In this month’s podcast we introduce you to Trudy SilVER

An American jazz pianist, performer, composer, teacher in the NYC school system, poet, activist and peace/social justice worker. Whether she’s performing at benefits to raise social awareness, or demonstrating in solidarity, her commitment to personal liberties and fair privilege opportunities is unwavering.

An American peace/and social justice worker, jazz pianist, performer, composer, retired music teacher in NYC Public Schools, Ms. Trudy Silver was born and raised into a progressive, politically active family in New Britain CT, where she was exposed to labor and civil rights causes at an early age. 

She started playing classical piano at age 7, and her first professional performance was at the Hartford Music Club where she was a 9-year-old Mozart. She was the only child student of the late great concert pianist Maria Luisa Faini. She studied composition with Armon Loos.  McKanda Ken McIntyre was her most important influence as an improvisor and composer.  She studied privately with him and then had the honor of touring, performing and recording with him at his SOHO loft in the mid 80’s as well as a New England tour including Trinity College in Hartford, CT. She has been lifelong member of local musicians’ unions 1976, first in her home town of New Britain then as a member of the Montreal Musicians Union and since 1983, the 802 Musicians Union. She has also remained active in the UFT progressive wing of the Teachers’ union since 1987. 

In 1995 Ms. Silver co-founded the 5C Cultural Center in the Lower East side of Manhattan with her husband, Bruce Morris. Together they have produced hundreds of mixed art events; dance, music, gallery exhibits and theater.  The Center focused on giving unsung artists an opportunity to present their works. A labor of love, they supported the cultural center from their day jobs. 

She has performed benefits at a variety of venues including: The Stone NYC, Radio station WBAI Pacifica Radio, Oklevueha Native American Church in Hillsdale, NY, The Disident Arts Festivals, 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18 and ’19. (The Dissident arts fests raises money for the Rosenberg Foundation which provides funds to children of political prisoners and most recently to NYC Women’s Homeless Shelter.) Retoñan Las Flores y La Reistencia Fundraiser for Student Strikers at the University of Puerto Rico. “Let Yemen Live” performances and actions happen at the Peace Park across from the UN as well as weekly vigils in NYC’s Union Sq.

Her ongoing piece “Where’s the Outrage?” is a multimedia operetta of music, first recorded and performed live as part of Anthony Braxton’s TriCentric Foundation Festival on Sept 28th, 1998 at The Greenwich House (with Anthony Braxton, Will Connell, and Kaneo Yamashita.) “Where’s the Outrage?” was released on her label Silverseal music, entitled ‘damn the rules’. The performance was an operetta that culminated dramatically with a GENERAL STRIKE. You can hear excerpts of the performance and purchase it via the website.

The 2016 Dissident Arts Festival performance as well as a series at the Brecht Forum produced by tenor sax player Ras Moshe included Butoh mime by Sanae Buck and a film produced by this interviewer Jane “SpokenWord”.

Stemming from her childhood roots, Ms. Silver has dedicated herself to working for social justice for all people.

You can read more about Trudy Silver on her website: https://trudysilver.com/

You can contact her at trudysilver@5ccc.com

Jane SpokenWord

Street poet Jane SpokenWord’s performances represent the spoken word as it is meant to be experienced, raw, uncensored and thought provoking. From solos, to slams, duos, trios, and bands, including a big band performance at The Whitney Museum with Avant-Garde Maestro Cecil Taylor which garnered All About Jazz’s Best of 2016. Other collaborations include: Min Tanaka, Miguel Algarin, Beat Poet John Sinclair, her son HipHop musician/producer, DJ Nastee, and her partner in all things, Albey onBass. Combining the elements of spoken word, music, sound and song “Like those of the Jazz poets, the Beats, The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron and others – she is usually accompanied by Albey onBass Balgochian’s moaning, groaning, rumbling contrabass – adding double the gut-punch to her words.” (Raoul daGama) To preserve the cultural heritage of wording to document life, and foster a broader collective community, she brings her poetry and spoken word to a diverse set of venues including museums, festivals, libraries, slam lounges, art galleries, clubs, busking street corners and living rooms everywhere. She has authored two books of poetry with art and music by co-author Albey onBass: Word Against the Machine and Tragically Hip. Publications include: TV Baby A collection of Lower East Side artists – OHWOW, Shadow of The Geode, Bonsia Press, Stars in the Fire and Palabras Luminosas – Rogue Scholars Express and We Are Beat in the National Beat Poetry Anthology.

A special thank you to Albey ‘onBass’ Balgochian for the sound engineering in the prelude and postlude of the audio. Albey’s performances range from the Bowery Poetry Club to the Whitney Museum of American Art, his résumé includes many distinguished artists including  Nuyorican Poet Miguel Algarin, Beat Poet John Sinclair, Darryl Jones (Miles Davis, Rolling Stones,) and the Cecil Taylor Trio & Big Band  (“Best of ’05, ’09, ’16” All About Jazz) https://albeybalgochian.com/

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