May 2017
Hello friends, fans and colleagues!
Springtime is passionate this year, fluctuating between balmy and blustery. What an amazing reminder of what Life is really all about. The seasons are not floating gently one into the other, they are spreading their wild energy as far as it will go, inspite of drastic contradictions. It is certainly a challenging time for us mere mortals to continue our work in this time!
I am grateful that I have managed to avoid getting any Sinus Infections this winter! Maybe it’s a result of staying at home whenever possible to keep my energy reserves up for when I have to really expend a lot of energy. Forgive me, dear friends, if I have not been able to attend many of the beautiful expressions of your lives that have been witness and balm to the confusing political climate.
While my New SONGS and LYRICS are recorded and MIXED and awaiting release showcasing another aspect of my collaboration with my 2-guitar Zephyr Band ... I have become engaged in a grand experiment in working with guitarist BRUCE ARNOLD on a series of DUO IMPROVISATIONS using Electronic Programs (Super Collider on the guitar and Eventide Plug-in Effects on the voice). It has been a revelation and joy unleashing unexpected and completely spontaneous music together!
With Bruce’s knowledge of the Electro-Acoustic setup, I feel I have a new tool as my disposal and have unleashed some deep songs and statements of my being. Since I am a Child of the ‘60’s it is with abandon and empathy that I approach playing in such an intimate setting with a fellow musician of such intuitive capacity.
Some Red Letter Moments of Late:
While we were compiling the new LISTEN TO THIS recording, Artist/Videographer MICHAL SHAPIRO created a video/sound montage with our Duo interpretation of my song called “Complete Embrace” with lyrics excerpted from the Poetry of my nephew Peter Silverman. The video was accepted into a Curated Show near Baltimore MD at The Photo Gallery show called “Our World” and although I had to be in Europe at the time of the show’s opening, Ms. Shapiro and Mr. Arnold both attended. I was so proud our collaboration was acknowledged and it gave me encouragement to continue working towards my vision for Music and Art and Dance as one experience! Look for some YouTube moments in the months to come!
LISTEN TO THIS the CD was released in December 2016 on Muse-Eek Publishing and it’s gotten quite a lot of attention for its fresh approach to intimate improvisatory collaboration. Reviews are coming in slowly. Check it out on my MUSIC page on this site!
Judi and Bruce will be part of the prestigious NEW YORK CITY ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL of music which is being held in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues the week of June 19 – 25, 2017. There are concerts during the afternoons and evenings and Silvano and Arnold will play their co-created song “Travel Chant” on Wednesday, June 21 at the 8pm concert at The Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street), NY NY 10002. Try to come partake of the multitude of Musical Expressions there and we hope to see you at our concert!
http://www.nycemf.net/2017-festival/ for the schedule of all concerts.
On another front, Jazz afficianado and longtime WBGO Radio supporter Dorthaan Kirk had an amazing idea to invite Musicians Who Paint to submit their work for an art exhibit at the venerable Newark, NJ radio station. The opening is being planned for Thursday June 8 and I am thrilled to have 5 of my paintings hanging in this exhibit. I submitted a Portraits of McCoy Tyner, Sheila Jordan, The Dewey Redman and Joe Lovano Quartet at Birdland, and others. Check their website soon for more information!
January 2017
ANNOUNCING New Sound Recordings and Visual Documentation.
2017 is a number, another marker in the continuum of our lives. The past year 2016 has been full of wonderful experiences and many challenges both Artistically and Personally for me. I extend my gratitude to all the people in my world who have supported and shared in my recent work, my Journey and my Evolution, both the musical and the visual.
I have many Blessings in my life and am enjoying them daily and practicing Gratitude for the love and connections I have in friendships and family. Last year saw my first major Solo Art Show in a month-long exhibition in the Wallkill River Art Gallery. Thank you to the teachers and colleagues who have encouraged and helped me develop my painting skills so that I can unleash my IMAGINATION in new and wondrous ways!
