This short premier release for Peacock Recordings features new music violinist/violist Jessica Pavone with a revolving cast of strings performing three of her compositions. Probably best known as a founding member of the radical Correspondence Quartet, she has continued their tradition of playing difficult, ultra-modern pieces that defy the norms of conventional genres. Melding atonal writing with free improvisation while focusing solely on strings (her String Army), Pavone incorporates postmodern deconstructive strategies that challenge the performers and the listener. For example, in Geraldine the members of the quartet start in disparate registers and ultimately converge, while Untitled sports layered glissandi that segue to what Pavone calls a "rhythmic...restructur[ing]." Sometimes, the results sound self-consciously contrived and somewhat hard-edged, though particularly on Untitled (which takes up half the length of the CD), there are flashes of genuine brilliance. Although Pavone was living in New York City when this recording was made, she nonetheless invited a coterie of musicians from her Middletown, CT (Correspondence Quartet), days to record with her, including violinist Justin Yang and bassists Seth Dellinger and Jonathan Zorn. Individual personalities, though, are subsumed by Pavone's powerful writing, which exhibits considerable potential. Hard to categorize and often difficult to absorb, Pavone nonetheless has planted the seeds for some unusually innovative and demanding works that require concentrated listening. ~ Steven Loewy, Rovi