On Thursday, June 7th at 8:30 p.m., Brooklyn-based guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson and her critically acclaimed quintet will perform at the FlynnSpace as part of the 2012 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival. The group, which for this event will feature Jonathan Finlayson (trumpet), Jon Irabagon (alto saxophone), John Hébert (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums), will be celebrating its May 8th release, Bending Bridges (Firehouse 12 Records).

Ms. Halvorson's third recording as a bandleader, Bending Bridges follows 2010's Saturn Sings (Firehouse 12 Records), which was one of the consensus jazz records of that year, earning a spot on more than 90 best-of lists in a variety of publications. It also inspired critics to call her "a distinct voice of her own" (Carl Wilson, Slate), "one of the most exciting and original guitarists in jazz—or otherwise" (Steve Dollar, Wall Street Journal) and "one of today's most formidable bandleaders" (Francis Davis, Village Voice).

"One of the year's most eagerly anticipated albums, the Mary Halvorson Quintet's Bending Bridges has its work cut out for it topping the band's 2010 poll favorite, Saturn Sings," writes JazzTimes reviewer Lloyd Sachs. "But the new recording, which benefits from the band's first serious stretch of playing together live, is even deeper and edgier than its predecessor. It confirms Halvorson as an artist whose originality as a guitarist is no fiercer than her originality as a writer. Simply put, no one is making music like this...what a singular talent she is."

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 own bands, which also include her trio, sextet and the recently created Reverse Blue, she is the guitarist of choice for many of improvised music's most notable bandleaders, including Tim Berne, Anthony Braxton, Taylor Ho Bynum, Curtis Hasselbring, Ingrid Laubrock and Marc Ribot. She is also a member of such New York-based collective ensembles as Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, Thumbscrew and The Thirteenth Assembly.

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