Video drops on September 1st, stay tuned!

Kultur Shock Northwest Shocktober Tour!

Thurs 10/9 ANACORTES, WA @ Buxton’s

Fri 10/10 SEATTLE, WA @ Tractor Tavern

Sat 10/11 PORTLAND, OR @ Twilight Cafe

What an honor to be teaching artist-in-residence for Jack Straw Cultural Center’s Blind Youth Audio Project 2026!

Every summer, this program engages blind/low-vision students to create a variety of audio projects, from radio plays to public service announcements to original songs.

Bill Horist and I guided our group of 9 spectacular musicians to craft and record a new song from scratch. Everyone contributed great ideas and lots of energy! The group named themselves The True Ten, and our rap/soul/metal hit “Blood Don’t Fold” came together beautifully.

Deep thanks to Jack Straw Studios, Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, Agostinho Rodrigues Trust, ArtsWA, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, 4Culture, and individual contributors to make this program possible!

You’ll find the song half way down the page, in the third audio block.
https://www.jackstraw.org/youth_project/blind-youth-audio-project-2026/

ENJOY!

I’m doing a solo vocal looping set, a mix of my lovely winsome songs and feral improvisations.

There will be 13 D.I.Y bands playing from 1-9, then they’ll show some films.

My set will start around 4pm.

FUN!

See you there.

Denio in Novi Sad with Kultur Shock.

Photographer unknown.

Looking forward to playing a beautiful collection of Pan-Latin and original music with the brilliant multi-instrumental geniuses in Correo Aereo at the Olympic Sculpture Park on Sunday, August 2 at 1:30pm!

Correo Aereo plays soulfully melodic, richly polyrhythmic World Soul songs to decolonize your mind & celebrate life!

ABEL ROCHA: voice, harp, cuatro, jarana, guitar, etc.
MADELEINE SOSIN: voice, violin, jarana, bombo, maracas.
AMY DENIO: voice, clarinet, accordion.

My bilingual book, Applause for the Bridge, is nearing completion after 10 years of development and will be published (in English and Italian) this fall. The release coincides with the 40th Anniversary of Spoot Music.

I’m currently threshing through the final English draft with my editor, Jane Mabry-Smith, while Ettore Valmassoi and Claudia Mitri are smoothing out my eccentric Italian dialect.

These travel stories contain tales of crossed paths, surprises and synchrony, musical adventures, drudgery and inspiration ~ and everything in between ~ and the power of improvisation to dissolve obstacles.

"Synchronicity is an ever-present reality for those who have eyes to see. " ~ Carl Jung

Photo by Lisa Baruth.

Ready to go on a beautiful audio adventure?

Gefühlswallung! features music by a fabulous new trio, the Hegramatics (Heather Bentley / Greg Campbell & Amy Denio), at the behest of Scott Schaffer (Right Brain Records). Created in honor of our beloved improvising pal harpist Carol Levin who left us too soon.... Several of the tracks feature her wonderful musical spirit.

CLICK HERE to listen.

Gute Reise!

Please tune in to “Cats in our Laps” with Phil Andrus on KPTZ-FM at 8pm PST this evening on KPTZ-FM

I’ll play a few guitar songs live & share some of my favorite compositions published on my Amy Denio/Spoot Music ~ Bandcamp Page.

See you on the radio!

One of the central concepts is to appreciate those rare and fleeting "perfect moments" ~ when everything comes into balance. Spaulding Gray spoke of this in his movie Swimming to Cambodia ~ and blasted open my doors of perception. Maybe equilibrium does exist, albeit briefly, in the elegant chaos of this universe. From then on, I kept my eyes peeled for perfect moments. The feeling could be fueled by any of my senses.

Rob Breszny’s description of KAIROS fits in beautifully:

“The perfect, delicate, crucial moment; the fleeting ripeness of time and place that creates the opportune atmosphere for action or change.”

