Jazz Police

Home

CD/DVD/Book Reviews

Celebrating “Women’s Work” with Judi Silvano

Main Menu

“Hot can be cool, and cool can be hot, and each can be both. But hot or cool, man, jazz is jazz.” - Louis Armstrong

Friday, 09 January 2009

Celebrating “Women’s Work” with Judi Silvano

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

Tuesday, 05 June 2007

"A jazz improviser with an adventurous spirit” -- Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)

Women’s Work

Known as one of the most adventurous jazz vocalists in modern jazz, Judi Silvano detoured from her usual bent toward the avant garde with the release of an album of standards in 2005, Let Yourself Go (Zoho Music). Two years later, she’s taken another journey, this time in celebration of “Women’s Work”—compositions by the often under-rated women who have nevertheless made their marks on a genre dominated by men. Featuring the quartet of pianist Janice Friedman, bassist Jennifer Vincent and drummer Allison Miller, Women’s Work (JSL Records) was recorded live at Sweet Rhythm in Greenwich Village. Silvano’s eighth release might be her most distinguished yet, bringing attention to an eclectic list of compositions, her own wide-ranging vocal (and writing) talents, and the skills of a rhythm section that can outswing most on the current jazz scene.

Judi Silvano © Andrea Canter

Philadelphia native Judi Silvano has been named one of the Top 10 Vocalists by Down Beat three times and has performed and recorded with a long and diverse list of artists from Bill Frisell to Kenny Werner to Charlie Haden, as well as husband, tenor saxophone great Joe Lovano. After earning degrees in music and dance from Temple University, Judi moved to New York in 1976 where she was an improviser in dance before turning more attention to music. Her skills in dance and choreography led to work in downtown clubs, and Judi began attending the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra nights at the Village Vanguard. Listening to the big band, she learned the trumpet parts which became the basis for her horn-like singing style. She was further influenced through her collaborations with, and marriageto, saxophone titan Joe Lovano; the two have worked together on numerous projects over the past 20 years. Well known around the New York loft scene, Judi presented an acclaimed series of rising vocalists in a monthly program at the Cornelia Street Café for two years following September 11^th. She’s also led vocal groups Voices of Juniper and Voices Together, and has directed Vocal Improvisation workshops in New York, at the Banff International Center for the Arts, and at Rutgers University. A columnist for All About Jazz, Judi has received numerous awards and grants (e.g., Meet the Composer, New York State Council on the Arts).

The Women’s Work Quartet evolved from Silvano’s interest in women’s compositions and her annual gig for Women’s History Month, a project she initiated in 2004. Notes Judi, “I started working with Janice Friedman and decided slowly to keep adding more women to the bandstand. Eventually I got us a gig in Rome at the Donne In Musica series, and brought an all-woman quartet. It was such a blast that I decided to keep the band together.”

The quartet is not a typical Judi Silvano ensemble, but one that she finds particularly inspiring. “What a great rhythm section... they love playing with each other and supporting me…it's the first time I've had a band without horns and I just love it!” Pianist Janice Friedman, a Bronx native, toured briefly with the Woody Herman Orchestra before settling in Manhattan. Over her 30+-year career, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York as well as at a long list of Manhattan’s famed jazz clubs; at jazz festivals including JVC New York, Women’s Jazz in Portugal, and the recent International Women in Jazz Festival in Manhattan. Her third recording, Swingin’ for the Ride, was released earlier this year. Jennifer Vincent is accomplished on bass guitar, acoustic bass and cello. Classically trained, she has toured the U.S. with Bobby Sanabria, Europe with Carmen Lundy, and has performed with Betty Carter and Jon Hendricks among others. She’s a member of the Ellington Orchestra, the Mediterranean influenced ensemble, the Cardamon Quartet, and the Pan Asian Jazz Ensemble. One of the most eclectic drummers in modern jazz, Allison Miller seems equally at home playing with pop legend Natalie Merchant or touring Europe with avant-garde saxophonist Marty Ehrlich or master organist Doctor Lonnie Smith. These days she also tours with Ani DiFranco and Taylor Eigsti, and works with the quartet Agrazing Maze. A native of Washington, DC, Allison was named Rising Star Drummer by Downbeat’s 53^rd Annual Critics’ Poll.

