Showing posts with label Judi Silvano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judi Silvano. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

James Emery, Joe Lovano, Judi Silvano, Drew Gress - Fourth World

Styles: Free Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:47
Size: 153,6 MB
Art: Front

( 5:18) 1. Bellflower
( 8:59) 2. Golden Horn
(11:52) 3. Fourth World
( 8:57) 4. Worship
( 8:07) 5. Splendido
( 5:32) 6. La Scala
( 8:46) 7. The Next Level
( 5:12) 8. In A Secret Place
( 4:00) 9. Hannah's Song

The title of this newly issued recording might ordinarily imply notions of poverty and human rights, but in the liners, guitarist James Emery iterates that the Fourth World “is the world, or dimension, of vibration.” We are presented with four world-class musicians pursuing good vibes on this astutely constructed 2002 release. Joe Lovano performs on a variety of woodwind instruments here, yet on certain tracks he also mans the drum kit, also evidenced on his recent Flights Of Fancy outing. A minor beef is in order for the decision of not utilizing a seasoned drummer, as Lovano is prone to sound tentative amid choppy and uninteresting fills.

However, his activities behind the kit do not detract from the recording when viewed upon as a whole, as the musicians surreptitiously translate polytonal pastiches of sound through often-compelling exchanges. On many of these works, the band is apt to break off into briefly actualized sub-groups. Alternatively, on pieces such as “Fourth World,” Judi Silvano renders whispery vocalise in unison with her associates’ complex themes. The quartet pronounces an airy backdrop via loosely formulated dialogue or when Lovano and acoustic guitarist James Emery partake in blistering cat-and-mouse like episodes.

Emery executes razor sharp single note lines and sweeping chord progressions during “La Scala,” while also counterbalancing Lovano with emphatically placed accents on their duet encounter titled “The Next Level.” Throughout this affair, bassist Drew Gress serves as the traffic director, while Ms. Silvano picks up the flute on the Caribbean tinged closer, “Hannah’s Song.” The musicians bring a mélange of experience to the table as they elicit notions of wide open terrain or expansive horizons, while touching upon the preternatural minutiae of the Fourth Dimension. Recommended.~Glenn Astarita https://www.allaboutjazz.com/fourth-world-joe-lovano-between-the-lines-review-by-glenn-astarita

Personnel: James Emery: acoustic guitar - Joe Lovano: tenor, soprano, C melody, straight alto saxophones, alto clarinet, bells, shakers, gongs, log drums & drums - Judi Silvano: flute & voice - Drew Gress: acoustic bass

Fourth World

Monday, December 8, 2014

Judi Silvano - Let Yourself Go

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:55
Size: 158,4 MB
Art: Front

(6:03)  1. Let Yourself Go
(6:05)  2. Let's Fall In Love
(7:36)  3. Why Do I Love You
(3:14)  4. I'm In The Mood For Love
(7:26)  5. I Only Have Eyes For You
(6:27)  6. When I Fall In Love
(6:38)  7. I Could Write A Book
(7:13)  8. I Love Paris
(7:03)  9. Our Love Is Here To Stay
(4:55) 10. Goodbye
(6:12) 11. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Vocalist Judi Silvano's Let Yourself Go makes me long for the day when jazz was America's popular music. If that were the case today, this disc would sell a million copies and score three or four top ten radio hits. But it's a new pop song millennium, and the jazz recordings are pushed into the back racks the general listening public's loss; the discerning and resolute jazz fan's gain. Silvano is probably best known for her adventurous vocalise on recordings like the Joe Lovano/Gunther Schuller record Rush Hour (Blue Note, '95), Lovano's Celebrating Sinatra (Blue Note, '97), or the more obscure but excellent Fourth World (Between the Lines, '02) by guitarist James Emery. In the past few years she's also released two first rate sets of her own, Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did (JSL Records, '00) and a duet set with the late pianist Mal Waldron, Riding a Zephyr (Soul Note, '02). The vocalist truly let's herself go here, within the ever-malleable constraints (or are there constraints?) of some familiar time-tested standards; and she's never sounded better, freer and more ebullient in her music-making. 

