November 2022
It has been another amazing year to be a Creative! With so many challenges it’s been a wonderful opportunity for taking more time at home than usual to reflect on new realities and focus on the possibilities! One of my most positive experiences during the pandemic is that I was able to stay home more often to witness each and every plant and flower that has been landscaped into our yard through the years, emerge into blooming splendor!
A few highlights of my musical life this year were several LIVE Concerts outdoors this summer and fall: The Settler’s Inn “Jazz on the Deck” Series (Hawley, PA) with Bruce Arnold (guitar), Tony Marino (bass) and Joe Lovano (drums); the first annual “OC Live!” Series with my Zephyr Band (Newburgh, Orange County, NY) with Fred Jacobs (trumpet), Bruce Arnold (guitar), John Menegon (bass) and Bob Meyer (drums); and a delightful breezy afternoon outdoor gig at The Brewery at Orange County Hops “Sunday Jazz” Series (Walden, NY) with Teri Roiger (keyboard), Fred Jacobs (trumpet), Bruce Arnold (guitar), John Menegon (bass) and Lamy Istrefi (drums) that as we were packing up, turned into a mad dash out of the first Much-Needed Rain in months!!!!
Musically, the whole year has been restorative thanks in part to flutist Cheryl Pyle’s “Beyond Group” with monthly 3rd Sunday LiveStreams on Zoom from the comfort of our homes. Our Sequential Improvisations revealed a healing energy with Musical Ideas shared among the 4-6 of us, depending who was available in the core group! And in summer we resumed live concerts at the lovely “6BC Gardens” in lower Manhattan. This Winter into 2023 we will continue the monthly Zoom sessions so if you are interested in tuning in to hear an hour of free-flowing improvisations from 4 -5 pm, check my EVENTS page and contact me for the Zoom link!
During the month of April, both the Musical and Visual aspects of my work came together when I was curated into an Exhibit & Performance Series called “Musicians Who Paint” at Westbury Arts, a NY non-profit. During the month of April, 8 Artists were curated into this Exhibit and Performance Series. There was a group discussion about our processes and each displayed 4 paintings relating to music in their Gallery space for the month. Plus each Musician/Artist presented a Music Concert to share our musical expression and concepts. I brought a Trio to share some of my favorite classics and original songs, two musicians with whom I feel very comfortable: Bruce Arnold on guitar and Joe Lovano on woodwinds. It was a blast!
In August I braved the airports for the first time in a few years… and had the honor to be part of the Faculty of the “Jazz Denmark Summer Workshop” outside of Copenhagen. This historical gathering of some of Scandinavia’s most talented and accomplished jazz musicians is an intensely productive week of master classes, rehearsals and performances for all involved. I loved working with and hearing all the talented and open-minded musicians who were so receptive to new approaches and perspectives of rehearsing and arranging original charts within each group. Other faculty this year included Teri Lynne Carrington, Carlos Enriquez, Kris Davis, Keyon Harold and Joe Lovano and it was great to play with them for the Faculty Concert and then see how each worked with and shaped their ensembles. The Staff and Organizers did a super job to make sure everyone was happy and everything ran smoothly. Thank you!
Alongside all these musical events, I had 3 different SOLO ART EXHIBITS this Spring and Summer! That was quite amazing and very fulfilling!!! My visual art includes paintings and mixed media works of Musicians, Dancers, Musical Instruments, Landscapes and Abstracts inspired by music or dance. Since I’ve been so influenced by all of the arts, it made sense to create an inter-disciplinary event. So I hired a group of musicians to enhance a few of the Receptions with music composed by some of the Jazz Personalities in my portraits! It was a delight! Now I am working to finalize a Virtual Tour to post online, in case you could not attend. So stay in touch and I hope to get that up shortly!
Some of the JAZZ MUSICIANS I have sketched in live concert settings and subsequently painted include: McCoy Tyner, Sheila Jordan, Jaco Pastorius, Abbey Lincoln, Michael Abene, John Scofield, Dave Douglas, Joey Baron, Dewey Redman, Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Marilyn Crispell, Joe Lovano, Idris Mohammed, Dwayne Burno, Linda Mayhan Oh and Kenny Werner. This Winter I’m preparing to work on new paintings of Elvin Jones, Carla Bley, Dianne Reeves, Chucho Valdez and the many lesser-known yet wonderful musicians I have been inspired by through the years.
I spent many years studying and performing as a dancer so that has always been an important part of my vibe, scoping out the movement of life. Some of the DANCERS I have painted include: Isadora Duncan, NY modern interpretive dancer Maria Mitchell, Mexican flamenco dancer Natalia Loza and several dance companies and I continue to work on studies of the human body. Many of my Original Paintings (not all) are available for purchase and I have Archival Quality Prints of many of them as well. Please inquire about availability if anything interests you.
