Wordless songs inspired by life's cast of characters.
Cast Of Characters
April Is Over
I Must Have Done Something Kharmically to Deserve This
MARY HALVORSON AND JESSICA PAVONE
Sometimes
On And Off
Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone are a Brooklyn-based collaborative duo that have been working together for over seven years composing and performing a unique body of music, drawing from classical, jazz and folk traditions while experimenting with new forms. Their music explores improvisation and composition while utilizing amplification and electronic effects as well as acoustic presentation. The compositions in their current repertoire generally range in length from two to six minutes, with each of them composing separate pieces for the project.
Prairies, their debut album, was released in November of 2005 on the Lucky Kitchen label in Spain. Their second album, On and Off, was released on Skirl Records (www.skirlrecords.com) in August 2007. Their most recent album, Thin Air, released by Thirsty Ear, was announced as a a cover story for the magazine, Signal to Noise. They have been performing regularly in New York City since 2002, and have appeared at several music festivals throughout Europe. Since 2006 they have toured bi-annually throughout the East Coast, West Coast and Southern United States.
"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
