So excited to be asked to perform at the New Thought Center of Hawaii

81-6587 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750

February 11, 2024

Singing for the service in the a.m. and then later in the day a concert.

New for 2023:

So excited to have 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.