Judi Silvano: Songs I Wrote or Wish I Did

Judi Silvano brings her sparkling, high-register voice to bear on an interesting collection of original and non-original songs. She is joined by an equally interesting mix of players: Larry Goldings on organ, the underexposed Vic Juris on guitar, Essiet Essiet on bass, and Victor Lewis on drums, with tenorist/husband Joe Lovano guesting on two tracks. Of the originals, "Listen to This" and "Climbin’ the Peak" feature wordless vocal lines and quasi-operatic scat choruses that set Silvano apart from today’s crowd of jazz vocalists. "Make It a Classic," "Hey Boy," and "You’re My One" are stylistically ambitious but a bit too lyrically cute. Two highlights among the covers are "If I’m Lucky" and "Something Tells Me," both concise, touching duets with Juris, the latter written by Jane Hall (Jim’s wife). There’s also an inventive reading of "I Love Music," the beautiful Emil Boyd/Hale Smith tune heard (as an instrumental) on Joe Lovano’s 1991 Blue Note outing Landmarks.

Goldings lays out on the Strayhorn classic "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," a rather difficult melody that Silvano handles expertly, framed by Lovano’s countermelodies and Juris’s chordal backing. Following a pithy statement by Essiet, Lovano and Juris step out front for an angelic dual solo. Silvano picks another winner in Bob Dorough and Fran Landesman’s "Without Rhyme or Reason," during which Goldings takes his best solo of the session.