And so I hope: May the natural forces of kairos inspire compassionate acts ~ and create change fueled by love instead of fear and loathing.

Photo by Amy Denio.

There were a more than a few mishaps along the way, but improvisation is the key to survival, right?

A few highlights:

The tour van’s rear window shattered when we (gently) closed the door in Skopje, but we’d packed some folded cardboard boxes “just in case”, and that very evening had grabbed some gaffer’s tape from the stage by mistake, so it all worked out fine

Val’s wife Lana ended up in a Bulgarian hospital a week into the tour ~ and needed Val’s care urgently. The tour teetered on complete cancellation until our pal Stevan “Šarki” Radoičić stepped up to the plate. In one day he managed to arrange his work schedule AND pass the audition, playing almost every song without a second thought. Happily, Lana recuperated quickly, so Val rejoined us in Frankfurt, so we had two guitars for the rest of the tour.

The backline (amps & drums) we rented for the second half of the tour filled the entire van, so we had to improvise another solution ~ and after three valiant attempts everything fit in just fine! We are now Tetrus experts!

ENJOY MY PHOTOS & VIDEOS posted on Flickr.com

Check out my Instagram Page

Check out Gino’s beautiful short movie about the tour

Last day of tour, Budapest, Hungary.

KULTUR SHOCK: 30 YEARS OF OPPTIMIZM TOUR

08/04 - (BULGARIA) Sofia - Stroeja
09/04 - (BULGARIA) Plovdiv ~ Undercity
10/04 - (TURKEY) Istanbul - Roxy
11/04 - (TURKEY) Eskişehir - Izole
12/04 - (TURKEY) Ankara - 6:45 KK
13/04 - day off/drive
14/04 - (GREECE) Thessaloniki - 8-Ball
15/04 - (N. MACEDONIA) Skopje - MKC
16/04 - (SERBIA) Belgrade - Zappa Barka
17/04 - (SERBIA) Novi Sad - SKC Fabrika
18/04 - (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA) Sarajevo - Dom Mladih Skenderija
19/04 - MONTENEGRO Podgorica - CKZ Ribnica
20/04 - day off/drive
21/04 - (CROATIA) Rijeka - Impulse festival - Pogon Kulture
22/04 - (CROATIA) Zagreb - Vintage Industrial Bar
23/04 - (SLOVENIA)- Ljubljana - Gala Hala
24/04 - (AUSTRIA) Vienna - U4
25/04 - (GERMANY) Stuttgart - Kulturquartier-Proton
26/04 - day off/drive
27/04 - (GERMANY) Frankfurt - Das Bett
28/04 - (GERMANY) Munich - Backstage club
29/04 - (GERMANY) Berlin - SO36
30/04 - (GERMANY) Monheim am Rhein - Sojus 7
01/05 - (POLAND) Krakow - Klub RE
02/05 - (HUNGARY) Budapest - Stenk

Concert #2 in Plovdiv was on the miracle end of the spectrum, as the owner of the original venue booked had major surgery the same day as our concert, so asked another venue to take up the reins at the last minute.

Our concert at Roxy in Istanbul, Turkey was packed with friends and enthusiastic new fans, in Eskesehir the audience went from chill and observant to thrilled. After an overlong soundcheck in a freezing room, our show at the 6:45 club Ankara was over the top (and at the highest altitude ~ about 1000 meters / 3,000 feet).

The next day we arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece after a 14-hour drive. It was orthodox Easter Monday, so most restaurants were closed by the time we crossed the Turkish/Greek border. But we hopped off the highway into a little village to make new friends over pizza and beer in a friendly taverna before the final leg…

I Rock the Fez (at Stroeja Club in Sofia)

Visual Tour Diary #1: Bulgaria and Turkey

We can’t wait to see you again. 💓

22 Concerts, 14 Countries, 11,000 kilometers… Wheeeeeeee!

But this year Spoot Music celebrates 40 years of D.I.Y. existence ~ and is still going strong. More Nocturne Books (Abruzzo, Italy) will publish my book of travel adventures to celebrate it all. I’ve enjoyed creating maps and culling photos ~ and penning lots of crazy stories with the help of my editor Jane Mabry-Smith and many others. Danijel Žeželj is designing the cover.

