2024 has been quite a year so far.
I did a performance at the New Thought Center of Hawaii in February. Later in the year, I made a trek to Iceland with my friend Sherry Somach and a trip to Portugal as well, with my friend Jill Salkin.
I’ve been doing many performances with the amazing ensemble “The Hot Club of Philadelphia” — led by guitarist/vocalist Barry Wahrhaftig. Performances include the World Cafe, City Winery, Raritan Music Festival, The Fallser in East Falls, Bethlehem Musikfest, 118 North (Wayne, PA), Perkins Center for the Arts (Moorestown, NJ), Doylestown Arts Festival, and many more.
And we will be recording another CD. Very exciting!
I’ve also been performing with the Ken Ulansey Ensemble, including The Royal in Jenkintown, Curtis Arboretum in Wyncote, PA, and we will be playing at ArtsFest at Glen Foerd on the Delaware, which will feature Dave Posmontier on keys, Ken Ulansey on woodwinds and the incomparable Paul Jost on drums/vocals.
I did a concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Mt. Airy with Dave Posmontier on keys and Dave Brodie on bass. What an inspiring place and a gracious audience!
All these performances and future ones can be found on my Events Calendar.
I’ve been interested in writing and performing my originals. I did a singer/songwriter showcase at the Fallser Club in East Falls, with Meghan Cary and Irene Lambrou and friends.
I’m also recording my originals with Rodney Whittenberg of MelodyVision. It’s been quite an extraordinary process for me. And you can see videos of my recordings
on my YouTube Official Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJF-46of8KzRH1bxNtl5sJWqCo-wDR-Tl
Thanks for checking me out!!
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In 2023, I recorded another one of my original tunes.
I’m calling it “Bahia Fantasia” and it recalls a trip I made to
Salvador da Bahia a long time ago. I was inspired to go there by my
dear friend Suzana Silva, who had fallen in love with the place…
a long time ago!
I stayed in a small hotel on the beach and listened to the ocean roar…
but then there was a concert happening outside next to my hotel
and I could hear the voices of famous singers that I knew—
Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento.
It was quite a moment.
Here is the video:
In July 2023, I took a trip to Colorado and Taos, New Mexico, doing a house concert at the home of John Pruit, with my dear friend Andrea Clearfield. We spent a few days at a hot springs called “Joyful Journey” in Colorado. Here’s a photo—I was quite serene there!
New for 2022:
As a songwriter, I’m always looking for new inspiration. A few years ago, I was at a PASA (Philadelphia Area Songwriter’s Alliance) workshop and the leader (Sharon Abbott) told us to look at all the pictures she laid out on a table, pick out one and write a song about it. So I picked a picture of a dog with the image of a wolf above him. I think it was a dog food commercial! Yikes! But it was so poignant, it spoke to me. And so was born my song “Howling Wolf”.
I recorded it at my producer Rodney Whittenberg’s studio, Melodyvision.
I got 2 of my SIORA guys…the amazing Rob Swanson on bass and Doug Hirlinger on the drums. They are both so creative and so generous—they really helped us shape this piece. Rodney was the musical director—because even though I had been performing the piece as a solo for a little while, it needed something special, something extra to bring out its magic. And Rodney is the man! Great producer, arranger, engineer, coach…He’s my North Star!
I played guitar on the piece and Rodney did as well. And I’m so excited that we got my cousin, Allan Slutsky, better known as Dr. Licks—guitarist, arranger, writer, producer, player in Broadway shows—and also the writer and creator of “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” and so much more—to do some really cool soloing on the track near the end, embodying the spirit of the wolf in his guitar playing. And, of course, we got some wolves to howl on the piece. They were pretty forthcoming with their howling, but their agents were a real pain to work with :-)
I released the song and a video we created of this piece in January 1st, 2022..
It’s my gift to all of you! To have you get in touch with the wolf inside each of you!
Here it is!
And another video I created in 2022 is my version of the Joni Mitchell song “Song to a Seagull” — oh how I always
loved that song—I would walk on the beach singing that song as a young girl.
Here’s that video…hope you enjoy it!
June 15, 2019 was the release date for Phyllis Chapell 4 Love (EP of 4 jazz standards) featuring Phyllis Chapell on vocals, Dave Posmontier on piano and organ, Rob Swanson on upright and fretless bass, Dave Brodie on upright bass, and Doug Hirlinger on drums. The CD was recorded at Rittenhouse Soundworks and MelodyVision Studios. Produced by Rodney Whittenberg and Phyllis Chapell.
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/phyllischapell4