The band’s name might conjure a fearsome image, but Thumbscrew makes inviting music full of wonder and discovery from creative catalysts on jazz’s adventurous frontiers for more than three decades.

Thumbscrew is a cooperative trio consisting of new jazz leaders Michael Formanek (double bass), Mary Halvorson (guitar), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). The group, fresh off the release of their self-titled album on Cuneiform Records, are touring extensively, with dates from April to September in Europe and North America. In Europe, they'll be doing concerts in Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. In North America, they'll tour on both the East and West coasts, as well as in the Midwest.

In one sense, Thumbscrew can be seen as a nexus between a mid-career master and two rising powers. It's a collaboration that works beautifully, producing music greater than the sum of its parts.

Watching one of the trio's early Baltimore performances, DownBeat Magazine noted that:

"[Thumbscrew's] bonds are already strong. No one needs to be loudest. Formanek and Fujiwara both write pieces whose rhythms ebb and flow, and they really hook up as bassist and drummer when the pace surges ahead, falls back or jogs sideway - even when they're in 4/4. Formanek's bass is Thumbscrew's spine and heartbeat, and he's acutely sensitive to textural changes. When [Halvorson] kicked in a doubled, reverb-drenched tone, Formanek immediately shadowed her a fraction behind, increasing the blur."

Thumbscrew is refreshingly original, and works as a strong composer's vehicle. While many cooperative bands draw on material recycled from other projects, "One of the things we said at the beginning is let's just write music for Thumbscrew and it will only be Thumbscrew music," says Formanek. "It really is a three-composer trio, and all of our tunes have our basic aesthetics attached. But we want everybody to have input. Nobody's afraid to make a decision. It's one of the first co-ops I've been in where everyone's really willing to take control at any given moment."

The trio's self-titled release on Cuneiform, Thumbscrew, encompasses an array of textures and strategies, ith each musician contributing three tunes, while maintaining a consistently open and transparent sound. Generating tremendous intensity without necessarily increasingly volume or density, Thumbscrew buzzes and crackles, burns and croons. The group is both open and composerly. Part of what makes the band's music so engaging is that they draw widely and deeply from any number of sonic sources.

Recognized as one of the most important and resourceful new voices in avant guitar to emerge in the past decade, Mary Halvorson is a doggedly idiosyncratic artist who “can define the character of an entire band’s tonal makeup without have to scream for attention,” says S. Victor Aaron.

Tomas Fujiwara is attracted to similarly polymorphous configurations. Since moving to New York City at 17 to study at the New School, he’s become one of the leading
drummers of his generation. He gained widespread attention via collaborations with Taylor Ho Bynum, including a high-wire duo, Bynum’s Sextet, and the avant Afro-Caribbean little big band Positive Catastrophe.

One of jazz’s definitive bassists, Michael Formanek has been a formidable presence on the American scene since the 1980s. Highly sought after by a broad spectrum of jazz masters desiring to play with an equal, he has also made major contributions as a bandleader, composer and educator.

No doubt, the synergy that ths dynamic collaborative trio have become known for will only increase in scope and tone on their upcoming tour.