Bone Bells Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson

• 1 Bone Bells 06:31
• 2 Esmeralda 05:41
• 3 Folded Secret 05:08
• 4 Nags Head Valse 03:40
• 5 Beclouded 06:16
• 6 Silly Walk 04:58
• 7 Float Queens 05:35
• 8 Cristellina e Lontano 04:44
• Total Runtime 42:33

Info for Bone Bells

Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and American guitarist Mary Halvorson are known for their distinctive and unconventional style—in the best sense of the word. As expected, their music is rooted in strong improvisational ideas, yet their compositional skills are evident in each piece. Bone Bells marks their third duo album, following Crop Circles (2017) and Searching For the Disappeared Hour (2021).

The title track opens the album with dark, warped, and beautifully constructed storytelling, evoking the book Trust by Hernan Diaz, the inspiration for its name. The two musicians sound completely integrated, sharing a vision that is at once mournful and enchanting. Courvoisier’s “Esmeralda”, named after a sculpture by Dutch artist Cornelis Zitman, is rhythmically defiant, showcasing a dynamic flow with a stippled, fluttery sense of motion. Before culminating in feverish agitation, it shifts into a more introspective mood, embracing a rounder sense of harmony with the pianist at the helm.

Halvorson’s “Folded Secret” layers forward-moving prepared piano with intrepid guitar work, generating an oddly propulsive flow. These seemingly effortless interactions emerge with striking detail and coordination. “Beclouded” fuses classical and avant-jazz elements, intertwining arpeggiated piano lines with spiky guitar sprints—except when the duo navigates the intricate melodic line in fleet unison.

“Nags Head Waltz” flows lightly and sinuously, embracing an open sense of pace, while “Silly Walk” feels almost cartoonish in its rhythmic accentuations and experimental determination. Inspired by Monty Python sketches as well as sculptures by Swiss artist Sophie Bouvier Ausländer, this piece takes on a darker mood without losing its sense of humor. The album closes with Courvoisier’s “Cristellina e Lontano”, where a 10-beat cycle featuring an eight-note vamping piano phrase collides with the sly triple-meter feel established by the guitar. This texturally elegant piece begins with rapid-fire lines played in unison and evolves into compelling improvisations.

Courvoisier and Halvorson embrace a sense of risk that is magnified into fields of harmonic possibility. They are brave enough to explore outside the lines and exceptionally skilled to make their music sound thrilling.

"As you know, I hold this form of art especially dear—the kind that both surprises and elevates us, that shatters the conventions of habitual codes while maintaining a form that remains both audible and accessible in its writing. To truly enter this world, it is undoubtedly beneficial to be familiar with the artistic journeys of these two musicians, whose respective websites you will find linked below for further exploration. From our perspective, there is no doubt—this album joins the ranks of our “Essentials.” (Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Move)

Sylvie Courvoisier,piano
Mary Halvorson, guitar

Sylvie Courvoisier
Swiss-born pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier is known for bridging two distinct worlds: the deep, rich chamber music of her European roots and the groovy, hook-filled sounds of New York City's downtown jazz scene, where she has called it home for more than two decades. Few artists feel equally at home in both concert halls and jazz clubs, playing improvised or composed music. But Courvoisier—"a pianist equal parts bold and poised," according to The New York Times—is as captivating performing Stravinsky's iconic Ritual of Spring alongside flamenco dancer and choreographer Israel Galván and pianist Cory Smythe as she is improvising with her own widely acclaimed jazz trio, including bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. In music, as in life, Courvoisier pushes boundaries with a creative spirit and freethinking; her music-making is as playful as it is intense, as tradition-minded as it is exploratory and fearless.

Mary Halvorson
Guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson has been called "New York City's most unpredictable improviser" (Howard Mandel, City Arts), "the most forward-thinking guitarist currently working" (Lars Gotrich, NPR.org), and "one of the most impressive bandleaders working today" (Francis Davis, Village Voice). Halvorson's recent releases, Amaryllis and Belladonna, feature her string quartet compositions, skillfully interpreted by the Mivos Quartet, as well as a new sextet with Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). The two debut albums for Nonesuch Records, released in May 2022, were hailed in a five-star review by The Guardian as "...new milestones in Halvorson's already inimitable discography."

This album contains no booklet.