Website: judisilvano.com Booking: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: 914 213-2992 JUDI SILVANO Vocalist, Composer, Lyricist Riding a Zephyr One of the last recordings of pianist Mal Waldron, who died early in December at 77, is an unusual duo collaboration with vocalist Judi Silvano, Riding a Zephyr. This Soul Note/Black Saint CD features 8 wonderful Waldron compositions, some with adroit lyrics by Silvano and 2 of her compositions. Together the two find some beautiful places on the scale of melody and invention.” Keith Spore, Milwaukee Journal “Pianist Mal Waldron features as the sole musical accompaniment to jazz vocalist Judi Silvano on the recent Soul Note album Riding a Zephyr. Waldron was in Billie Holiday's band for her final two years. Waldron wrote or co-wrote most of the music on this album which features beautifully simple, understated piano giving room to Silvano's delightful phrasing and playful scatting.” OutSight Home Page, new-sounds.net “Judi Silvano and Mal Waldron's Riding a Zephyr was recorded in Brussels during Judi's European tour in the year 2000. Mal's piano warmly embraces Silvano's vocals which thoughtfully interpret his original compositions along with some of her own. It is a hearwarming duo.” Swing Journal, JAPAN “Waldron, the pianist on this duo outing recorded in his adopted home of Brussels on Nov. 8, 2000, died on Dec. 2 of cancer. He was either 76 or 77 depending on which source you believe. He recorded prolifically but not often with singers - that said, one of his most visible gigs was as Billie Holiday’s last accompanist (he was with Lady Day from 1957 up to the time of her death in ’59). He also recorded with the late Jeanne Lee. All of this to say that this is one of those rarities, just Mal’s excellent piano and the marvellous voice of the relatively unsung Judi Silvano. Ten very musical tracks, most written by Mal, an excellent composer - his "Soul Eyes" has become a jazz standard and it’s here along with "Cattin’", "All Night Through" and the set closer, "Mal Waldron", written by Mal, Judi and her husband, Joe Lovano. Ms. Silvano is also a composer of note and "Dust" is hers, as is the title piece, one of the finest of the recent vocal releases in the jazz field. Rated:9.5 out of 10.” Len Dobbin, The Montreal Mirror “This is an unusual CD collection in which jazz vocalist Judi Silvano contributes lyrics to the classic songs of pianist/composer Mal Waldron, and both perform the result together. And the result is a winning combination which will please jazz fans everywhere. There are 10 songs on the Judi Silvano Riding a Zephyr Reviews Page 1 of 5 CD. Among them are found "You", "Finding My Love", "Soul Eyes", "Eyes On You", "Riding A Zephyr", "Dust", to name a few from a fine collection.” “The singing is crisp, clear, and wide-ranging, and the piano performances reveal Mal Waldron is at his finest which makes this collection enjoyable! Judi Silvano can handle scat with ease, and she does some innovative work with this jazz vocal art form in some of the songs. Judi Silvano and Mal Waldron together have created a nice sound while RIDING A ZEPHYR. Entertaining!” Lee Prosser, jazzreview.com “For Riding a Zephyr, Silvano picked Waldron tunes mainly from the late 1950s when he was the house pianist and arranger for Prestige. Silvano wrote lyrics for three of the tunes and contributed two of her own compositions. (Five are by Waldron alone.) One of Waldron's compositions, "Soul Eyes", has become a standard and the version here makes good use of space and has a nice Waldron solo. Silvano has an impressive display of overdubbed scatting on "Cattin'". On the introspective tune "Finding My Love" (aka "Empty Street"), she adds corresponding lyrics about being alone, but still having hope. Throughout the session, Waldron lays down his distinctive rumbling bass chords with his left hand and doesn't play more than is needed with his right. Silvano's singing is direct and is a good match for Waldron's dry style; she aims for the heart of a song and hits her target.” Alan Lankin, Jazzmatazz “This marvelous duet recognizes the growing awareness of Waldron as a cultural phenomenon through carefully selected songs that depict Silvano's appreciation of his musical life. Produced by Judi Silvano, 10 songs written or co-written by this dynamic duo command your attention - especially to those written by Mal Waldron during the 50s when he was with the Prestige recording label. “Silvano has added new lyrics to some of the songs and despite this being her first piano/voice duet session, she keeps stride with Waldron's seasoned piano playing and provides a comprehensive balance to this program. Waldron uses