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“A jazz improviser with an adventurous spirit” -- Scott Yanow (AMG)  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 11th. 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 53rd Annual Critics’ Poll. 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.” Womens Work The end result—the tracks selected from multiple sets at Sweet Rhythm's 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. 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.” But 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 played a guest role (on tenor sax) at the CD Release Party at Ryles in Boston (June 5th), “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 the scene of the recording, Sweet Rhythm in Manhattan on September 18th. Sweet Rhythm is located in Greenwich Village at 88 Seventh Av; www.sweetrhythmny.com. Sets at 8 and 9:30 pm. Visit Judi’s website at www.judisilvano.com for complete itinerary. Quotes from liner notes and online interview with Judi Silvano. |
Friday, 25 July 2008
