Contact: Golda Solomon, 877-529-9528, or gs@goldajazz.com

Cornelia Street Café: corneliastreetcafe@earthlink.net

For immediate release

Po’Jazz at The Cornelia Street Cafe

Poetry in Partnership with Jazz

Thursday, March 18^TH, 2004 6 - 8 p.m.

Po’Jazz, the one-of-a-kind jazz and poetry series, celebrates Women’s “Herstory” Month downstairs at The Cornelia Street Café in its third Thursday evening of the month slot on March 18^th at 6 pm (downstairs room opens at 5:30 for early dining and imbibing.) Admission is $15 ($13 students/seniors), which includes one drink.

“The Medicine Woman of Jazz,” host Golda Solomon welcomes the incomparable jazz sensibilities and three-octave range of vocalist Judi Silvano, as well as spoken word performances by Poppy, Tamara Magnitsky, and up-and-coming artist Fyre. The president and founder of Poet’s Corner says of Golda, “Her poetry has a rhythm and spontaneity that goes right to the heart. Golda Solomon has found her perfect accompaniment in jazz.” Ms. Solomon, a poet, producer, docent, and professor, is a long-time supporter of women musicians and emerging artists of all ages and backgrounds, and her women’s herstory celebration reflects that. Judi Silvano has been voted a Top 10 Vocalist in the Down Beat Magazine reader’s poll three times. A review in JazzTimes says “Like Betty Carter, Silvano dares to dance at the end of the limb – and sometimes beyond…” The poetry of Brooklyn’s Poppy celebrates the truth with “in-ya-face hip flare,” and Fyre’s “Rhaptry” is an original, electrifying combination of hip-hop and poetry. The evening will also feature the Ila Cantor Quartet (drums, bass, piano and guitar), led by guitarist Ila Cantor and featuring students enrolled in some of the best jazz studies programs in the New York metropolitan area. Artist bios follow; e-mail info@icaan.biz for photos.

Gladys Serrano of Mutable Music says, “Po’Jazz at Cornelia Street is one big friendly party of good words, good sounds, and good food.”

This performance is part of a third Thursday of the month poetry and jazz series at The Cornelia Street Café programmed and hosted by ICAAN co-founder Golda Solomon in association with JazzJaunts. Dedicated to the belief that the arts are vital for tapping into processes needed for individual healing and community building, ICAAN (Interactive Communication and Arts Network) provides on-site arts programming to workplaces, schools and other organizations. For more information about ICAAN, call 877-529-9528 or visit www.icaan.biz.

The Café is located at 29 Cornelia Street, Greenwich Village, NYC. Po’Jazz events take place in the café’s downstairs performance space. By subway, take the A, C, E, F or V train to West 4^th Street, or the 1 or 9 train to Christopher Street - Sheridan Square (walk 2^1/2 blocks east on West 4^th and make a right onto Cornelia Street.) By car, take 7^th Avenue south to Bleecker; left on Bleecker; left onto Cornelia. For more information, visit www.corneliastreetcafe.com, or call 212-989-9319.

The Cornelia Street Café poetry series is curated by Angelo Verga. The next event in this series will be held on Thursday, April 15th, from 6 until 8.

About the Artists

Ila Cantor’s unique and versatile guitar playing has led to gigs in New York, New Jersey, Boston and Barcelona, at jazz clubs, restaurants, and private parties, playing with jazz duo, trio, and larger combos, as well as playing solo jazz guitar and other styles of music such as Spanish boleros, classical, and rock. She debuted at the Iridium with Les Paul in July of 2002. Ila has trained in classical and jazz with Bob Hansmann for over four years. Currently at the New School jazz program, she has studied under several masters, at Berklee School of Music, New School University, and privately; with Rory Stewart, John Scofield, John Abercrombie, Melvin Sparks and Kurt Rosenwinkle, among others.

Eliot Cardinaux, piano (Ila Cantor Quartet), is currently a first year jazz piano student at the Manhattan School of Music.  He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1984 and moved to New York in the fall of 2003.  He began playing jazz piano at the age of 15.

Adam Chilenski, bass (Ila Cantor Quartet), is excited to be living in New York City. Having recently moved here from Portland, Maine he already considers it his home. Adam has been making a living as a musician since high school, and says he has no plans to do anything else.

