a victim’s thumbs and fingers. The relationship of that device to the name of this trio is hard to divine unless both Halvorson and Formanek believe that playing a guitar and a bass is some form of finger torture. Certainly these two instruments can play havoc with a player’s fingers and thumbs, so perhaps there is some form of allegory here. As for the music, it might be best to start with the title track “Convallaria” and work out from there. The unhelpful liner notes offer no assistance on such essential things such as track listing, compositional accreditation, or heaven forbid, some discussion of the musical intent of the performers. Perhaps there was no money in the recording budget […]