Mary Halvorson & Sylvie Courvoisier: Bone Bells and the Art of Surprise

Today, the Spotlight shines On two artists who've taken the piano-guitar duo to bold new places. Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson have just released Bone Bells, their third album, and a fresh showcase of their uncanny musical connection.

These two players come from different worlds: Sylvie from European classical traditions and Mary from experimental jazz guitar circles. But when they join forces, something magical happens. Their music shifts from delicate to eruptive, structured to spontaneous, with a shared musical language they've built over nearly a decade.

Bone Bells takes its name from a line in Hernan Diaz's Pulitzer-winning novel Trust. It carries that same haunting, enigmatic quality through eight compositions that blend composition and improvisation in ways only these two can pull off.

Our conversation veered from structure to improvisation and led us to interesting places, a fitting companion to the new album.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are from Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson’s album Bone Bells)

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Dig Deeper

• Visit Sylvie Courvoisier at sylviecourvoisier.com and Mary Halvorson at maryhalvorson.com
• Purchase Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson’s Bone Bells from Bandcamp or Qobuz and listen on your streaming platform of choice
• Pyroclastic Records
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