I am now accepting commissions and have really enjoyed documenting people and pets this past year! So if you have an idea for which you’d like to have in an original piece of art, as a gift perhaps, let me know.
So, please check THIS WEBSITE’S PAINTINGS PAGE in addition to my ETSY SHOP which features many other items like Blank Greeting Cards of my paintings, Prints, Painted Rocks and Original Paintings in Oil, Watercolor, Acrylic, Pastel and Encaustic Wax at www.etsy.com/shop/JudiSilvanoArtnCards . Yes, I’ve been busy!
On the Musical Horizon…. My collaborations with guitarist Bruce Arnold continue and we have begun releasing a NEW SONIC TWIST ALBUM! We recorded these Improvised Music Sessions at Studio 66 this past summer with selected guest artists and every week a new track is being released and posted on YouTube until the Full Album will be released in Spring of 2023, “Sonic Twist & Friends”. We have also recorded another Duo Album, title to be determined, which will be released later in 2023, where Bruce & I played with a percussion perspective. More to come… I will post details on my Facebook Page and if you’d like to receive my NEWSLETTER, please do so on the first page of this website.
Context: 2022 is the 20 year Anniversary of the Release of my RIDING A ZEPHYR Duo Recording with the late-great Mal Waldron who was Billie Holiday’s last accompanist. It was released on Soul Note/ Black Saint Records in 2002! Wow! Our collaboration received a wonderful reception with the combination of Mal’s Compositions, some with my New Lyrics which he embraced, and some of my own Originals. What a gift for me to spend that moment in time with him in a Brussels studio on that one day and then countless trans-Atlantic phone calls sharing his stories and jokes. It was like a dream, and I realize that we had met on a spirit level. I miss him and am so grateful for that chance in my development, to have connected with this generous giant within the musical universe.
Also, it is the Anniversary of the recording of my Landmark Release CLEOME. This was a 5-year band project with my quartet of George Garzone (tenor sax and clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass) and Gerry Hemingway (drums and percussion) from several Live Sessions at the Knitting Factory and Studio 66, released on JSL Records.
So there is a lot going on, even though I often feel that I’m not doing very much. So, THANK YOU for listening and looking!!!!
Wishing you and yours an expansive and joyous season of reflection into the renewal of springtime. Best JUDI SILVANO
January 2022
What a year it’s been – 2021 was a real challenge for all of us, being at home and staying away from large groups to prevent getting the Omicron Covid virus!!! We have so many friends and colleagues who weren’t as lucky as we’ve been and have lost many friends and colleagues due to the dangerous complications it causes.
On the Happy side of things… 2022 is a year of Possibilities!!!!
In 2022, it is the 20 year Anniversary of release of my RIDING A ZEPHYR DUO recording with the late-great Mal Waldron who was Billie Holiday’s last accompanist, which was released on Soul Note/Black Saint Records! It received a wonderful reception of our collaboration, a combination of Mals’ compositions, some with my new Lyrics, and some of my own originals. What a gift to spend time in the studio in Brussels with him and then to share countless phone calls sharing jokes with him.
Also, it is the Anniversary of the recording of my Landmark Release CLEOME. This was a 5-year band project with my quartet of George Garzone (tenor sax and clarinet), Michael Formanek (bass) and Gerry Hemingway (drums and percussion) from several Live Sessions at the Knitting Factory and Studio 66, released on JSL Records ….
And NOW for the coming year 2022…
I am grateful for Flutist Cheryl Pyle’s foresight in organizing a monthly LiveStream on Zoom on the 3rd Sunday of every month the whole year in 2021! What used to be live concerts every month in the “6BC Gardens” in lower Manhattan became a refuge for me from the comfort of my home, to share the fun of playing with 5 or 6 virtuosic musicians. Our Sequential Improvisations revealed a new kind of energy that was truly healing for me, with the beauty of Musical Ideas taking center stage in sometimes surprising ways! We continue into 2022 so if interested to watch and share the fun, contact me for the Zoom link! It will be Feb ??? , March ???, April ??? etc….
I am thrilled to announce that this Spring and Summer I have 3 different SOLO ART EXHIBITS to share my work with you. Physically, they are all in the Hudson Valley and I am working to make a Virtual Exhibit Tour to post in case you cannot attend in person. Please consult my EVENTS page for details.
