Judi Silvano

Dancing Voices

Judi Silvano’s first recording as Leader was a tour de force. Already showing her inspiration as composer & arranger, she leads textured and varied sound explorations of songs by Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Charlie Haden, Max Roach/ Abbey Lincoln, Tom Harrell/ Cheryl Pyle and Andre Previn plus her own Originals. Contributing are Kenny Werner and Salvatore Bonafede on piano, Scott Lee on bass, Jeff Hirshfield on drums, Tim Hagans on trumpet, Joe Lovano on sax, plus vocalists Val Hawk, Holly Durniak and Spencer Macleish in Judi’s “Voices of Juniper” arrangements. 

Label: JSL
Release Date: 1991

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Judi Silvano – soprano voice
Joe Lovano – saxophone
Salvatore Bonafede – piano
Kenny Werner – piano
Tim Hagans – trumpet
Scott Lee – bass
Jeff Hirshfield – drums
Val Hawk – voice
Holly Durniak – voice
Spencer MacLeish – voice

Track Listing:

  1. Ecstacy
  2. Living Room
  3. Silent Longing
  4. Isadora
  5. Come Live With Me
  6. Two Hearts Wonder
  7. Sophisticated Lady
  8. 23rd Street
  9. Trio Freeyo
  10. Calypso
  11. Children’s Play Song

Quotes & Reviews

Judi Silvano was still half a decade away from signing with Blue Note when she recorded the excellent but little-known Dancing Voices. Although married to sax heavyweight Joe Lovano, the risk-taking singer was pretty obscure at the time. Those who were lucky enough to hear the CD saw how much Silvano had going for her — an enviable range, serious talent as both a scat singer and interpreter of lyrics, and an impressive ability to embrace pretty ballads one minute and dissonant avant-garde experimentation the next. While the Philadelphia native is quite accessible on her infectious “Ecstasy” and appealing interpretations of Andre Previn’s “Come Live With Me” and Max Roach’s “Living Room,” things become more abstract on Charlie Haden’s “Silent Longing,” the angular “Isadora” and the eerie “Trio Freeyo.” Lovano (tenor and soprano sax) gets in some fine solos, as does pianist Salvatore Bonafede. Those who discovered Silvano’s talents with 1996’s Vocalise would do well to acquire the equally strong Dancing Voices if they can find a copy.
– Alex Henderson