I have committed to a new branch of my visual arts tree: documenting some of the Musical Giants that I have been witness to and/or shared the musical stage with in the past years. There are recent paintings in Oil, Watercolor and Mixed Media of great musicians that I know and admire such as McCoy Tyner, Sheila Jordan, Joe Lovano/Dewey Redman Quartet, John Scofield, Michael Abene, Dave Douglas and Joey Baron with new paintings of Abbey Lincoln, Kenny Werner, Jaco Pastorius, Mark Murphy and the SF Jazz Collective in the works! I look forward to pulling together these images to honor these wonderful artists!
Musically... I have a NEW CD RECORDING that was just released!!! It is called LISTEN TO THIS (Muse Eek) and is available as Digital Downloads or CD disc at www.Muse-Eek.com/listen-to-this . I'm so excited to be working on completely Original and mostly Improvised Songs with the enormously talented Bruce Arnold on Guitar with SuperCollider effects on guitar and Eventide effects on my vocal sound.
Also, I"d like to announce that I have an imminent release of my Zephyr 2-guitar Band recording of all-Original songs with stories that is slated for Release in Spring 2017. We are working on a tour in Euriope in Summer 2017.
So Please stay in touch and check into my updated pages on this site! all the best JUDI
Summer 2016
Spring was a little slow in coming and the Winter was one of much travel for me. So I find myself enjoying the beautiful weather with a NEW RECORDING of all Original Songs and Lyrics ready to Master and 25 new paintings that I’ve been working on for the past months ready to show!!!
I went into Sear Sound in October with my working band of the past few years to lay down some of the music we’ve been grooving on in the NY area and had some fun! I call it my Zephyr 2-guitar band and it consists of longtime bandmates Guitarist Kenny Wessel, Bassist Ratzo B. Harris, Reedman Adam Kolker and Drummer Bob Meyer. The group has evolved to also include Processed Guitarist Bruce Arnold and Percussionist Todd Isler. We’ve been developing arrangements of my New and Old material and with the help of Sax Master Joe Lovano, who plays on 2 trax with us, we have put together a very exciting set of moods and feelings about Life and Love! Next step is to get it Mastered and decide how it will be released, so stay in touch!
I’ll be bringing this 2-guitar band to the Red Hook Jazz Festival SUNDAY JUNE 12 in Brooklyn, then singing an Ode to Billie Holiday up in Marlboro, NY with soulful guitarist Matthew Fink and then heading out to the wonderful Hawley Inn in the countryside for their Jazz On The Deck series, fourth year! I hope to see you somewhere!!! And I still have some gigs coming up with Veteran Pianist Michael Abene with whom I recorded my last all-Original session so I look forward to that!
Please consider coming up to the Mid-Hudson Valley to enjoy not only the scenery but also the Opening Reception of my Solo Art Show on Sat’y July 9th. I’ll be showing New Paintings in Oil, Watercolor, Pastel and Encaustics along with some other wonderful artists, Marilyn and Gene Bove, in a different gallery room. Check my Events page and I hope the season brings you health and happiness. Peace.
April 2016
Ah Springtime! Even though it was a mild winter here on the East Coast, the sight of daffodils pushing up and buds about to pop on the flowering trees is a pleasure!
Artistically? I am in a great place: I just finished MIXING a recording with my working band of the last 2 years - a 2-guitar affair featuring KENNY WESSEL and BRUCE ARNOLD complementing each others' sounds, RATZO HARRIS on Acoustic and Stick Bass, BOB MEYER on Drums, ADAM KOLKER on Bass Clarinet, Soprano and Tenor Sax and TODD ISLER on percussion. The recording is of all my Originals (all with Lyrics this time!) with SPECIAL GUEST JOE LOVANO on a few trax as well! I'm hoping it will be released this Fall....
Look for gigs in JUNE and beyond with this band...