Womens Work Quartet

Although she was continually expanding her repertoire of women’s compositions, Silvano found it challenging to schedule a recording session given the musicians’ busy schedules. “So I decided to do the only practical thing, record the gig that I had booked at Sweet Rhythm [in March 2006]…It was a fabulous experience, and the audience was so responsive.”

The end result—the tracks selected from multiple sets at Sweet Rhythm is a diverse amalgam of the history of jazz from the perspective of women composers, from Bessie Smith and Mary Lou Williams to Sheila Jordan and Abbey Lincoln, as well as Judi Silvano herself. Says Judi, “I've been studying and learning new tunes for the past few years and recorded more songs than were needed for the recording... What a wealth of material! Tunes that didn't make it onto the CD were by Billie Holiday, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Ann Ronnel, Peggy Lee and some of my contemporaries, Teri Roiger and Marilyn Harris.”

If the playlist covers a wide range of style and substance, it also highlights the versatility of the musicians, and particularly Judi Silvano’s wide ranging voice, which effortlessly shifts from alto to soprano, from blues to ballad to swing, without ever seeming out of her element. Three of the compositions here are her own: “Bougainvillea” (which opens the recording), says Judi in her liner notes, “reflects a new approach to songwriting for me, in that I wrote the chords first, allowed the melody to ‘find me’ late rand then wrote the lyric while traveling and seeing the vivid colors of this tropical vine.” It’s a light swing with a memorable melody that, like the vine, evokes the warm air of a tropical island. The high end of the keyboards gets a lush workout from Janice Friedman.

Judi describes her “New Dance” as a “hip, free-wheeling tune…[with] no lyrics so it’s a vehicle for musical exchanges within the ensemble,” spotlighting Vincent and Miller. Introduced by Friedman’s bassnotes, Vincent and Miller set a popping groove, while Silvano scats as the quartet’s horn throughout a wide range. Friedman takes a turn leading the romp, pushed ahead by Miller’s frenetic energy and Vincent’s aerobic-zone pulse. Miller’s drum solo here showcases her range of rhythms and sounds. One can readily imagine a choreographer (perhaps Judi?) wasting little time recreating this for a dance ensemble. “Easy to Love” was an instrumental composition by Janice Friedman to which Judi added lyrics, and their collaboration yields what Silvano describes as “a swinging hard boppish tune…an ode to finding one’s soul mate.” A mix of lyric and scat, Judi “lets herself go” here, leaping wide intervals, vocally freed from the pull of conventional gravity.

Janice Friedman

Three tunes paint a bluesy side of the band, including two from the great Mary Lou Williams, whom Silvano refers to as “one of the most influential female instrumentalists and composers.” Williams’ “Pretty-Eyed Baby” is a catchy tune sung with plenty of sass. The instrumentalists are all in fine form, Miller placing her clicks and thumps to accentuate the flirtatious groove. “What’s Your Story, Morning Glory?”, notes Judi, “reveals the vulnerable side of relationships.” Jennifer Vincent’s blues chops echo from start to finish, and her solo bears hitting the repeat button, while Judi scats as easily and believably as anyone singing today, and with the range of a Cirque de Soleil acrobat. Silvano chose to close the set with the oldest, bluest composition, Bessie Smith’s “Backwater Blues,” dating from the New Orleans flood of 1927—timely in light of Hurricane Katrina.