a sparse modal approach to the duets - comping and improvising only when necessary to give her vocals more depth and more potential for thinking in jazz. Best bets on this classic are the melodic elements the duo uses, and their distinctions between the American jazz forms and underpinnings of European musical forms integrated by the Belgium-based pianist.” Sounds Of Timeless Jazz “She's been flirting with us, Judi Silvano has, these past few years. Her wordless vocalese on the Joe Lovano/Gunther Schuller masterpiece, Rush Hour; and again on Joe Lovano's fine Celebrating Sinatra CD from '96; and more recently on James Emery's gorgeous and overlooked Fourth World. Great sounds, but sideperson roles; not enough of Judi Silvano. The flirtation is not by design, though. She's given us our shot at romance with three memorable CDs of her own that somehow haven't gotten the audience they deserve, most recently with the near-perfect Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did on JSL Records. “This time out Judi brings her three octave range, a free-flowing delivery, and the finest scatting skills out there to Riding a Zephyr, her collaboration with American expatriate composer/jazz legend Mal Waldron.Waldron has written dozens of songs that have become jazz standards, and has worked with the best--Billie Holiday, Etta Jones, Abbey Lincoln--and he continues to do so with this duo CD with Judi Silvano. Judi Silvano Riding a Zephyr Reviews Page 2 of 5 “The duo setting suits Judi's vocal style well. The atmosphere is relaxed, with Waldron's piano work constructing some spare, skeletal (but structurally perfect) scaffoldings for the vocalist's free flung vocal style. The performance--recorded in just one four hour session, has that off-the-cuff, after hours feel, a couple of pro's getting together in the living room for a smoldering, low-key performance; after years of working toward their respective peaks of artistry. “Dark hues, minor keys, no specific highlights. The CD is a ten tune highlight. O.K., Waldron's classic "Soul Eyes" keeps getting the repeat button treatment. Also "A Time for Duke", that opens with some of Judi's beautiful trademark scatting. Riding a Zephyr is a perfect follow-up and nice change of pace to Judi Silvano's Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did. A long term flirtation blossoming in the direction of a love affair.” Dan McClenaghan, allaboutjazz.com “Veteran pianist Mal Waldron has accompanied everyone from Billie Holiday to Jeanne Lee to Abbey Lincoln over the years. Waldron, much to his credit, has a greater understanding of vocalists than many instrumentalists, and he enjoys a consistently strong rapport with Judi Silvano on Riding a Zephyr. Waldron, in fact, is the singer's only accompaniment on this CD, which was recorded in Brussels, Belgium, in 2000 and released by Italy's Soul Note label in 2002. Silvano uses no drums, bass, or horns this time -- only Waldron's acoustic piano -- and the results are strikingly intimate. Waldron's compositions are the CD's main focus; Silvano contributed a few songs, but most of the melodies are Waldron's (including the blues "Cattin'" and the dreamy ballad "Soul Eyes," which is his most famous piece). Silvano does her share of scatting on this session, and she successfully adds her own lyrics to "Empty Street" and "One by One" (two Waldron gems that are usually heard as instrumentals). Riding a Zephyr is an impressive, highly rewarding document of Silvano's encounter with Waldron” Alex Henderson, All Music Guide “Riding a Zephyr is the vocal jazz Soul Note album from Judi Silvano solely accompanied by pianist Mal Waldron. Waldron was in Billie Holiday's band for her final two years. She gives her music a tasteful sprinkling of scat on a collection of delightful originals from the duo.” hEARD Magazine (Australia) “Judi Silvano has been riding the crest of various waves, when she hasn’t been riding some gentler zephyrs, for the past decade. Not only has she found time to record her own CD’s, including the highly acclaimed and most recent CD appropriately entitled Songs I Wrote Or Wish I Did, but also she has, on her own, developed and refined a horn-like singing style on her husband Joe Lovano’s, CD’s like Rush Hour, Celebrating Sinatra and Universal Language. Actually, her voice is so distinctive on these instrumental CD’s that she now owns the style of looping vocal lines that intertwine with those of horns in unconventional arrangements, sometimes of well- known songs. While Silvano and Lovano work together continuously, she has carved out her own career, appearing with sidemen of her choice at various venues, not just in New York, but around the world.