Guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson and her quintet will hit the road in mid-May to celebrate the release of their second record, Bending Bridges (Firehouse 12 Records). The group, which features Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Jon Irabagon (alto saxophone), Stephan Crump (subbing for John Hébert on bass) and Ches Smith (drums), will perform at Buoy Gallery in Kittery, Maine (May 16th), Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec (May 17th), Firehouse 12 in New Haven, Connecticut (May 18th) and Cornelia Street Café in New York (May 19th).

Bending Bridges, Ms. Halvorson's third release as a bandleader, follows the widely acclaimed Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12 Records), which inspired critics to call her "the real thing" (Chris May, AllAboutJazz.com), "one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise" (Steve Dollar, Wall Street Journal), "the most future-seeking guitarist working right now" (Lars Gotrich, NPR.org), "a multi-faceted artist whose writing is as impressive as her improvising" (Troy Collins, Point of Departure) and "one of today's most formidable bandleaders" (Francis Davis, Village Voice).

"The quintet setting offers the Boston-born, Brooklyn-based guitarist entirely new harmonic possibilities," writesJazzwise reviewer Peter Quinn, "and the results are hugely impressive...Halvorson's powerfully communicative music transcends the avant-garde experimental box." The Philadelphia City Paper's Shaun Brady adds, "Halvorson has been steadily reshaping the sound of jazz guitar in recent years with her elastic, sometimes-fluid, sometimes-shredding, wholly unique style. Her compositions, shaped by a pop sensibility and unconstrained avant aggressiveness are ably explored by five of modern jazz's young leading lights."

Ms. Halvorson topped the Rising Star Guitar category in the latest DownBeat Critics Poll and was named New York's Best Guitarist 2011 by the Village Voice. When not leading her quintet, or her other groups such as the longstanding Mary Halvorson Trio and the recently created Reverse Blue and Mary Halvorson Septet, she is the guitarist of choice for such notable bandleaders as Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Curtis Hasselbring and Ingrid Laubrock. She also appears on the latest releases from the working ensembles Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up, The Thirteenth Assembly and the Tom Rainey Trio.

Learn more about Mary Halvorson at http://maryhalvorson.com