The remaining tunes range from delicate to upbeat and playful. Among the tunes most likely to generate dancing is Abbey Lincoln’s “Not to Worry.” Choosing just one Lincoln song was a difficult choice, says Silvano, who has long regarded her as a source of inspiration and mentor, noting “her brave statements have guided me towards a more mature direction in my own musical life.” The choice works well in this set, a swinging upbeat tune with inspiring lyrics. The trio takes off, Friedman leading the swingfest with the same gusto that marks her recent release, Swingin’ for the Ride. Vincent is a delight, her solo here a masterclass in swinging basslines, while Miller asserts herself as well, trading back and forth with Friedman. Judi wanted to include a composition from Carla Bley, because “[I] really dig her sense of humor.” In particular, “Can’t Get My Motor to Start” has “a prankster vibe…a landscape of youthful exuberance and fun.” The track starts out with an urgent call from bass and drums, Friedman adding to the sense of frenzy with her ostinato basslines. Judi jumps in with the humorous vocal dialogue, and there are opportunities for all to contribute a variety of sonic pranks. Probably no one has more fun here than Allison Miller, mixing it up with quick sequences and deep rumbles.

The slow tracks are elegant: Long an admirer of Blossom Dearie, Judi notes that “she presents deceptively simple songs in her delicate style” --which Judi upholds masterfully. “Inside a Silent Tear” is a slow rhumba highlighting the interaction between Vincent and Miller. The instrumental interlude benefits from the “deceptively simple” piano lines that weave around the basslines and rumbling percussion. Of special note is the way Judi varies the melodic line and rhythm, as well as her phrasing--elongating key syllables, keeping the beat south of the border.

Perhaps less familiar than other composers represented on the recording, Meredith D’Ambrosio penned one of the most beautiful, “Why Do I Still Dream of You?” Describing the composer as a “Renaissance woman” who is a painter as well as musician, Judi turns this “haunting memory of lost love” into a regal sonic watercolor. Friedman is master of delicacy and understatement in her solo, perfectly supported by the very deep end of Vincent’s basslines and Miller’s sparse percussion.

Sheila Jordan “has inspired a generation of singers, including me,” notes Silvano. With “Ballad for Miles,” Jordan tells “her story through a freely improvised score…a brilliant way to counterbalance the bebop forms that she heard and describes so well.” The piece begins with ominous bowed bass and howling--then clanging-- cymbals. Miller adds some resonant thuds as Friedman joins in with some short phrases. Judi’s voice adds another dimension, listing the great musicians Sheila heard at the Village Vanguard like a reverent recitation.

The sound quality is consistent with the musicianship, although to some extent the “live” vibe is subdued as little of the audience’s enthusiasm comes through. Silvano explains that “the only problem was that we didn't mic the audience so their reactions bleed into the mics onstage, and don’t really represent the dynamic and energy of the interaction… Otherwise, a live recording captured our fun and delight with the music.” Listening to Women’s Work, there is no doubt as to the mutual delight among these musicians.

As the saying goes, “Women’s Work” is never done! Judi Silvano has her eye on future adventures. “After the CD release gigs, I am sure this Quartet will play together as much as our schedules allow.” Schedule conflicts will be no barrier to Silvano. “We are bringing some other wonderful musicians into the group, such as Mary Ann McSweeney on bass and Bernice "Boom Boom" Brooks on drums.” And of course she is considering adding some horns! Husband Joe Lovano plays a guest role (on tenor sax) at the CD Release Party at Ryles in Boston (June 5^th), “so I'm not totally rigid about mixing things up sometimes!” says Judi. “That's the fun of it! But certainly I am enjoying taking the opportunity to play with more and different talented women on the scene today, and making this CD has given me that impetus!”

With so much leftover material from the live session at Sweet Rhythm, and with so many new ideas for expanding Women’s Work, we eagerly look forward to the next recording from this ensemble, and to wherever Judi Silvano ventures next.

Judi Silvano and Women’s Work celebrate the release of their CD at Ryles in Boston on June 5^th. Their New York City release is set for June 19^th at the MannaHatta (316 Bowery, Manhattan); celebrations also set for June 23^rd at Susan’s Restaurant & Jazz Club in Peekskill, NY and at the scene of the recording, Sweet Rhythm in Manhattan on September 18^th. Visit Judi’s website at www.judisilvano.com for complete itinerary. Quotes from liner notes and online interview with Judi Silvano.