Review Summary: Jazz is such a restrictive term, let's just call it creative music.
This statement is the belief of legendary saxophonist Anthony Braxton regarding his own music, but I believe it extends to those he has worked with and imparted his distinct influence upon, such as guitarist Mary Halvorson herself. Away With You is Halvorson's largest ensemble work yet, expanding upon the ideas she presented several years ago along with her septet in the album Illusionary Sea. This octet features an almost identical line-up, with the crucial addition of pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn. Halvorson's precise and rhythmic guitar playing contrasts wonderfully with Alcorn's airy and abstract musical gestures. Their interplay can almost seem like a suspended extension of the rhythm section, painting in colour above sturdy, bustling drums and bass, performed by Ches Smith and John Hebert, respectively.
Every musician on Away With You contributes their own voice and personality to Halvorson's compositions, as she gives them the just freedom to do so, but her style of composition is one where improvisation is only an extension of a piece, rather than being the framework for said piece. For more "out" jazz this is rather unorthodox, but is wholly justified by the success of Halvorson's approach. The heads she writes have an earnest, sing-song quality to them that is presented through a guise of unusual harmony as well as tension and release. Although the composed material can be melodically simple, each member of the octet is able to brandish their chops at one moment or another, and as a result memorable licks and kinetic schemes abound.
There is an apparent off-kilter atmosphere present due to the eccentricities and clashing ideas of the musicians, but the music rarely reaches violent or manic levels, save for the ten minute slow-burner The Absolute Almost. The tune opens with lonely steel guitar that instantly creates a forlorn climate, and is left to hang beautifully for several minutes before Mary invites herself in, and solemnly the rest of the rhythm section join one by one before the whole piece makes a major shift. An almost joyous melody enters over Alcorn and Halvorson's alternating strumming that wanders a while until saxophonist Jon Irabagon swiftly begins to tear *** up, inspiring the rest of the band to descend into an all-out cacophonous blow-fest that brings free jazz classics of the 60s and 70s to mind. This is all wrapped up in a chilling fashion, with a sheet of distant harmonies and extended technique slowly fading to silence. Each piece shares the same ideals, but another highlight would be the closing number Inky Ribbons, a majestic song that weaves in between soloists, most notably tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock who only takes two solos on the entire album, and is a perfect choice to wrap up the Mary Halvorson Octet's musical manifesto.
