Archives Recordings

Quotes & Reviews

This is music for “healing, meditation and massage”. The musical equivalent of candles, soft and scented. Ambient sound meant to soothe, not arouse. It sounds like the elven music of the Lord of the Rings movies. It is also impeccably done.

On “Celestial Voices” Silvano blends her voice with those of Kyoko Kitamura and Marlena Primavera into spacious choral settings that evoke ancient traditions of chant that span from medieval convents to Tibetan monasteries, very otherworldly world music.
Silvano overlaps slowly evolving melodic lines, letting the upper partials ring and rub together.

Sometimes the endings surprise — I expected many of the songs to float for eternity. The two tracks “Ursa Minor” and “Dobranotz” feature prominent flute, Silvano playing those full-toned passages.

If you plan to follow a more mellow path, this “vocal soundscape” CD would prove a very useful guide.
-David DuPont, One Final Note

Einstein said that the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It’s unfortunate, then, that he wasn’t afforded the opportunity to hear Sound Garden ~ Celestial Voices.  This a-capella female chorale led by composer/ director/ producer Judi Silvano, intertwines crystalline vocals ranging from soaring soprano to deep, earthy tones in a seamless soundscape that transcends the conventional relaxation recording.  …a  truly glorious disc! Congratulations ladies.
-Sharon Nichols, CHRONOGRAM, February 2006

When the Silvano release Sound Garden ~ Celestial Voices appeared in the review pile, I glanced at the title—covers of the 1990s grunge band Soundgarden, I thought???  Ahhhh… how wrong could I be?  This is music for “healing, meditation and massage”.

This is the musical equivalent of candles, soft and scented. Ambient sound meant to soothe, not arouse. It sounds like the elven music of the Lord of the Rings movies. It is also impeccably done. Given the sheer textures, any off-note would clang as bad as a gruff voice demanding a beer.

On Celestial Voices Silvano blends her voice with those of Kyoko Kitamura and Marlena Primavera into spacious choral settings that evoke ancient traditions of chant that span from medieval convents to Tibetan monasteries, very otherworldly world music.

Silvano overlaps slowly evolving melodic lines, letting the upper partials ring and rub together. At times, as on the opener, this results in pungent dissonances. Though superficially the music may seem emotionally compressed, it sounds haunted, expressing as much melancholy as joy, yet always resigned to breathe in the moment. Indeed the breathing of the singers is audible at some spots adding to the airiness of the music.

The surprises are subtle.  On “Bass Space”, the rhythm grows more pronounced with groups of three notes cushioned between declamations of a short and long note. “Meditations” suddenly resolves into a simple major triad. Sometimes the endings surprise—I expected many of the songs to float for eternity.

The two tracks “Ursa Minor” and “Dobranotz” feature prominent flute, Silvano playing those full-toned passages. “Dobranotz” alone among the tracks has a melodic substance that could transcend its ethereal surroundings.

If you should decide to travel a more mellow path, this “vocal soundscape” CD would prove a useful guide.
– David Dupont, One Final Note , 23 January 2006

Sound Garden ~ Celestial Voices transports you to many places and leaves one with a feeling of having visited sacred ground. The amazing vocals allow you time to linger there in a land of mountains, rivers, chapels and other special spaces.
– Pipper Armel, Healer, Accupuncturist

I listen to Judi Silvano’s Sound Garden ~ Celestial Voices everyday because it helps me stay relaxed while I am cooking for my restaurant.
– Sonia El Nawal, Executive Chef

Quotes & Reviews

SONGS I WROTE OR WISH I DID (JSL Records) was recorded in 1999, with the great Victor Lewis on drums, Larry Goldings on organ, Vic Juris on guitar, Essiet Okon Essiet on bass, and Special Guest Joe Lovano on two tunes.

Silvano was voted in a Top Ten Vocalist in Down Beat’s Readers Poll in 2000 & again 2001 and she continues her interest in fresh material with this disc which received critical acclaim for the great ensemble playing.

Silvano chose intriguing songs by Bob Dorough/Fran Landesman, Billy Strayhorn, Thad Jones/Abbey Lincoln, Emile Boyd/Hale Smith and Myrow/Delange.  She also presents a gem of a song by Jane Hall, the little known song-writer who happens to be married to noted guitarist Jim Hall.  Add a song by Belgian composer Myriam Alter to which Silvano wrote lyrics plus five Silvano originals for a delightful program of songs to the singers’ taste.
– CDBaby

“Silvano makes the lyrics believable. She is a talented jazz singer, uncomplicated and bright.”
– MARK CORROTO, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

“Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did”…is a very satisfying vocal jazz offering…SILVANO scats with authority, a real swinger! – FRANK RUBOLINO, CADENCE MAGAZINE

This is an album of original conceptions fusing Judi Silvano’s keen ear for melody and lyric.  The choice of songs and lyrics are utterly unique and interesting, too.  They bring fresh energy and vitality that she draws from powerful writers like Thad Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Billy Strayhorn, Bob Dorough,  Myrow & DeLange, and lesser known composers Jane Hall, Emil Boyd and Myriam Alter.  Further demonstrating Judi’s considerable talent is that she composed 6 of the tunes.  The prevailing theme of this album is Love with it’s many moods – happy, sad and mysterious.

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