Fyre, spoken word artist, was born into a musical family and has been studying music, acting, and dance since the age of five. Her creation, “Rhaptry,” is an original combination of hip-hop and poetry, and her personal lyrics reflect her desire to be a voice in opposition to violence against women. She began performing at local venues at age 13, and has recently appeared at DownUnder in Yonkers, The Orange Bear in NYC, Emerald Lounge and Chris’ Place in the Bronx, and Tuxedo Joe in Albany. Fyre’s musical influences are Charlie Baltimore, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Mary J. Blige, Foxy Brown and Eve. Expect her first (self titled) album in spring of 2005!

Bram Kincheloe, drums (Ila Cantor Quartet), has been playing music all of his life, starting drum lessons at the age of five and taking piano lessons from his mother. He has toured Japan twice with the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All Star Band, and visited Amsterdam twice to study at the Conservatory Von Amsterdam. Bram moved to New York at the age of 16 to study at the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, and, after one year, left to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he is currently studying with Justin Dicioccio.

Tamara Magnitsky is the product of four generations of female poets and has been a guest speaker and host on numerous radio programs in Westchester County. She was awarded first place for the Poetry Slam held at the Yonkers Public Library in the fall of 2000 and is currently working on an audio version of her first collection of poetry called “Celestial Thunder.”

Poppy’s poems are influenced by her Clinton Hill, Brooklyn neighborhood and “celebrate poking through to the truth, no matter what, no matter how upsetting.” She earned her stripes at the renowned Nuyorican Poet's Cafe's poetry slams, and her M.A. from City College's graduate creative writing program. In 1997, she self-published a chapbook of blues poems, Pissin' Blue, and in 2001, her Creepin' Through da Hinge, now in its second printing, hit the bookshelves. Poppy has just completed her third book, Moist, a collection of short stories, songs, and poems, and is working on a novel. She conducts writing workshops in New York City and performs frequently throughout the tri-state area.

Judi Silvano, vocalist, has won acclaim as a composer, lyricist, improviser and educator. She has been voted a Top 10 Vocalist in the Down Beat Magazine reader’s poll three times. A native of Philadelphia, Judi studied music and dance at Temple University’s College of Music. She came to New York in 1976 to study with choreographer Murray Lewis, and in 1980 began a long-time collaboration with sax great Joe Lovano. They created the group “WinDance,” founded JSL Records, recorded and toured together. After a major jazz tour in Europe in 1989, Judi started her own vocal group “Voices of Juniper” and recorded Dancing Voices, her first of five CDs as a leader, in 1991. In 1996 she recorded Vocalise, her first major label (Blue Note) debut as a leader, and she began teaching vocal jazz at Rutgers University. Riding a Zephyr, released in 2002, was recorded as a duo with the late pianist and composer Mal Waldron and was wonderfully received by critics and radio hosts around the country. Her most recent CD, Sound Garden – Spirit Music: Music for Yoga, Meditation & Massage, is a collaboration with Joe Lovano recorded with woodwinds, gongs, voice and percussion. In recent years, Judi has written a series of columns for AllAboutJazz (newspaper and website), written a dance score and collaborated on performances with the Muhlenberg College Dance Department, produced a vocal series in NYC, and taught voice and improvisation in international workshops.

Golda Solomon, “the medicine woman of jazz,” is a professor of communications, speech, and theater arts; a poet, performer, producer, and docent; a supporter of women musicians as well as young musicians, poets, and performers.  She was project director of Po’Jazz at The Hudson Valley Writers’ Center for four years, and co-founded the brooklyn poetry choir. Golda has pioneered several unique businesses including JazzJaunts, a personalized jazz service, and, with Barbara Sfraga, ICAAN (Interactive Communication and Arts Network), which provides innovative, on-site, organization-specific arts programming to workplaces, schools, and other organizations.  Golda has a collection of poetry, Flatbush Cowgirl, published in 1999, for which she co-produced a companion CD, First Set.  She also co-produced the CD Po’Jazz: Takin’ It To The Hollow, which includes over 20 poets and musicians. Her book and CDs are available on www.mouthwideshut.com.  In 2002, Golda's poetry won first prize at the Writer's Workshop in Asheville, North Carolina.