Biography

Both a piano player and a singer as well as a composer and an arranger, a passion for and the study of the piano has been of the utmost importance ever since she was a toddler; Her very first public performances actually took place aside her father who will indeed provide her with an amazing repertoire and an ever so rich stock of standard jazz, bossa nova and international evergreens.

Driven by her appeal to jazz, when just 19, she moves to Rome, not only a place where she will first deepen her study of jazz piano, of harmony and of arrangement, but also a place where she gets to meet and comes to know some major artists who will not hesitate to encourage her to give birth to a trio bearing her very name, drawing up the role of group leader alongside that of piano player in a great number of the capital’s jazz bands.

She performed in many international venues in festivals and jazz clubs in Europe, USA, Russia, South Africa, Monte Carlo, Dubai.

The trio, the figure of which represents the quest of a well-rooted sound in pure jazz tradition, with a piercing look to bands led by pianists and vocalists such as Nat King Cole, Shirley Horn and Blossom Dearie, stands out for its repertoire of the wide-melodious-breath standard song; throughout the arrangements, fitted and tailored by this band’s pianist herself, it is actually the singing that weaves the plot on which the dialogue amongst the voices, the piano and the other rhythmic section instruments takes place.

The original compositions, the lyrics of which are written in English, in French and in Italian by Silvia Manco, harmoniously veer towards modern style and are imbued by Contemporary  music as well as author influence, along with European and American instrumental jazz habitual visiting.

 

Steadiness in the writing, composing and elaborating phases, aligned with concerts activities all contribute to the release of her first album, in 2007, entitled “Big City is for me” followed by the second album “Afternoon Songs” in 2010 produced by Roberto Gatto, famous Italian jazz drummer, in 2011 “Suddenly it’s Christmas time”, in 2012 “Casa Azul”.

The latest cd released in February 2019 is called “Hip! The Blossom Dearie Songbook”: in this work Silvia Manco with her American NY based trio (Dezron Douglas on doublebass and Jerome Jennings on drums), and with the contribution of two extraordinary special guests (Enrico Rava and Max Ionata), collects the legacy of Blossom Dearie, the most Continental of American pianists / vocalists. Silvia embraces this timeless repertoire with a touch of contemporaneity demonstrating an attitude as a true band leader.”

Discography

As a leader

BIG CITY IS FOR ME (2006)

AFTERNOON SONGS (2010)

CASA AZUL (2012)

SUDDENLY IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME (2013)

HIP! THE BLOSSOM DEARIE SONGBOOK (2019)

THE ITALIAN SONGBOOK (2020)

LA DOLCE VITA (2021)

THE GOOD LIFE (2021)

RECADO BOSSANOVA (2021)

CON ALMA  (2021)

Jazz (Bossa and Samba Vibes) (2022)

MINUANO (2022)

As a co-leader/member of the band or part of a collective project

HUNGER AND LOVE, TRIBUTE TO BILLIE HOLIDAY (2015)

NINO! OMAGGIO A NINO MANFREDI-ROBERTO GATTO ENSEMBLE (2016)

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