Quotes & Reviews

Judi Silvano and Bruce Arnold are travelling together in space as one voice!
Kenny Werner – pianist, composer, author

Judi Silvano & Bruce Arnold have found a home for their musical conversations in a duo setting that feels both natural and adventurous. The element of technology that adorns their inventions succeeds, to my ear, because it simply offers other ways of hearing each other’s sense of the whole picture as it unfolds. Their connection remains rooted in the forever powerful tools of rhythm, counterpoint and harmonic agreement and tension. As well the two are clearly having a good deal of fun with where some of the processing takes them, and it’s a pleasure to participate, as a listener, in their playfulness.
Gerry Hemingway – percussionist/composer/visual artist & educator

Sonic Twist’s UNITY – I’ve been a fan of this duo for a LONG time now… with Judi Silvano’s vocals and Bruce Arnold’s guitar you won’t find any more adventurous ambient electronic music than this. A true sense of freedom is conveyed as you listen… and your heart will come away from these songs jam-packed with the Joy Of Living! I give Sonic Twist a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating with an “EQ” (energy quotient) score of 4.99.
Dick Metcalf – Editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews

Sonic Twist® is a duo of Judi Silvano on vocals and Bruce Arnold on guitar; both of them contributing various electronics to this 45-minute album. They enjoy a strong rapport throughout and one of the things that makes them compatible is Arnold’s use of space, as he favors an airy, floating sound along the lines of Pat Metheny and the late Jim Hall. Silvano has been inspired by Sheila Jordan, Betty Carter and Jeanne Lee but none of these selections rely on traditional song structures or a head/solos/head format. Their improvisations are quite free form, but never in a combative way. Their expression values subtlety and understatement. Unity doesn’t confront; it floats and reflects. 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Silvano’s first recording as a leader, Dancing Voices, and Arnold is a consistently intuitive collaborator for the veteran singer’s adventurous talents.
Alex Henderson 12 MARCH 2021 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

Judi Silvano is surely one of the most multi-dimensional improvising vocalists of this era. The variety and output of her musical catalogue was already impressive (to put it mildly), but in the last several years she and musical partner guitarist Bruce Arnold have been opening up new portals for sonic exploration. From the very first notes of the opening track on their third CD, “Unity” I was eager to hear the rest of the album. Judi and Bruce draw from a seemingly endless well of ideas, yet there’s never a superfluous note, and the music they make together is surprising, inventive, and utterly engaging.
Andrea Wolper – vocalist, composer, educator

I first met Judi 21 years ago, as a student at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Judi was my ensemble director and was one of the first teachers to introduce me to completely improvised music. She shared the importance of freedom, intent, listening, interaction, developing a personal language, and creating an emotional connection with both the musicians and audience. On this album, we hear those sentiments fully expressed and realized in this intimate duo. UNITY is a beautiful, fearless, entirely improvised conversation between two unique performers that draws the audience in with every listening.
Kris Davis – pianist and composer

This is the third offering by the duo SONIC TWIST with Judi Silvano on voice and Bruce Arnold on guitar. Although both of these musicians come from mostly jazz backgrounds, their combined efforts come from a more experimental, open-ended area. All of the pieces here (17) are relatively short, under 3 & 1/2 minutes and they create different moods… unique, adventurous and unclassifiable.
Bruce Lee Gallanter – Downtown Music Gallery DMG

Judi Silvano and Bruce Arnold engage joyously with an open, exploratory spirit. Every syllable, every note is an opportunity to play, unpack and transform. Unity is an album with 17 miniatures where Judi and Bruce bring the listener right into their “playground.” What a thrill to hear an interaction so free and filled with the spark of discovery and sensory delight.
Ayelet Gottlieb – vocalist, educator

“Judi and Bruce have combined their creative energies to bring us a wonderful, fresh, new, and compelling album that rewards the listener with new subtleties on subsequent audits. It’s a peaceful, thoughtful, bright, kaleidoscopic, warm, and elevated state-of-the-art duo project that I hope will have an extended run.”
James Emery – guitarist, composer, mystical vibration Work healer

The tonal empathy between Arnold and Silvano can be mesmerizing, so seamlessly do the two voices blend to create sinuously compelling soundscapes.
Stephen Gauci – saxophonist, improviser

After an initial listen, Unity has already become my favorite album … The louder I push up the volume, the more I’m enjoying this musical therapy session.
Laurence Donohue-Greene – Managing Editor (The New York City Jazz Record)

When I listen to Judi Silvano & Bruce Arnold on their new recording ”Unity”, I see vast arrays of colors that fly by my eyes. Colors of musical expression, love and dedication. To me, that’s what their sound is all about. A fresh experience. Thank you.
George Garzone – saxophone, improviser, educator

These freely improvised duets for voice and guitar create an uplifting kind of energy. They will appeal to fans of “free jazz,” and more generally, they will delight anyone who likes to put on “ambient music” to fill up one’s living space with positive vibes.
Lewis Porter – pianist, educator, author

Love the Sonic Twist® “Unity” album. I smiled all the way through – really great short-form pieces that each create a mood and then go on to the next. These short explorations are clever, emotional, sonically interesting, and joyous when taken as a whole. The playing and singing is “playful,” yet exhibit a seriously high level command of the instruments.
Dave Mash – musician, educator, futurist

On “Unity,” vocalist Judi Silvano masterfully improvises a series of short-form songs with guitarist Bruce Arnold that mirror the compositional qualities of still life paintings. Imagine a gallery wall with a display of arresting 12×15” paintings that intermingle expressionistic realism with neon-electric abstract angles. The Duo unifies to approach their joint canvas, as they dot, dart, slant and swirl their colors together. Judi’s warm and rich human timbre is frequently collaged with electronic pitch alterations that are produced with soulful vibrancy. Listen to how Silvano and Arnold carve time-space with a full palette of sound-waves and you’ll hear-see a joyous celebration of life.”
Katie Bull – Vocalist, Composer, Writer, Founder/Whole Body Voice