New York-based guitarists Jack Petruzzelli and Cameron Greider have played with a Who’s Who of rock and pop artists from Patti Smith and Chris Cornell to Joan Baez and Rufus Wainwright. 

As High Low Duo, they take the twangy electric guitar sounds of the fifties and sixties to some unexpected places--they play surf and Western Swing originals, but also take on the classical composers, reimagining repertoire from the Middle Ages to the 20th century as electric guitar duo pieces. Their debut release, coming September 24th on the Grammy-winning Sono Luminus label, features Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and selections from Bartok’s 44 Duos for Violin. With this album High Low Duo make the case for the electric guitar as a classical instrument, capable of the range of colors and expression needed to bring these pieces to life.

Ma Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose) - Maurice Ravel

1. Pavane de la belle au bois dormant [1:36]

2. Petit Poucet [3:43]

3. Laideronnette [4:31]

4. Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête [5:16]

5. Le jardin féerique [3:37]

from 44 Duos for Violin - Béla Bartok

6. Bankodas (Sorrow) [2:29]

7. Fairy Tale [1:04]

8. Harvest Song [1:47]

9. Mosquito Dance [0:43

10. Prelude and Canon [2:43]

11. Pizzicato [1:17]

Total time: 28:46
Release date: September 24th, 2021
UPC: 053479225023

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Quotes & Reviews

“So we have two electric guitarists influenced by Chet Atkins and Les Paul doing a duo recital on Ravel's "Mother Goose" and Bartok's duets for violins. There's nobody auditioning for a position in Great Kat's band here, just two cats that know how to bring out other colors from the palettes of their axes. If you aren't a classical fan, this is perfect hammock music to play with your hat pulled down over your eyes while just wanting everyone to leave you alone.” - Chris Spector, Midwest Record

“The electric guitar too often triggers the image of a solitary dude shredding his fingers raw beside a stack of thunderous amplifiers. But in the right hands the instrument can astonish with a colossal range of subtle textures and colors. And that is precisely what's offered by the High Low Duo, Cameron Greider and Jack Petruzzelli, two veteran rock guitarists who have arranged classics by Maurice Ravel and Béla Bartók for their new album. Ravel's magical Mother Goose (from 1910) concludes in the "Enchanted Garden" which, in this arrangement, is a beautifully chilled out oasis. The guitars intertwine, singing in close harmony, finishing each other's phrases in radiant transparency. Gradually, the music builds to an explosion of colors, like a morning sun rising in all its blinding glory. This performance proves that it's not how many notes you can play, it's knowing how to pick just the right ones.” - Tom Huizenga, NPR

“I must say the duo gives us convincing sound color manipulation and in so doing breathes new life into the music and its sonic possibilities. Greider and Petruzzelli impress greatly with their virtuoso sound and control. Every bar of this program is a delight. Molto bravo! Hear this one!” - Grego Applegate-Edwards, Classical-Modern Review

“I like the musicians’ discreet manipulation of their volume controls to create the illusion of bowing in ‘Harvest Song’, or the way the ‘choking’ effect of their staccato articulation reasonably replicates Bartók’s directives in ‘Pizzicato’. This EP clearly proves that Petruzzelli and Greider aim to find the most musical solutions to technical challenges.” - Jed Distler, Gramophone

“the sounds they create, recorded so lucidly too, instantly won me over. This is a spectacular release and makes a very enjoyable listening experience. Their transcriptions provided a perspective that sent this listener back to the original compositions for another listen. I had a minimal familiarity with the Ravel and even less familiarity with the Bartok but the sheer energy of their performances combined with a real feel for the jazz roots that underlie the Ravel as well as a curious set of sounds chosen for the Hungarian folk derived Bartok effectively recasts these pieces in a very different perspective… Like Bob Dylan, they thrust the modern electric guitar center stage and provide what will be for some, a jarring or disturbing experience. Purists may find these transcriptions sacrilegious but I suspect that many will be charmed and (perhaps their endgame) may find electric guitars to be anywhere from acceptable to revelatory as instruments which can do justice in the classical world.” - Allan J. Cronin, New Music Buff

“I must say the duo gives us convincing sound color manipulation and in so doing breathes new life into the music and its sonic possibilities… Greider and Petruzzelli impress greatly with their virtuoso sound and control. Every bar of this program is a delight. Molto bravo! Hear this one!” - Grego Applegate Edwards, Classical-Modern Music Review

“The release certainly warrants recommendation for a number of reasons, including the originality of the project and the thoughtful approach adopted by the guitarists… electric guitar is obviously not the first instrument that comes to mind when classical music is mentioned, and the duo make a strong case for its legitimacy in that regard.” - Ron Schepper, Textura