My accordion-driven album AMY DENIO: TUTTO BENE (2012 Spoot Music) is now available on my Bandcamp Page! It features my collaborations with Ama Trio, (ec) and Pale Nudes, Die Knödel, FoMoFlo, Quintetto alla Busara, and some of my solo soundtrack work for the Pat Graney Dance Company.
Cover Artwork by Danijel Žeželj.
Working on that re-release inspired me to cull more of my world-soul accordion songs for TUTTO BENE, Volume II. This one includes collaborations with Jovino Santos Neto, Ama Trio, and fellow Seattle Composers Alliance multi-instrumentalists Tara Forth and Steve Kirk.
It will be available for download on 1 January, 2026 ~ then Klanggalerie Records (Vienna, Austria) will release and distribute the CD version early in the New Year!
But if you preorder TUTTO BENE, Volume II now, you can download two songs right away, and get the rest on New Year’s Day.
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Please join me at the TUTTO BENE volume II Listening Party on Bandcamp ~ on SUNDAY DECEMBER 28 @ 10am PST / 1900 CET. I’ll be there to chat and answer any questions you might have. RSVP
Amy Denio: Tutto Proprio Bene will be released on my Bandcamp page on 1/1/2026. The CD will be distributed in early 2026 by Klanggalerie Records (Vienna, Austria).
Earth Slows Down in Winter was originally composed on an Immersion Composition Society Day ~ in which which a small cadre of composers (in our case, the “Needs More Songs” Lodge) set aside a day to write as many songs as humanly possible between dawn and dusk, then share the results at the end of the day.
It was winter and this song found its way into my accordion after sunset. The early darkness inspired me to wonder how fast the Earth actually spins. Results from my research online inspired the words to the song.
It’s getting dark up here in the Northern Hemisphere, time to ignore the (sometimes quite) false cheer of Yankee consumer culture that builds up this time of year. Seeing friends, creating gifts, dropping off food that you bought by mistake at foodbanks, yes! Supporting independent culture? Absolutely! Doggedly proving your love (and patriotism) with your wallet? Not so much.
Tom Dyer recently put out a call to contribute songs for Green Monkey Records’ forthcoming Christmas music compilation. I ignored it. There are plenty of songs celebrating Spirit out there ~ no real need for more, right?
Then two words went on auto-repeat in my brain whilst trying to take a catnap later that day. Bustling and hustling. Bustling and hustling… ACK! Then a-ha! Those must be the words for the song I didn’t want to write! A relaxed country waltz in the key of C was born. I call it SUGAR SACKS
Salish wisdom tells us that songs are hunters. Once again, I’m happy prey.
Enjoy!
PS Stay tuned for the Green Monkey Records compilation ~ I think it’ll be just what we all need!
Here’s my recent interview with Bold Journey. Enjoy!
Amy, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again? My mother serenaded me by playing her bass while I was in the womb. Those bubbling lullabies initiated my lifelong journey as a sound explorer ~ and also nurtured my instinct to improvise rather than analyze. Whenever I hear or play music, the time/space continuum simply melts away.
Improvisation unites intuition with muscle memory, opening the door to a magic zone. My chattering brain goes quiet and the nagging echo of the tick-tock of time disappears.
For me all sound is music, whether it’s sonorous, dissonant, expected or unexpected. I return to my natural natal state by listening, playing, even by remembering or dreaming music. My intellect’s nervous energy relaxes into a state of calm.
Studies show that while parts of the cerebral cortex are activated by playing songs, when we improvise the entire brain lights up. Time stands still.
Maybe we’re missing the mark by trying to define “time”. We do our best to control our lives with schedules, we work against the clock ~ and on occasion we even attempt to steal a moment or two to be alone. We measure and spend, save, waste and even kill time. But time is magic and malleable, beyond our grasp.
Our perception of time changes constantly. It flies when we’re having fun. But why does it sometimes drag on mercilessly? Because we’re thinking about it! We leave all that behind when we improvise. We enter The Zone.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique? I am a multi-instrumental musician and singer, composer and improviser, audio engineer and record producer based in Washington State.
My main instruments are voice, anything related to guitar or bass, alto sax, clarinet and tin whistle, accordion and piano, theremin and percussion instruments. I also make sound on the F horn, cello, ballons and the Armenian duduk.
I’ve composed and recorded nearly 700 songs and chamber works, solo and in collaboration with dozens of musicians and ensembles from all over the globe, and publish them on Spoot Music.
Born in Detroit, my musical influences are jazz, Motown, moody classical piano, progressive rock and free improvisation. My education at the Cranbrook Educational Community and at Hampshire College encouraged me to take initiative, question authority, and gave me the basic tools to become a confident grant writer. I’ve written and received scores of grants and commissions to produce sound tracks for modern dance, theater, film, television, installations and multi-media performances.
In 2015 I was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame. My works have been performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Paramount Theater in Seattle, and at the Roman Theater in Trieste, Italy. I’ve enjoyed artistic fellowships in Ireland and in a 15th century Italian castle.
My collaboration with sculptor Kim David Hall resulted in an interactive Sonic Bench, now on permanent exhibit at the Vashon Island Parks Department.