Meanwhile, enjoy this fun interview with Michael Frank for Deutschlandfunk.

The broadcast streams for free, with no cookies until Wednesday 1 April, 2026.

May music divert the riptide of fascism.

Patagonia, August 2000. Photo: Amy Denio.

Weds 18 Feb: DENMARK: Copenhagen ~ Jazz Vinterfest
Thurs. 19 Feb: GERMANY: Nurenberg ~ Zum Tellerrand
Fri 20 Feb: AUSTRIA: Tirol ~ Workshop, Theater im Sudhaus
Sat 21 Feb: ITALY: Mestre (VE) ~ Hotel Bologna
Sun 22 Feb: ITALY: Pieve di Cadore (BL) ~ COS.MO
Mon 23 Feb: ITALY: Prato (PR) ~ Teatro Metastasio
Tues 24 Feb: ITALY: Montisi (SI) ~ Il Barrino Sala del Cinema SPAR
Thurs 26 Feb: GERMANY: Chemnitz ~ Welltecho
Fri 27 Feb: GERMANY: Pohrsdorf (bei Tharand bei Dresden) ~ Saxstall
Sat 28 Feb: GERMANY: Landshut ~ Die Zentrale zum Riebelwirt
Sun 1 Mar: GERMANY: Geretsried ~ Hinterhalt
Tues 3 Mar: CROATIA: Zagreb ~ Workshop & Concert at Mocvara
Weds 4 Mar: GERMANY: Munich (private party)
Thurs 5 Mar: AUSTRIA: Salzburg ~ JAZZIT
Fri 6 Mar: CROATIA: Pula ~ Jazzbina Klub Kotač
Sat. 7 Mar: SLOVENIA: Ilirska Bistricia ~ MKNZ

• Amy Denio: Alto Sax, Clarinet, Voice
• Jessica Lurie: Soprano, Alto & Tenor Sax, Voice
• Sue Orfield: Tenor Sax, Voice
• Tina Richerson: Baritone Sax, Voice
• Robert Kainar: Drums, Percussion

It reminds me of touring Italy with percussionist Giorgio Rizzo 20 years ago ~ we played 14 concerts from Sicily to Torino and back. Our adventures included dealing with a general strike of all truck drivers, described in my forthcoming book, Applause for the Bridge: “After meeting up in Catania, we hopped into Giorgio’s car and hit the road. We pinged all over the boot like we were inside a pinball machine, reaching the foothills of the Alps to play Torino before propelling our way back south. Following the Garmin navigation system’s directions, we threaded through labyrinthine cities and small villages. We felt very modern!

It was December, and the winter light added a dreamlike quality to our arduous journey. The views were spectacular, we got along well, and our improvisations were well received. Plus every meal was phenomenal ~ courses after courses of home-made heaven. Food is mood. We survived just fine.

Toward the end of this journey, commercial truckers went on strike nationwide. Not only did they refuse to deliver any goods, they blocked many highway entrances. In a few short days, gas stations and grocery stores were shuttered and empty, hospitals ran out of medicine and supplies, and emergency services were in crisis. Capitalism was floundering in a perfect storm.

We had to cancel our last two concerts and improvise our way south on side roads, praying that ferries to Sicily were still operational ~ and they were! Two weeks and thousands of kilometers later, we got back to Catania long after midnight.”

Tell your Senator and Congressional Representative — red or blue — if they vote to continue this funding, they will not get your vote in the midterms. Post a message on social media and tag them. This is the most effective way to let your voice count.

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Coast Salish wisdom holds that death is not the end, nor something to fear. It is the Great Change that comes to us all.