JULY 9th is the Opening Reception for my SOLO ART SHOW (refreshments from 5-7pm) at the Wallkill River Gallery and School of Art in Montgomery, NY - I hope you can SAVE THE DATE on your calendars and come share the joy that I feel in my visual work. Also please check the PAINTINGS page on this website!!!
Wishing everyone a GREAT period of Renewal this Spring - And hope to see you soon at a live event somewhere!
November 2015
So much has happened this year and my heart is full!
I started out the year with a reunion of sorts with two of my best NYC musical friends, as part of Kenny Werner’s Residency at The Stone, with the amazing Joe Lovano. We played solo, duo and trio with some fun and surprises along the way.
Then I played 2 nights at Birdland as part of Joe’s new Village Rhythms Band for the APAP convention. What a kick that was – Joe has written some amazing and compelling music and the band was killer! Look for his new recording on Blue Note out next year with all new music!
With my new CD just out, I had the thrill of playing several times with the amazing Michael Abene, first at Kitano, then Cornelia Street, the Falcon and then the fabulous new Mezzrow club! I had to work hard to find jazz rooms with Good Pianos for the Maestro to play! It was unique every time we played together and I am so grateful to Michael and Gretchen Abene for helping me realize this project of all Original songs. Michael certainly is an original himself and having him interpret my songs and improvising along with him was a big thrill – each and every time!
I also had an amazing year playing with my Zephyr Quintet which features guitar and sometimes horn… We played at the 55 Bar with Kenny Wessel, Adam Kolker, Peter Slavov and Anthony Pinciotti, at Nublu with Bruce Arnold, Oscar Noriega, Ratzo Harris and Lamy Istrefi, and then up in Beacon’s new Quinn’s venue with two guitars (Kenny Wessel and Bruce Arnold), Ratzo Harris on Bass and Bob Meyer on drums adding special guest Joe Lovano to the mix, which is always incredible! I also had a few gigs at the Why Not? Café reuniting with old buddy Tim Hagans on trumpet in June and with Claire Daly on bari sax in October before the club morphed into Dominique’s.
NEWS FLASH: I finally went into the studio and recorded this amazing Zephyr Band that I love so much!!!! We got 10 Original songs with new Original lyrics down, and although we have been playing a lot of the songs all year, there was also some brand new material that I brought to the session. With the amazing ears and enormous talent of Joe Lovano in the booth, the session ran smoothly and I could really focus on singing the challenging music that I had chosen. Exhausting and Fulfilled! So I continue to listen and work on postproduction details and hope to be able to release the new material in 2016!!!!
Other memorable gigs this year have been being part of the Arts for Art Pop-Up concerts that Patricia Nicholson put together at the Clemente Soto Velez center on the lower east side of NYC, Neil Alexander’s Joe Zawinul Birthday Tribute and having the unique opportunity to sing some of his amazing musical legacy, and also being part of a magical concert featuring the Songs of Mark Murphy as a love-letter to the ailing Master. It was a beautiful celebration including many vocalists who have been influenced by and studied with Mark through the years (including myself) and the high point was his dear colleague and friend, the amazing Sheila Jordan. Thanks to Ari Silverstein and Cha Cha for organizing the wonderful event. A film was made to document the occasion and shown to Mark, thankfully, before his sudden passing a few months later.
On the Art front… what can I say? I am still engrossed in study and passion for painting the world around me mostly in Oils and Watercolors this year with some of the area’s most accomplished artist/teachers. I have been part of many shows and exhibits throughout the year and enjoying the comradery and inspiration of the many creative and joyous people around me. I’ve been gratified to have sold a number of paintings which feels like people have generously “adopted” one of my children/creations. You can see some on my paintings page here on this website.
Our house is filled with art and music and love and I feel grateful every day! Thank you for being part of the experience! Happy Holidays to all!
March 2015
Happy New Year to all Music and Art Lovers Everywhere!
Thank you for your support of the creative arts and in particular of my work!
