Eric Carbonara & Jesse Sparhawk

Philadelphia string players Eric Carbonara and Jesse Sparhawk have somewhat divergent backgrounds. The former is classically trained and makes precise contributions to the intricate compositions of Fern Knight, while the latter spent years in bands and playing self-taught solo music before studying with master guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya in India. Yet their connection happened quickly, as they started playing together with days of becoming roommates.

Perhaps that's because both have a unique, personal approach, instilling many stories and moods into music that's based in formal technique but never beholden to it. "Everything that he does, I'll think, 'Oh fuck, I wish I could do that," says Carbonara of Sparhawk. You have to believe the feeling is mutual. For their first album together, Sixty Strings, the duo improvised for hours, then assembled two side-long pieces from the parts they found most engaging. Gentle harp waves and minimalist strumming build into modal structures. Spiraling lines of notes and droning chords circle around the pointillist drumming of Julius Masri. And that's just the tip—there's a lot going on here, with a wash of sounds and styles reverberating throughout the sonic space.

The album's name refers to the sum of strings between Carbonara's 22-sting upright Chaturangui guitar and Sparhawk's 38-string lever harp. But every moment on Sixty Strings also possesses a simplicity and purity, as the pair's devout playing styles melt into a consistent vision. Sparhawk and Carbonara's work may sound big and expansive, possibly limitless. But at heart, it's about the power of two. —Marc Masters