Mary Halvorson/Jessica Pavone Duo

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Primary Instrument: Band/ensemble/orchestra

The Brooklyn-based duo of guitarist Mary Halvorson and violist Jessica Pavone draws from classical, jazz and folk traditions while experimenting with new forms. Together they explore improvisation and composition while utilizing amplification and electronic effects as well as acoustic presentation.

The group has performed regularly in New York City since 2002 at venues such as Roulette, Tonic, Barbes and The Stone. They have also appeared at several music festivals, including the Wels Unlimited Festival (Austria), The Other Half New, the Improvised and Otherwise Festival and The Vision Festival.

Their discography includes three releases: Praries (Lucky Kitchen, 2005), One and Off (Skirl Records, 2007) and Thin Air (Thirsty Ear, 2009).

Last Updated: April 13, 2009

As longstanding accomplices, each musician's turn of phrase, sudden pause and change in pitch reveals a level of interplay that borders on the clairvoyant.
--Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com

Carefully notated structures and interplay morph effortlessly into free improvisation that is intelligent and expressive, but never self-indulgent...the two women make transcendent chamber music outside of any genre.
--Elliott Sharp, Guitar Player

As an acoustic duo they produce something distinct and beguiling: an amalgam of experimental folk, rock and chamber music that feels both meticulous and raw. There's a disarming openness to their interaction, never more pronounced than when the two are blending their voices in something like a campfire harmony. But this music isn't clever or cute. Its core is steely, and its execution clear.
--Nate Chinen, New York Times

They listen as though they're hotwired into each other's brain, their taut structural discipline prompting a domino effect of great ideas.
--Philip Clark, The Wire

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