The set opens with the title tune, an Irving Berlin song featuring clever lyrics ("Come on get together, Let the dance floor feel your leather, Step as lightly as a feather...") and a swinging arrangement (Michael Abene) sliced through with angular piano jabs (Abene, again) and Silvano's soaring vocals, sometimes freewheeling, sometimes gorgeously controlled. Throughout here, I'm reminded of Ella Fitzgerald's Cole Porter Songbook discs; the attitude's the same, and Judi scats all over the place, with a different, smoother flow but a sound no less compelling than Ella's. Throw in the contemporary arrangements and more truly stellar solo slots than you can count on two hands Ingrid Jensen's muted trumpet on Jerome Kern's "Why Do I Love You," Akua Dixon's cello slot and Roger Rosenberg's bass clarinet on Cole Porter's "I Love Paris," Dick Oatts' alto solo on Rodgers and Hart's "I Could Write a Book," or Dan Silverman's trombone work on "When I Fall in Love"; or Jamie Baum's alto flute turn on "Every Time We Say Goodbye." I mentioned Ella's Cole Porter Songbook discs, but there seems a parallel between Let Youself Go and some of those marvelous Frank Sinatra albums from the fifties, too. Songs for Young Lovers , Songs for Swingin' Lovers , Come Fly With Me. As a vocal effort, it's that good; in terms of the level of artistic craftmanship all around, it's that good too. 

I hesitate to single one out of such a classic set, but Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" keeps getting the repeat button treatment, with Akua Dixon's cello, a sweet and slightly frictional drag across the strings contrasting the perfect smooth flow of Silvano's voice; then cello giving way to the rich deeper tones of the bass clarinet that slinks its way in and out of Judi's cool scatting. Wonderful! Let Yourself Go was conceived and produced as a gift from Judi Silvano for her 80-year-old mother, Miriam, so it seems fitting to use a high compliment in usage in Miriam's youth here. Judi Silvano's Let Yourself Go : It's just the cat's pajamas! ~ Dan McClenaghan  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/judi-silvano-let-yourself-go-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Judi Silvano - vocals; Michael Abene - piano, arrnager, conductor; Rufus reid - bass; Newman Taylor-Baker - drums; Dick Oatts - alto and soprano saxophones; Ingrid Jensen -  trumpet and flugelhorn; Mayra Casales - percussion; Roger Rosenberg - bass clarinet and baritone saxophone; Akua Dixon - cello; Jamie Baum - alto flute; Nita Goodgal - background vocals.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Judi Silvano - Vocalise

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:26
Size: 143,4 MB
Art: Front

(2:28)  1. Vocalise
(4:33)  2. Daydream
(6:18)  3. Bass Space
(3:59)  4. Thanks For You
(5:04)  5. Looking Back (Reflections)
(9:14)  6. Heuchera Americana
(3:12)  7. Weird Nightmare
(4:43)  8. It's So Amazing
(3:49)  9. Pavane
(4:10) 10. All Too Soon
(8:36) 11. At Home (Sweet Home)
(2:47) 12. Serenity
(3:26) 13. Vocalise II

Singer Judi Silvano studied dance and music at Temple University and began collaborating with other East Coast jazz musicians in the late 1970s. With the major influence of Ella Fitzgerald in her early years, Silvano mixes classical, jazz, mainstream and free jazz styles. In the liner notes to Vocalise, she writes, "beautiful music and good technique go beyond any style." Silvano's first release as a leader presents a well-rounded set in many styles, with support from Vic Juris on guitars, Drew Gress on acoustic bass, Bob Meyer on drums, Dave Ballou on trumpet, Oscar Noriega on alto sax & bass clarinet, and Joe Lovano guesting for several numbers on tenor sax, drums, and percussion. The title track is a composition by Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff presented as a wordless vocal piece, with the electric guitar of Juris supplying a vocal-like texture.