JANUARY 2015 saw the RELEASE of my 11th CD of recorded music: MY DANCE. I am thrilled to have documented these collaborations with the amazing pianist MICHAEL ABENE and to continue playing in live settings throughout this Spring and Summer. We had a deep and satisfying CD Release Party at “Jazz At Kitano”, a great listening room in NYC on February 26th and looking forward to more dates at Cornelia St Café on March 30th and a fabulous venue for music and art called The Falcon in the mid-hudson valley town of Marlboro on April 11th. A lot of NYC musicians are coming up there to play because of such a great vibe, plus they exhibit Paintings in the venue as well.
Other dates include April 14th Downtown at Arts for Art on the lower east side with my Zephyr Core Guitar Quintet and May 16th at The Vivaldi club.
Please check out my Paintings page and let me know if you are interested in finding out more about exhibits and/or sales of Originals or Giclee Fine Art Prints. I continue to paint new images all the time and planning for an exhibit this year of my series of paintings of Musicians and musical themes.
Please stay in touch! Love and music and peace.
November 2014
SPECIAL SALE for the end of the year and Holidays!
Purchase anything on my site and get a 2nd CD FREE from my catalogue! Just click on the cd of your choice and purchase it through JazzCorner/ JazzCares and then let me know which of my other cd’s you would like so I can send you both cd’s!!!! Make sure you include your email and street address!
I am thrilled to say that my new recording MY DANCE featuring the amazing pianist/arranger MICHAEL ABENE will be released officially on January 6, 2015!!! Look for appearances next Spring to present this Duo format of my original compositions, some with lyrics and others leaving the story line to the listener’s imagination.
It’s a duo project of deep collaborations and intimate moments interpreting my melodies and stories. We have worked in concert settings together for the past 3 years and finally went into the studio to capture our rapport on tape! After my last few projects of “famous music” and Standard songs (including the Trio recording INDIGO MOODS with Freddie Jacobs and Peter Tomlinson, of which I am very proud!!!) I feel motivated to document my own imagination at play and create some new ideas and sounds! There are some new songs and I’ve added lyrics to some older tunes which re-shaped them. Doing a few gigs was so much fun! Michael Abene is a true Original himself and his amazing re-harmonizations were wonderfully challenging… By the way, we recorded at The Upland Studio in Kingston, NY with John Menegon engineering and I can highly recommend them for any group up to a Quintet, I think!
In addition, I’m excited to be part of JOE LOVANO’s new VILLAGES RHYTHMS BAND that was recorded during our live engagement in June at the famed Blue Note Club in NYC: an explosively fabulous Lovano-led experience! A Blue Note Records recording is slated for release in late 2015 or early 2016. We will be travelling in Europe during late April and early May, and then in the USA during June.
I’ll also continue to show my PAINTINGS with new works emerging all the time. I continue to sstudy the mediums of Watercolor, Oils, Pastels and Encaustic Paints and have had several of my paintings hung in Galleries in New York and the Midwest this year. Please visit my Events Page to see if I’ll be coming to your area, and please come and say hello!!!!
So please visit the video’s combining my Music and Paintings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehNSgG9ei7A
It’s a pretty full life and one of my biggest joys is sharing life’s experiences with my amazing partner, Joe Lovano. We celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary this past year and I am grateful for all the blessings our partnership has allowed both of us.
May 2014
We are coming out of this Loooooong Winter and Spring is really taking it’s time this year! I’ve been so delighted by the flowering trees and bushes and now things are finally starting to POP into bloom all around… if it would just stop raining!
I have a new CD of my original songs played in duo with the Masterful pianist Michael Abene and very excited that the project is Mastered and ready to go! I’m working on a painting/ collage for the cover and not sure if I want to tackle getting the project on Kickstarter and pondering if I have the time and commitment to go that route. The CD is called OUR WORLD and I will keep you informed as things move along.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised to win FIRST PRIZE for one of my Pastel Paintings “Seventh Avenue South at Night” at the Mt. St. Mary College’s Artists on Campus annual show. It was a pleasure to exhibit about 20 of my watercolors, oils and pastels along with so many other artists and it was great that my husband Joe could hang out with me for the day enjoying the whole scene.
