Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant.
She & Him - which is Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward
Fatty Gets A Stylist - which is Kate Miller-Heidke & Keir Nuttall (although I believe it’s been released in the US just under Kate Miller-Heidke’s name, due to a higher sensitivity to the word “Fatty”). New Yorkers especially will probably recognise this song.
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - who recorded two albums of covers from the 60’s and then the 70’s, and are currently working on an album of covers from the 80’s. They sometimes go under the name Sid 'n Suzie.
The Swell Season - Glen Hansard (of The Frames) & Marketa Irglova (both from the movie Once)
The Grates - an Australian band who began as a trio but downsized to become a duo
For the longest time I thought Belle & Sebastian were a duo. But they’re REALLY not.
I was hoping she’d do some solo side-shows, but as far as I can tell, no luck.
Speaking of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, this is one of the most magical live performances I’ve ever seen.
Actually, I’ve loved Guitar & Flute – think Jethro Tull, Mamas & Papas, various other 60’s attempts. You might also look into the music of Styx using real flutes rather than synthesized sort-of-flutes – and a lot of pieces are largely DeYoung/Shaw duets.
As for Guitar & Mandolin, think Loggins & Messina, some Jackson Browne/David Lindley bits; some Eagles (Jack Tempchkin played mandolin in the early days; Joe Walsh later) or look farther back at skiffle and folk music.
FWIW:
Shari Belafonte did an awesome album with her father, Harry Belafonte.
Ann & Nancy Wilson took HEART from Seattle obscurity to global recognition, largely based on their vocal duets-backed-by-the-band format [but then you’d both be singing alto or higher :dubious:].
If you [your wife] can emulate her distinctive vibrato, Stevie Nicks has done some great duets with Kenny Loggins, Don Henley, Tom Petty, and various others.
I dunno if you can find their music, but a band called Twang Bang does some impressive Spike Jones-ish work with only guitar and drums.
Oh, yeah: The twin sons of pop/TV icon Ricky Nelson did mid/late-80’s music as Nelson, and the Damn Yankees guys got sick of Ted Nugent and threw him out to do much much mellower stuff as Shaw/Blades. [I thought the trio had better synergy than the duo.]
–G!
“Imagine me and you..
Two…
I think about you day and night
It’s only right…”
. --The Turtles
. Happy Together
Goldfrapp are Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory.
Dead Can Dance (Lisa Gerrard & Brendan Perry)
Agreed, and I’ll add the Moody Blues to the above artists. There is a lot of great guitar-and-flute stuff out there; and if you don’t find it as you want it, it is generally easy to pick up by ear and arrange. Heck, even though Elton John composed “Daniel” on a piano, a friend (guitar) and I (flute) could manage “Daniel” easily enough.
My contribution to the thread: Sleepwalk, by Santo and Johnny.
Right: see Voices in the Sky.
Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli. Yeah, there were three other guys in the Quintet–but those two were really all that mattered…
Closer to home: The Louvin Brothers.
Oh, I forgot The Silly Sisters; in the same vein, Shirley & Dolly Collins…
I’ll have you know I play in a guitar and flute/mandolin duo myself. Search Youtube for “Stumbling Grace” and ignore the one that’s a rock band.
Mates Of State
Beach House
Quasi
Her Space Holiday
Good plan! I usually play with a duo (Hammond clone on top of a digital piano or my Rhodes) with a guitar player – money gets split two ways, and my #1 drummer is pretty much always overbooked. Only a few drummers I know in my “list” can play quietly enough and listen closely enough to be suitable for private parties or small clubs.
My book consists of instrumentals: originals by me or my regular guitarist, pop/soul/r&b songs from the 60s-70s (things like “Sunny,” “Get Out my Life Woman,” 'Yes We Can Can," “Let’s Stay Together,” “Heat Wave,” “Theme From Shaft,” various New Orleans R&B regional hits, Ray Charles tunes), tin-pan alley standards (my guitarist doesn’t know very many, but he has good ears and watches my LH if he needs help on the changes), country-western swing music/ragtime/straight Chicago blues, and some cut-time funk things, greasy Hammond chitlin circuit nasty blues, or high-energy “rock tunes” (boogies like “Mess Around” or “Honeydripper” or maybe some Rolling Stones covers, even though I tend to not do the latter much).
I’ve gotten good at sizing up the audience and seeing what will play or what won’t for the room – that’s probably the key to being successful. Have a big book of repertoire (protip – don’t read charts on stage; I often have some little post-its hidden in inconspicuous places for tunes I can never remember or were written on a cocktail napkin before/during break, but I think it looks kind of jive to use charts for a public job). The “wild id” approach to set-lists is the way I roll, and it works well and keeps me from getting bored – just play/segue to whatever sounds like it fits.
Let’s not forget Jonathan and Darlene Edwards.
Wow, these tips just kept getting better and better! Thanks again, everyone!
Biffy the Elephant Shrew – that’s good stuff there! Thanks for sharing!
Jaledin, Grestarian, et al – my wife is used to playing restaurants, weddings, and such – low-key stuff where a small group (just her, and her brother on bass) is an advantage, and where everything was pop standards (…and a fair bit of Brazilian country music). Bigger shows, and her CD, used a larger band. She does indeed have several fat books of repertoire, and in her experience the experimental, unusual, or original stuff has to be kept to an absolute minimum – which is a primary reason why I’m looking at switching to guitar (i.e. it’s much more mainstream). Back when I played bass in a band, I played enough Hendrix/Allman Bros/Cream/Deep Purple covers to get really comfortable improvising blues, and all rock/pop based on the blues. Creedence and Hendrix doesn’t adapt well to mandolin or flute – I’ve tried 
But a lot of these great suggestions are things I could probably add to the repertoire both for flute and mandolin, as well as for two guitars; and I have no problem switching instruments in the middle of a gig. So again, thanks a lot for all these suggestions!
BTW – I love the “wild id” approach myself. When playing at home I have no problem switching from folk tunes, to chorinho, to Bach, to rock… 