Mary Halvorsen Quintet 5/18/12 Firehouse 12

Second set at the Firehouse showed Halvorsen and company in good form. Halvorsen on guitar, Stephan Crump on bass, Ches Smith drums, John Irabogon sax, and Finlayson on trumpet. Smith's solo resembled a bb gun fight, his loose-limbed style honed with Mike Patton's Mister Bungle. Halvorsen, quiet and geeky, is an able leader, her style on this evening was aided with a whammy-effect pedal. Crump, Harry Chapin's son-in-law, mimes his notes, and gives a new meaning to full contact bass. Irabogon is a chameleon, he seems at home in any style. He could play Ayler with a wedding band. Finlayson looked like a cross between Thomas Dolby and Buckwheat. His full tone was enhanced by aiming directly at the audience. (you'd be surprised how many trumpeters aim at the floor)