Speaking of Joe, I’m singing with Joe Lovano’s new VILLAGE RHYTHM BAND all next week at the Blue Note Club on West 3rd Street in NYC’s Greenwich Village… Tuesday May 26 – Sunday June 1; 2 shows a night, make reservations if you can make it down – Hope to see you there! I’m very excited about the amazing and groovulating music that Joe has written and excited to be part of his band which will feature: Liberty Ellman on guitar; Abdou M’Boop on percussion; Tim Hagans on trumpet; Otis Brown II on drums; Joe Lovano on reeds and myself finding a vocal groove to dance with!
Happy Spring everyone – peace and love to all – we are so blessed and practicing gratitude is the way to connect all our spirits as one.
April 2014
With Spring finally inching forward to relieve us from this long and very cold winter... I have renewed Energy in my Musical Life! I'm having FUN putting together some ideas that I've sketched out the past few years and reconvened my QUINTET to premiere a number of NEW SONGS AND LYRICS, so I hope you can join us on April 6th at the WHY NOT? CAFÉ in NYC. I'm working on some more dates because this is one HOT band! I just love playing with Kenny Wessel, Adam Kolker, Ratzo B. Harris and Lamy Istrefi and their deep musicianship is a blessing in presenting my new material. Somehow my ideas have grown and changed and these songs are a little different. I've also started working with the wonderful JAY CLAYTON in her newly formed DIFFERENT VOICES vocal ensemble, and enjoying the warmth of A Capella vocalizing!
I'm almost ready to release a new album called OUR WORLD with the amazing pianist MICHAEL ABENE. It's a duo project of some deep collaboration and intimate moments interpreting some of my melodies and stories. We have worked in concert settings together for the past 3 years and captured our rapport on tape! After my last few projects of "famous music" (including the Trio recording INDIGO MOODS with Freddie Jacobs and Peter Tomlinson, of which I am very proud!!!) I feel motivated to document my own imagination at play and create some new ideas and sounds!
Highlights of the coming 6 months are that I'll be a guest singing with JOE LOVANO's VILLAGE RHYTHM band the last week in May at the famed Blue Note Club in NYC, which will surely be and explosively fabulous experience! I'll be showing my PAINTINGS both in NY and Cleveland in June, with new works emerging all the time. I'll be part of some Jazz Workshops with Karl Berger in June and Kenny Werner in July, so stay in touch with my Events page.
December 2013
It’s been another amazing year of Music and Art and I want to thank all the folks who have come out to share my songs and my paintings both in the US and in Europe! Somehow I’ve found a way to celebrate life in spite of losing my mother and mother in law and several dear friends. I am grateful for all the friends in my life and send Blessings and Love to you!
With the HOLIDAYS coming up, please consider buying from LOCAL ARTISTS. Some suggestions:
Music recordings or downloads from the artists you respect, available at many online sites and on their websites, (including mine: www.judisilvano.com). Music is a healing force and can make us happy and inspired, very important as Winter approaches!
Gift an Original Watercolor or Pastel Paintings by wonderful artists you may know. To view some of Judi’s paintings go to www.judisilvano.com to her Paintings page (a new site with the full inventory of Paintings and Giclee Art Prints is in the works for 2014!) I also suggest Represented Artists at the Wallkill River School of Art where my work has been exhibited and will be available on their site in 2014.
Greeting Cards with Judi Silvano Art (blank inside) are available at: www.etsy.com/shop/JudiSilvanoArtnCards
Please contact Judi directly if interested in purchasing any Original or Giclee Art Prints! Email contact: judi@judisilvano.com
And here are some links of music and art to enjoy on the internet!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vOAfohDCzE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehNSgG9ei7A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9aYIAqxHdE