Current events compel me to share this story:

To our dismay, our friend King Leah Gold's cancer had metastasized and she had gone into a coma. Yet she stirred when I held her hand...

She passed on a few hours later, provoking a vision: I could see her soul unfolding to reach its full potential ~ now free from pain and the trappings of mortal existence. To this day my love for her stays strong, and her presence in my consciousness is undiminished.

This experience inspired me to compose UNTRAPT.

With the increasing noise floor surrounding us on all sides, I invite you to put on some headphones and join me on this audio journey.

Just made a press release about the project ~ and unearthed some juicy press quotes. :)

Amy Denio: Tutto Bene Volume II

Now available on Spoot Music’s Bandcamp, and soon streaming worldwide!

Internationally acclaimed, award-winning composer Amy Denio returns with Tutto Bene Volume II, a kaleidoscopic collection of compositions that celebrate her unmatched versatility and fearless creativity. Known for her four-octave vocal range, lush harmonies, and genre-defying sound, Denio’s music spans continents and cultures, weaving jazz, avant-garde, world music, and experimental soundscapes into one cohesive and powerful expression.

The upcoming CD release on Klanggalerie Records (Austria) brings Denio’s adventurous artistry to a broader international audience. The album highlights her collaborative spirit, featuring performances by Correo Aéreo, Jovino Santos Neto Quintetto, Steve Kirk, and Tara Forth—each contributing their unique textures to Denio’s dynamic compositions.

Listeners are encouraged to explore and share “Earth Slows Down”, “Dublin”, and “Trifekta”—three standout tracks perfectly suited for radio play.

Amy Denio is available for interviews.
For press inquiries or to schedule a conversation, please contact her directly at amydenio [at] gmail [dot] com.

Selected Press Quotes

1. “Amy Denio is one of America’s most inventive composer-performers—her music always surprises, delights, and defies categories.” — The Wire (UK)

2. “Denio’s voice is an instrument of infinite possibilities—soaring, whispering, laughing, commanding.” — All About Jazz

3. “Her fearless creativity and irreverent humor make her one of the most original voices in modern music.” — DownBeat

4. “She brings the accordion into realms of expression that are downright revolutionary.” — Accordion Times (Italy)

5. “A singular visionary whose work bridges continents and genres with effortless grace.” — Seattle Times

6. “Denio’s music feels alive—rooted in the world, but always bursting toward something new.” — The Guardian

7. “An astonishing performer whose energy and curiosity transform every stage she steps onto.” — Le Monde (France)

8. “Her compositions shimmer with joy, melancholy, and fierce intelligence.” — New Music Box

9. “Amy Denio’s accordion playing is a revelation—it sings, sighs, and dances with spirit.” — Musician Magazine

10. “A fearless boundary-crosser whose music redefines what modern global fusion can be.” — NPR Music

***

But first, let’s meet up in Seattle ~

Saturday January 3: A Heard Mentality @ The Chapel at Good Shepherd Center ~ 7:30pm

Friday January 23: AD Solo accordion / Filet Trio @ Coco Legato ~ 7:30

***
Last night I completed a little pentatonic accordion ditty that came to me while busking on the streets of Taipei ~ now fleshed out into a bona fide love song for my better half, Gritspappy (more on Wo Ai Ni ~ soon).

But this morning It occurred to me that (most of us) are surviving another pandemic, this time political.

My prayer for the new year:
May the monstrous momentum of this plague be subverted ~ to plant seeds of peace.

***

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.

RSVP

I’ll be there to chat and answer any questions you might have.

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HAPPY NEW EARS!

The second volume of my accordion-driven compositions Tutto Proprio Bene will come out on Bandcamp on 1/1/2026, then distributed on CD by Klanggalerie Records (Vienna, Austria) in early Spring.

Earth Slows Down 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.

My arrangement for the Tiptons Sax Quartet can be heard on our album Tiny Lower Case (Sowiesound 2014).

In October 2025 I re-recorded the song on the original instruments for public enjoyment.