Cilla Owens’ credits include appearances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall....

Cilla Owens’ credits include appearances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, the original Small’s Paradise, Symphony Space, Henry Street Settlement Playhouse, and the legendary Village Gate. She has performed in Switzerland, Germany, the Caribbean, and at various music festivals including Jazzmobile, Blues to Bop, The Newport Summer Fest, and La Fete de la Musique. For several years she performed with the Great Day Chorale, dedicated to the preservation of the Negro Spiritual, under the inimitable direction of master musicologist Louvinia Pointer.

Cilla Owens is presently the Director of the Jazz Vocal Workshop at Hunter College/CUNY, where she earned a second B.A. in Music, and a M.A. in Performance. She is also the founder/director of the Jazzvox Performance Workshop as well as a private vocal coach.

Throughout the years Cilla has had the pleasure of performing with a variety of artists including Lionel Hampton, Bross Townsend, Michael Hill, Bob Cunningham, Tony Lewis, and Babi Floyd. She is a regular at the historic Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village, where she gets to rock the house along with Paul Shapiro’s ‘Ribs And Brisket Revue’. Their CD “Essen” (Tzadik Records) was released last May.

Cilla met pianist/arranger Glafkos Kontemeniotis, bassist Edward Kollar, and drummer Vince “Kazi” McCoy while they were attending Hunter College. Over time this unique trio has combined their musical talents into a blend of outstanding rhythms, unusual and stunningly beautiful harmonies, and clever, thoughtful melodic arrangements. Monk For President has joined Cilla Owens in creating the CD “‘Tis What It Is” (available at CD Baby and Digstation.com), a collaboration which reflects their love of and dedication to
America’s indigenous classical music, Jazz.

Cilla and saxophonist Sylvester “Sly” Scott met while playing on the streets of New York City. She was immediately impressed by his hard driving solo improvisations and sensitive accompaniment. They have been making music together for over a decade.

Monk For President and Sly Scott have joined Cilla Owens in creating the CD “‘Tis What It Is”, a collaboration which reflects their love of and dedication to America’s indigenous classical music, Jazz.

Our version of "My Little Cousin", based on a Benny Goodman Orchestra take-off on the Yiddish classic "Di Grine Kusine". Recorded at a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Cornelia Street Cafe in the summer of 2007. Cilla Owens is featured with bandleader Paul Shapiro, Brian Mitchell, Dave Hofstra and Tony Lew.