In one of the most acclaimed and daring artistic events of 2022, the American guitarist Mary Halvorson set aside her song-based Code Girl project to delve deeper into her inspired work as a composer. In one swoop, she then released two albums, Amaryllis and Belladona, for jazz sextet and string quartet, respectively, but with a constant level of communication between them – somewhere between written music and contemporary jazz. Mostly created during lockdown, the music plugs into Halvorson’s breathtaking imagination and presents it transformed by an ensemble of exceptional musicians. Not by coincidence, Amaryllis was overwhelmingly acclaimed one of the best jazz (and non-jazz) albums of last year.