You might be familiar with some of my current projects – Balkan punk/metal/folk band Kultur Shock, pan-Latin group Correo Aereo, and the Tiptons Sax Quartet.
I savor occasional “perfect moments” with photography and video. You can find my visual work on YouTube and Vimeo.
My ability to play by ear fueled my thirst for languages. I enjoy chatting in German and most Romance languages, and even dream in Italian. My bi-lingual book of travel stories “Applause for the Bridge” is coming out on More Nocturne Books (Italy) in 2026, coinciding with the 40th year anniversary of my record label and publishing company, Spoot Music, ASCAP.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them? We lose our connection with humanity when we stop listening..
Calming our “inner voices” gives us the opportunity to explore diverse perspectives, to build new alliances. We can recognize the natural beauty that surrounds us. Hearing peoples’ life stories can change assumptions and prejudices. When we can listen, we can learn.
I recommend talking with strangers. We may not always agree, but these chats often lead to unexpected discoveries!
What did suffering teach you that success never could? When I was recovering from appendicitis at age 15, the slip of a surgeon’s scalpel brought me back into the operating room.
They couldn’t find the leak and my blood pressure began to plummet. The surgeon widened the incision.
Horrified, I asked to be put asleep. The nurse told me that it was too dangerous, I’d go into a coma. Eyes bright, she peered down at me on the gurney.
“Don’t worry honey. Pain builds character.”
Ha ha. That was no consolation. I was a teenager and wanted relief right then and there.
But over the years, her words sank in. Surviving that near-death experience gave me strength to endure the full spectrum of discomfort ~ from physical to psychic. Whenever faced with a dire circumstance, my mind conjures up that nurse’s bright eyes and I hear her voice again. “Pain builds character.” It gives me the strength to persevere.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself? The biggest falsehoods that the music industry tells itself (and its consumers):
~ Appearances are important. Since the advent of the advertising industry, American culture has evolved to base value on image, rather than substance. This goes in all industries ~ even medicine tries to hide the symptoms without looking at the cause ~ Most women are unintelligent, over emotional ~ and naturally subservient. Happily, these generalizations are constantly proven wrong. ~ Money brings success. I disagree. Money carries a psychic weight which can destroy sanity and threaten well-being. It allows greed to take over. ~ Music needs to fall in an existing niche to be understood or accepted. In my experience, some of the most moving music ignores convention.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain? My passion for improvisation will stay strong, even if all else disappears.
The best way to survive any unexpected change is with a spirit of improvisation ~ to be resourceful and inventive, using muscle memory and intuition ~ to think “outside the box” to create solutions with what little is left.
Sat 20 September, 2025, 8pm BROOKLYN AD (accordion/voice/etc) + Jessica Lurie (sax/flute/etc) + Ken Butler (etc) Salon Party @ Ken Butler’s loft 427 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn Donations requested.
Mon 22 September, 2025, 5:30pm MANHATTAN ACCORDIONS AROUND THE WORLD Festival Bryant Park, Manhattan Denio solo / Guy Klucevsek Tribute Orchestra! Free!
After arriving in Belgrade Serbia a few days ago, Kultur Shock headlined at the beautiful OK Fest in Tjentiste, Bosnia. Gino and I also jumped onstage with Dubioza Kolektiv for a rousing rendition of Bella Ciao.
After a long hot day in the van yesterday we arrived safely in Zagreb Croatia, guests of Klub Močvara.
Thanks to Kate Olson for the invitation to contribute to Levi Fuller‘s newest Ball o’ Wax release, Volume #71: LOOPS! My little ditty Dunga-Dee is nestled amongst some real gems!
Recorded live with one mic (waving back and forth between my mouth and a floor tom!) on a BOSS RC 300 LoopStation.
My colleague Antonio Murga put out a call for music for his next compilation, with the theme of Genocide. With all that’s going on in the world, I felt overwhelmed, numb, my intuition bound and gagged.
Then I saw it. A world without humans would be eerily quiet and beautiful. I sat down at the piano, and Aftermath took form. The Spanish translation
Offered as a prayer for peace, AFTERMATH (Las Consecuencias) is dedicated to any and all creatures forced to suffer.
Amy Denio & Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto @ The Triple Door / Photo: Dylan Randolph
My composition TRIFEKTA for Jovino Santos Neto’s Quinteto was selected by the Seattle Composers Alliance to be performed at the Triple Door in Seattle for the Live Sessions concert in January. I was thrilled to vocalize with these consummate musicians.
Amy Denio: Composer, Vocalist Jovino Santos Neto: Piano Ben Thomas: Bandoneon Tim Carey: Electric Bass Jeff Busch: Percussion Max Holmberg: Drums
The composition came together when I fed Jovino Santos Neto’s name through my musical alphabet ~ every letter corresponds to a musical note.
The tone row made by “Jovino” spelled out the opening melody on bandoneon, the chord changes in the middle section were informed by “Santos”, which ended up pulsing in a slinky 5/4, and the notes generated by “Neto” fueled my imagination for the chaotic circus at the end, a kind of rave-up Rai waltz.
amydenio 