Guitarist Mary Halvorson and violist Jessica Pavone's longstanding duo embraces a wide range of musical traditions to create what Time Out New York describes as "a challenging fusion of oblique art song, reflective chamber music and thorny free improv."
Critics have noted their "level of interplay that borders on the clairvoyant" (Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com) and likened them to "an avant-garde Thelma and Louise, blazing a trail across the stylistic horizon like a 1966 Ford Thunderbird jerry-rigged from scraps of Eric Dolphy, Django Reinhardt, Appalachian gothic campfires, Charles Ives, and Hendrix-laced psychedelia" (Aidan Levy, Village Voice).
Known as "two of the most exciting figures in New York’s jazz and improvised-music community" (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader), Halvorson and Pavone have worked together in a variety of musical settings over the past decade, most notably the collective quartet The Thirteenth Assembly and the ensembles of the iconic saxophonist/composer Anthony Braxton.
Unlike those larger groups, their duo boils down its diverse influences into intimate original compositions that skillfully blend ethereal vocals and folk-inspired simplicity with an experimental edge, expanding their appeal beyond the boundaries of avant-garde jazz.
"Pavone and Halvorson reach in and touch the brain, activating dreams and aggravations with their spare and insidious tunes," writes the Montreal Mirror's Gordon Allen. "The music challenges what is comfortable, with enough restraint to beckon the imagination, sometimes lifting and carrying along, sometimes dragging us toward what we cannot see."
The group, which has performed at venues ranging from small cafés to major international festivals since 2002, will release its fourth recording this fall on the Thirsty Ear label. Learn more about Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone at http://maryhalvorson.com and http://jessicapavone.com
"Songs of Synastry and Solitude" is a collection of songs for string quartet influenced by an interest in the simple beauty of folk songs, the ghosts of all things lost and Leonard Cohen's encouragement to live outside this world.
Since April of 2005 Jessica has had the honor of touring Europe and North America with Anthony Braxton's Sextet and Twelve+1tet interpreting
Braxton's Ghost Trance Music.
Anthony Braxton - composition, reeds
Taylor Ho Bynum - brass
Chris Dahlgren/Carl Testa - bass
Jessica Pavone - viola and violin
Aaron Siegel - percussion
THE THIRTEENTH ASSEMBLY
Forged from a shared history of collaborations ranging from intimate
duos to Anthony Braxton's sprawling Sonic Genome Project, The
Thirteenth Assembly features four distinguished musician/composers
working together as equals to create distinctively eclectic, yet
cohesive music. Drawing on years of familiarity, as well as its
members' diverse backgrounds in genres including classical, folk,
rock, jazz and the avant-garde, this collective ensemble has performed
across the United States and Europe since 2007, and released its debut
recording (un)sentimental (Important Records) in 2009.
"Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, guitarist Mary Halvorson, violist Jessica
Pavone and drummer Tomas Fujiwara are among the most exciting new jazz
musicians to emerge on the New York scene," declares the Wall Street
Journal's Martin Johnson, "and it is hard to talk about any one of
these players without mentioning the others. Each of these musicians
is a masterly soloist, and they all are creating music that is
delicate, complex and eclectic. There isn't much—if any—repertoire
written for cornet-viola-guitar-drum ensembles, but with the appealing
blend of unique sonorities and lithe rhythms found on (un)sentimental
that may soon change."
Critics have credited the group with "truly remarkable capabilities"
(Nick Storring, Exclaim!), "a knack for detailed and apropos framing
of each others' solo turns" (Bill Meyer, Dusted) and "an admirably
relaxed sense of self, and a shared conviction to keep all options
open" (Nate Chinen, New York Times). AllAboutJazz.com's Troy Collins
adds, "The unified ensemble sound of The Thirteenth Assembly is
centered around empathetic communication and a willingness to subvert
ego for the good of the group; there is no grandstanding here, only
four longstanding friends conspiring to make adventurous yet
accessible music. A stunning achievement, (un)sentimental
demonstrates the endless possibilities of contemporary music by
players at the top of their game."
The Thirteenth Assembly
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Jessica Pavone - viola
Taylor Ho Bynum - cornet
Tomas Fujiwara -drums
photo: Hilary McHone
QUOTIDIAN This Work was funded in part by the Composer Assistance Program of the American Music Center.
Performed by Till By Turning
Quotidian is a suite for violin, viola, cello, bassoon, and piano.
Composed in four movements: Hypnopompic, Post Meridiem, Weight of Dusk, and The Darkest Hour, it examines four temporal landmarks that occur within each single day.
Quotidian stems from a belief that the shifting balance between light and dark, as well as other environmental changes constantly affect us regardless of how conscious or aware we are of them. Our external environment has a direct effect on our moods and feelings and therefore, in a sense, has ultimate control overall living beings.
Erica Dicker - violin
Amy Cimini - viola
Loren Dempster - cello
Katherine Young - bassoon
Emily Manzo - piano