Announcing a new Music Release of SONIC TWIST’s New Album: SONIC TWIST & FRIENDS
Every week a new track will be released until the Full Album is released in Sept. 2022
Sessions as Studio 66 of Master Improvisers on multiple instruments include Judi Silvano on Voice and Percussion, Bruce Arnold on Guitar and Gezung (Koto) with Guest Artists Joe Lovano on C-Soprano, C-Melody, Gongs, Drum, Gezung (Koto) and Alto Flute, John Menegon on Bass and Teri Roiger on Voice and Michal Shapiro Voice. See our website SONIC-TWIST.com
September 2021
Hello friends of Music and Art and the good life!
Has it been such a long year that I haven't sent you my updates? Well, I guess all the challenges of the World Events and the Pandemic have been so involved that I haven't updated this page since last December! Yikes! So here we go!
I hope you and your dear ones have been safe and healthy in spite of everything around us... and that you have found ways to be Creative! Here is a re-cap of what has happened in My World and I am sure our paths have crossed in one way or another ---
January saw me playing some LiveStream concerts and how lucky am I that my partner for the Panama Jazz Festival was with the always amazing Joe Lovano - we fashioned a flowing concert of Music and added me painting in Real Time - in between musical pieces, sometimes I would paint on a blank canvas while Joe played a solo piece! It was magic!
I was soooo fortunate to have been invited by Cheryl Pyle to be part of her ""Beyond Flute" group, and that continued every month on the 3rd Sunday of each month! What fun to totally improvise solos in conjunction with musicians such as Cherly Pyle, Haruna Fukazawa and Gene Coleman on flutes, Michael Eaton and Sam Newsome on saxophones, Claire de Brunner on bassoon and myself on vocals. I started adding some percussion to my solos and had a great time listening to everyone!
I also did quite a few Livestreams on "MOTI - Music on the Inside" to celebrate the organization that has been teaching Music to incarcerated people as a mode of Healing and Emotional Health! Thanks especially to Alina Bloomgarten who founded the jgroup and to Antoinette Motague and Richard Miller who facilitated! There are so many wonderfully talented folks out here and it was lovely to SHARE and HEAR. When we weren't playing, we tuned in to support and enjoy the other musicians who were...
As a painter... I began my passion for fusing Music and Painting... having a blank Canvas set up behind the musical gear and created some Improvised Artwork during some of the ensuing Livestreams. Some of them were quite strong and clear! The month of February is usually the most difficult to endure in a winter, and I painted 5 different canvases in Black and White to document that feeling.
In March, film-maker Michael Kelly asked me to paint something for the packaging cover for his film about drummer Paul Motian that was nearing completion and release. What a thrill and a challenge! Having heard and seen Paul play for many years while my partner Joe Lovano was a part of his now-famous Trio (with Bill Frisell) and for countless other performances, I felt overwhelmed, and yet managed to compile several elements into one painting. I hope you will like not only my painting, but also Michael Kelly's film about this Giant of Jazz!
My painting "Spirit Walk" was accepted into a Juried Show at Wallkill River School of Art and Gallery for the month of April and I was thrilled! It is an Experimental Watercolor and measures 33 wide x 23 high.
We had our family party planned for Memorial Day at our house and our Grand-nieces Eleanor (7) and Zelda (3) were sooooo excited... but alas it RAINED all weekend so instead of doing outside fun activities all we could do was jump in puddles!!! So of course, we did inside art projects and music sessions, and it was a hoot to introduce the kids to different musical sounds and instruments!!!
JUNE was my first month of doing LIVE CONCERTS which was fabulous! Vibraphonist Stefan Bauer invited me to be part of his ensemble at the Settler's Inn (along with Tony Marino on Bass and Adam Nussbaum on drums) he had such a great sound and wonderful compositions that it was a delight! Also in June, our niece Gina married John and we were able to be there to share their LOVE! I also did a wonderful LiveStream concert with my Sonic-Twist partner, guitarist Bruce Arnold to ring out the month.
JULY was a busy month, as I had a gig again at the Settler's Inn with my "Family Band" of Teri Roiger on keys, John Menegon on bass and Joe Lovano on Drums for a rollicking evening of "Jazz on the Deck". When we got home I went and picked up my 18 paintings that had been hanging in the "Berkshire Bank" exhibit since January... and then rang out the month with another "Family Band" gig, this time adding Bruce Arnold on guitar at a great outdoor stage at "the Brewery at Orange County Hops" in Walden, NY! Proprietor Michael Antonelli sat in with us for some tunes and we had a ball!
In AUGUST my family and those adorable little girls came back for another visit and we had gorgeous weather! Lots of Fun out in Nature and more painting and Music! I finished my very first Pet Portrait commissioned by some folks whose daughter has an adorable doggie, just in time for a big wind storm which resulted in a TREE falling on our house... WOW, that was a shocker and I spent the next 4 days lining up our Insurance and Adjustors and Tree Service people to fix the damage. Luckily the tree didn't fall very far and didn't penetrate into the house very deep, so it was taken care of fairly easily. Still, it was a lot of dealing with all different ways the house had to be fixed! All done now!
