MAP (Halvorson / Nakatani / Radding)

Fever Dream [VINYL]

Label: TAIGA Country: USA

"MAP is Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tatsuya Nakatani (percussion) and Reuben Radding (bass). Fever Dream is a vinyl-only release of high-temperature improvisations that elicit abstract thought. Following their first album, Six Improvisations for Guitar, Bass and Drums, a somber black & white affair with former bassist Clayton Thomas released on CD in 2004, Fever Dream blasts forth from the sweaty sheets of a sleepless night in vivid color. Meticulously recorded by new bassist Radding and mastered by James Plotkin, the trio sounds dense, bright and clear.

Prolific in myriad collaborative configurations, all three members of MAP have been carving their own paths in the world of contemporary improvisation. According to Steve Dollar in the New York Sun, Halvorson "plays guitar in a way that fractures conventions, restlessly inventing her own paradigms." Julian Cowley wrote for the Wire magazine, "Nakatani's sparse punctuation suggests observance of esoteric ritual." All About Jazz's Troy Collins praised Radding, "Whether throttling gnarled motifs or eliciting spectral harmonics, his resonant tone and agile phrasing is captivating." More than a side-project, MAP is intrinsic to these musicians' collective maturation and Fever Dream is evidence of advancement.

This three-sided double LP was cut direct to metal and pressed on 200g virgin vinyl, including a lacy D-side etching. It comes housed in an old-style Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket designed by Minneapolis firm Loaf Nest. The jacket is printed in blinding full color on uncoated paper with cyan flooded pockets."-Taiga