"Vocalise II" is an outside approach to the same melody with a different lineup supporting the vocal lines. Ravel's "Pavane," Ellington's "All Too Soon," Strayhorn's "Daydream," Mingus' "Weird Nightmare" and Monk's "Looking Back" pay tribute to these legendary composers and present unique approaches to their work.  But it's the singer's own compositions that provide the most excitement. Silvano's "Heuchera Americana" is a modal piece with an infectious repeating melodic theme and many changes in the rhythmic form. With salutes to Monk, Bach, and rock, the arrangement places a trumpet / alto sax duo trading fours behind the unison blend of guitar and vocalist, and offers everyone a chance to stretch. The singer's "It's So Amazing" presents Lovano on drums, with a natural melodic style fitting hand in hand with the music, which is delivered first with lyrics and later with scat-singing. Over half the tracks use lyrics, and a common bond throughout the set is a careful blending of timbres in pairs, such as guitar / voice, saxophone / voice, trumpet / saxophone, and guitar / trumpet. Vic Juris proves himself a more than able partner throughout the session, and Joe Lovano delivers trademark solos on "All Too Soon," "Looking Back," and Silvano's composition "Bass Space." Recommended. ~ Jim Santella  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/vocalise-judi-silvano-blue-note-records-review-by-jim-santella.php#.U_X3aWMfLP8

Personnel: Judi Silvano (vocals); Oscar Noriega (alto saxophone, bass clarinet); Joe Lovano (saxophone, drums, gongs, percussion); Dave Ballou (trumpet); Vic Juris (guitar); Dave Gress (bass); Bob Meyer (drums).

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Judi Silvano - Womens Work : Live at Sweet Rhythm NYC

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 130,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:05)  1. Bougainvillea
(4:42)  2. Pretty Eyed Baby
(6:02)  3. Inside A Silent Tear
(6:44)  4. Not To Worry
(5:39)  5. Why Do Still Dream Of You?
(3:49)  6. New Dance
(4:34)  7. Easy To Love
(6:08)  8. What's Your Story Morning Glory
(3:47)  9. Ballad For Miles
(4:25) 10. Can't Get My Motor To Start
(5:49) 11. Backwater Blues

Jazz singer Judi Silvano is the wife of tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and she has appeared on some of his Blue Note albums, including Viva Caruso (2002), Celebrating Sinatra (1996) and Universal Language (1992), with a rather operatic vocalese style. Silvano began recording under her own name on Blue Note with Vocalese (1996) and then with her own JSL Label which has released several albums including Songs I Wrote or Wish I Wrote (2000), Sound Garden: Spirit Music (2004) and Sound Garden: Celestial Voices (2005). Somewhere along the way Silvano switched to a straight vocal style without either vocalese or perhaps only a dab of scat.. Women's Work: Live at Sweet Rhythm is based on a concept to present songs written by women and presented by an all femme group. This album has been carefully planned, and represents a concept of femininity in jazz writing and performing, and is well-realized in both planning and execution. 

The songs are composed by writers including Mary Lou Williams, Abbey Lincoln, Sheila Jordan and Carla Bley, plus two Silvano originals and one from pianist Janice Friedman. Of the players, and they are all good, it's Friedman who provides the cement that really holds this group together with her solos, comping and altogether solid playing. Allison Miller, who plays in many different genres, is a creative drummer. Recorded live at Sweet Rhythm (formerly known as Sweet Basil), the opening tune, Silvano's "Bougainvillea" has appeared elsewhere in her discography. Williams' "Pretty Eyed Baby" is reminiscent of a tune that Nat King Cole might have recorded with his trio and is a fine jump composition. Blossom Dearie's "Inside A Silent Tear" was heavily recorded during the 1970s, and Meredith D'Ambrosio's "Why Do I Still Dream of You" is a touching ballad, and let's face it when have you ever heard any jazz vocalist cover D'Ambrosio's work? Likewise, Silvano covers Lincoln's "Not to Worry," Jordan's autobiographical "Ballad for Miles" and Bley's humorous "Can't Get My Motor to Start." She concludes with Bessie Smith's "Backwater Blues," a song that defined Dinah Washington's 1950s output. Did Silvano take too much of a chance here? 

Well, it doesn't beat out either Smith or Washington's version but it elongates the song into a pleasing six minutes of pleasure. Women's Work: Live at Sweet Rhythm is the best of Silvano's post-millennium albums. It presents a hardworking quartet making fine music so that whether in tribute or not, these eleven tracks present a well-developed and fun approach to a conceptual overlay. ~ Michael P.Gladstone  
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/womens-work-live-at-sweet-rhythm-judi-silvano-jsl-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone.php#.U78ntrFryM0
 
Personnel: Judi Silvano: voice; Janice Friedman: piano; Jennifer Vincent: bass; Allison Miller: drums.