Illegal Crowns (Delbecq, Halvorson, Bynum & Fujiwara)

We’re pleased to welcome guitarist Mary Halvorson, cornet and trumpet player Taylor Ho Bynum and drummer Tomas Fujiwara back to Mandorla Music and back to Hope Central Church, this time with French pianist Benoît Delbecq. Together they are Illegal Crowns, described by Bynum as “a group both old and new, music accessible and experimental, a name revolutionary and royal. Four individuals and one ensemble, in the kind of harmony that needs no resolution.” Their first-ever US tour was supposed to have happened back in 2020, and then again in 2021. We’re thrilled to be part of their long-awaited tour.

Writing for Point of Departure, Ed Hazell observes that the foursome “improvise and interact with relaxed alertness, finely judging time, texture, line, and ensemble density to make music comprised of separate personal voices that cohere into a lively whole. Their every gesture is defined, specific, and placed within the flow of music so it harmonizes with what surrounds it. Sure there’s tension and release and dissonance and noise, but there’s never a clash or an element out of place.”$20 in advance / $25 at the door

**Note that per church policy, attendees will be required to remain masked during the concert.**