Amy Denio shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
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.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amydenio.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydenio2/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydenio
- Twitter: https://x.com/amydenio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.denio/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/deniaural
- Other: https://amydenio.substack.com/
Image Credits
Amy Denio Jon Davis Alen Zulich Krk Nordenstrom
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
