The pairing with Pavone reveals the primal Mary Halvorson. Thorny compositions that sound as if female teen punkers the Shaggs received doctorates in the music of 12-tone composer Alban Berg, and then rewrote their Philosophy of the World. Halvorson and Pavone teamed up in 2002, and, with little discussion, began making songs—each bringing pieces separately to the duo. Carefully notated structures and interplay morph effort- lessly into free improvisation that is intelligent and expressive, but never self-indulgent. Also featuring intense lyrics sung with their clear and melodic voices, the two women make transcendent chamber music outside of any genre.

“I started playing guitar in the eighth grade when I became obsessed with Jimi Hendrix, and my first guitar was a black-and-white Stratocaster,” says Halvorson. “Before that, I played classical violin—which I really hated—and alto sax as a second instrument, but that didn’t last very long, either.”

Growing up in Boston, Halvorson pursued an education in jazz at the New England Conservatory, and at Berklee College of Music while still in high school.

“I studied jazz guitar because my first teacher was a jazz guy,” she says. “Then, I went to Wesleyan University, and majored in music, studying jazz, world music, experimental music, and all sorts of other things. I also went to the New School for a year to study jazz technique, as well as studying briefly with guitarist Joe Morris, who was a pretty influential teacher. He taught me a lot about developing my sound and the importance of individuality. Other influences include Lenny Breau, Derek Bailey, and Sonny Sharrock, though some of my greatest influences have been horn players like Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. I started listening to rock music late, because of my focus on jazz, but now I listen to it a lot. One of my favorite bands is Deerhoof, and their guitarist John Dietrich, but I also really like Mick Barr of Orthrelm and Ocrilim.”

Halvorson’s equipment setup is simple. She plays a ’70 Guild Artist Award carved archtop, although she sometimes switches to a semihollow Epiphone Dot in situations where feedback is an issue. Her amp of choice is a Fender Deluxe 85 1x12 combo, and her effects include a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, a Pro Co Rat distortion, and a volume pedal.

“I gravitated towards the hollowbody sound, and my Guild has an acoustic quality no matter what amp it’s plugged into,” she explains.

In the studio, Halvorson prefers Fender tube amps—although she also mikes the guitar itself to capture the acoustic sound. She strings the Guild with Elixer .012s and the Epiphone with Elixer .011s, both with wound Gs. Her action is set high on both guitars.

Halvorson is currently concentrating on composing for her trio. While the group uses acoustic bass and clearly lies within the “jazz” camp, it sounds like no other. A recent gig at Brooklyn’s comfortably intimate Barbes club treated the audience to dissonant arpeggios melding into pounding odd-meter repetitive grooves, spidery textures becoming cracked melodies, and jazzy vamps fragmenting into vicious free-form interactions, with Halvorson wrenching blistering lines and rude sounds from her guitar.

Despite her many accomplishments, however, Halvorson remains dedicated to continuing her musical development.

“These days I’m really focused on ear training,” she says. “I usually practice playing standards in all keys in one position, trying to hear the intervals, not patterns. I want to get to the point where I can hear anything and be able to play it.”