It would be impossible not to include at least one record from the prolific guitarist Mary Halvorson among this best-of-the-decade list. Written for eight musicians, this is probably her most compositionally ambitious and accomplished project. Virtuosity is also present – the way she and pedal-steel player Susan Alcorn weave their melodic dialogues and make them dance is a joy to hear. Not to mention those moments when the whole ensemble slides off the rails into Ornettian deliria. Exhilarating!
