''Cloudward'' is an album by American jazz composer and guitarist Mary Halvorson, released on January 19, 2024, through

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

. It was recorded with her sextet Amaryllis, produced by John Dieterich, and received acclaim from critics.

Critical reception

''Cloudward'' received a score of 85 out of 100 on review aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

based on six critics' reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". '' Uncut'' characterized it as "a knottily intricate yet oddly inviting album". Thom Jurek of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote that "these eight compositions differ somewhat from those on ''Amaryllis'', though they remain easily identifiable as Halvorson's" and felt that "she offers more blank and interactive spaces on ''Cloudward''". ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' Lottie Brazier called it "rich and increasingly organic-sounding" as well as "upbeat, curious, and inquisitive" and "a great city walking album". John Fordham of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described it as "a superb eight-piece set" on which "Halvorson's fusions of written and spontaneous music reach an entrancing new seamlessness and seductive warmth". ''

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''s Andy Cush likened it to "a document of edges melting away" as "Halvorson puts her idiosyncratic instrumentation to good use". Chris Ingalls of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' stated that ''Cloudward'' "doesn't necessarily see alvorsonbreaking new ground – it's the second album she's recorded with this sextet – but from a compositional and improvisational standpoint, it sees her continuing to hone and perfect her artistic excellence".

Year-end lists

Track listing

Personnel

* Mary Halvorson – guitars * Jacob Garchik – trombone * Nick Dunston –

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

* Tomas Fujiwara – drums * Patricia Brennan –

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

* Adam O'Farrill – trumpet * Laurie Anderson – violin

Charts

References

{{reflist 2024 albums Mary Halvorson albums Nonesuch Records albums