Here we are in September already, and we had flooding in our entire back yard after Hurricane Ida dumped lots of rain up the East Coast. We had "lakefront property" for a few days but the water went down, gratefully, before it got to our house!!! Now we are here to celebrate another niece, Marrissa's marriage to Justin. I had a big challenge these past few weeks with feeling Vertigo but after my ENT Doctor did the "Epley Maneuver" on me, it has subsided and I hope it never comes back! yikes! So far so good....
So... this month, I have 2 paintings hanging in the “Still Life Exhibit” at the Wallkill River School of Art and Gallery, at 232 Ward Street (Route 17K), Montgomery NY 12549 which is open Fri-Sun from Noon - 5pm! Stop by to see all the wonderful exhibits in this historic building “The Patchett House”, which houses 4 different Gallery spaces! And, another 2 paintings in the Cornwall Artists Collective Exhibit. I hope you will come to see the wonderfully diverse artwork of these painters at Blooming Grove Antiques, 436 Blooming Grove Turnpike (Route 94), New Windsor, NY 12553. More details on my Paintings page.
Also, Sunday, OCTOBER 17, 2021 I'll be doing another Third Sunday Jazz Livestream with Cheryl Pyle’s BEYOND GROUP. This is ONLINE at 4pm-5pm. Musicians will be: Cheryl Pyle, Haruna Fukazawa, Gene Coleman: Flutes, Michael Eaton, Sam Newsome: Saxophones, Judi Silvano: Voice and Claire de Brunner: Bassoon. For the ZOOM LINK, contact me or one of the other musicians. I'm also thrilled to sing in Michael Eaton's Recording Session of his new compositions in NYC.
That's it for now - I hope you and yours are staying careful and healthy and happy! I am practicing Gratitude for all the beautiful spirits in the world we live in! Thank you for listening and watching and sharing the love! Judi Silvano
December 2020
Hello everyone and thank you for visiting my website! In fact, this is the New and Improved Design that was just completed over the summer and rolled out this Autumn! I have a lot to share about what I’ve been up to since my last update in July… but first…
I hope this note finds you and your loved ones staying safe and healthy. Here we are entering the Holiday Season already! I have many family members and friends who have gotten the Covid19 Virus, and thankfully most had a mild version and are recuperated. But there is much to be learned about possible longterm effects so I am following all the developing information to learn how to best protect ourselves. We have unfortunately lost many friends and musical figures on the scene and there is a lot to ponder about what’s going on in the world.
I have much to be grateful for and being a musician and artist has helped me to stay balanced and maintain my equilibrium when I feel frustrated and overwhelmed! Which is just about every day at some point! So here are a few things that stand out in my corner of the world.
First, I’m thrilled to announce that a long-term project of mine is in the process of being finally released! My frequent collaborator guitarist and composer Bruce Arnold and I have been releasing tracks every week since September and all through the autumn in preparation for the release of our 3rd album together in January 2021! It is called “UNITY” and the musical co-compositions of our Electro-Acoustic Duo is called “Sonic Twist”, continues my vision of bringing Music and Dance together as part of my life’s expression. I am thrilled that in addition to deep intuitive connection I have found with Mr. Arnold, I have had the good fortune to also have a working relationship with Videographer Michal Shapiro on this project. I invited dancers Maria Mitchell and Hilary Brown to interpret tracks of their choice for this album and their amazing movement choices brought a new dimension to our sounds, and then Ms. Shapiro brought her unique perspective to connecting all the elements to fashion a unique video for each composition. The result are a series of evocative musical videos that show a full artistic statement of music and dance and storytelling. Bravo to All and Thank you! For more information about The album and videos and music see: www.Sonic-Twist.com
Also I’m more than thrilled to be part of an album “Dancing On The Edge” on Dot Time Records, that was just released in October. It is a new recording from the Kaleidoscope Quintet, made up of saxophone legends Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, vocalist Judi Silvano, bassist Tony Marino and drummer Michael Stephans. Recorded live at the Deer Head Inn in 2013, Dancing On The Edge is a striking live performance that showcases the boundless artistic possibilities when five distinctive musical voices come together as one. Also, an original painting by Judi Silvano’s was commissioned especially for this project and will grace the cover. https://www.dottimerecords.com/product/kaleidoscope-quintet-dancing-on-the-edge/
Best Wishes for your continued Happiness and Good Health! Judi Silvano