While professional musicians tend to collaborate with many others throughout their lives, there will always be a few relationships that prove more important than others. This is even more the case than usual with cellist, vocalist, and composer Janel Leppin and her partner in music and life, guitarist Anthony Pirog. Both are well-established artists independent of one another, but they currently are setting loose a lot of material that displays the fruits of their collaboration.

New Moon In The Evil Age, out now on Cuneiform Records, is a double album by the pair and finds them skirting the lines between several different genres. The first nine songs are intimate duets between Leppin’s cello and Pirog’s guitar. It’s apparent from the opening track, “New Moon,” that despite the sparse instrumentation the duo is more than the sum of its parts. At first, it seems Pirog is backing Leppin, but soon the guitar and cello are dancing together without a clear leader. There’s a give-and-take that is seamless and all the more beautiful for its egalitarian approach.

On other tunes, there are more well-defined solo sections, but they always create a full sonic experience that never feels minimalist. On tunes such as “Fog Curls Round Cypress” (on which Leppin plays piano) and “Pacific Grove Monarch” lean into a meditative mood, but once again they sidestep silence and embrace sensory immersion. Each tune is lush and beautiful, simultaneously haunting and relaxing.

The second half of the album doesn’t drastically change the mood as much as it expands on it. “Crystal Wish” nods to the sort of ambient material Robert Fripp and Brian Eno produced together. “Surf the Dead” brings more of a beat-driven approach, like Björk fronting Kraftwerk or Neu!. “Evil Age” hints at trip-hop, while “Dreams Come Alive” is more in the realm of Sigur Rós.

Leppin’s vocals do take center stage on these tracks, leaving Pirog to play a more supporting role. But one shouldn’t downplay his contribution; the music she sings over is gorgeous and their collaborative creation is quite powerful.

If instrumental duets and well-crafted electronic pop weren’t enough, Leppin’s modern jazz band, Ensemble Volcanic Ash, is releasing a new album, To March Is To Love, also on Cuneiform Records. The group includes Sarah Hughes and Brian Settles on alto and tenor saxophones, respectively; Luke Stewart on bass; Larry Ferguson on drums; and of course Leppin on piano and cello and Pirog on guitar.

Leppin is just as adept as a jazz composer and bandleader as she is an instrumentalist and vocalist. Ensemble Volcanic Ash balances compositional nuance with enough room for soloists to stretch out. “Tennesee’s a Drag” possesses rhythmic drive powered by sawed strings and is tied together with wonderful sax work. “A Man Approached Me” moves from a nebulous cloud of instrumental drone to a march not unlike a Tom Waits song covered by a jazz group. “Union Art” rides a head-nodding groove that is subverted by distorted guitar and cello solos.

The album centers around the two-part title track. “To March is to Love Pt. 1” layers a number of instrumental lines, evoking both big band composition and post-rock textures. The lines collapse slowly into a drone before restating the deconstructed theme in spectral form. The second part is a more intricate composition, mellow but driven by the rhythm section, with the drums, bass and cello doing the heavy lifting. Roughly three minutes in, a free section occurs and higher frequency sounds from Leppin, the saxophones, and guitars begin to make their way into the song. The ensemble blows freely together for a while, each instrument playing compelling lines but no one really demanding attention over their bandmates. Leppin eventually begins to play more conventionally melodic lines, providing a path for her bandmates to exit the free section. The song reaches a more composed conclusion, the unison lines reminiscent of the material that made up part one.

It is mind-boggling to think that Leppin and Pirog are responsible for creating what is in essence three distinct and powerful albums, all to be released at once. They tackle each mood, composition, and style with equal vigor and sound adept and comfortable in each environment. Most musicians spend a lifetime mastering one or two styles, but apparently when these two work together, their talent knows no bounds.

—Todd Manning