Sylvie Courvoisier and Mary Halvorson Release ‘Moonbow’ Single

The single “Moonbow” from pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and guitarist Mary Halvorson’s brilliant duo album Searching for the Disappeared Hour, is out today.

This marks the second album for these two singular musicians. Their initial collaboration, 2017’s Crop Circles, was recorded after a single concert and found them repurposing existing compositions for the duo context. By contrast, the music on Searching for the Disappeared Hour was composed expressly for the duo, taking stunning advantage of the chemistry and familiarity forged during tours of Europe and the States in the intervening years.

“Moonbow” is one benefactor of the duo’s shared experiences, drawing on a mistake during the recording of Crop Circles. Halvorson accidentally played a unison piece a half step off, but the “gnarly” sound that resulted excited both of them. Courvoisier seized on that approach when composing this slowly unfolding tune. Halvorson’s “Torrential,” while built on a folk-inspired guitar melody, opens itself for two extended solo improvisations.

The full album is slated for release on October 29, 2021 via Pyroclastic Records.