DUCHESS
Available on CD/Digitally
Sure-footed swing, sweet-toned harmony and ever-insouciant charm are embodied in the new jazz vocal trio Duchess, featuring notable New York singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou. The group’s debut album – Duchess, channels the 1930s inspiration of the virtuosic Boswell Sisters into a wonderfully entertaining and contemporary package. Produced and arranged by Oded Lev-Ari, who helmed previous acclaimed Anzic releases by Cervini and Stylianou, Duchess pairs the vocal trio with an ace New York band: pianist Michael Cabe, bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Matt Wilson, plus saxophonist Jeff Lederer and guitarist Jessie Lewis. The songs of Duchess range from the Peggy Lee number “I Love Being Here With You” and Johnny Mercer’s “P.S. I Love You” to new twists on “Que Sera, Sera” and the indelible standard “I’ll Be Seeing You.” There’s a playful Gershwin rarity with “Blah, Blah, Blah” and a direct Boswell Sisters homage with their arrangement of “Heebie Jeebies.” And there are solo spots for each of the Duchess ladies with “My Brooklyn Love Song” (Gardner), “A Doodlin’ Song” (Cervini) and “Humming to Myself” (Stylianou). A blend of the vintage and the fresh, Duchess is a fizzing cocktail of an album.
Track List
- Love Being Here with You [04:17]
- There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears [03:00]
- Que Sera, Sera [04:12]
- My Brooklyn Love Song [03:41]
- A Doodlin’ Song [02:51]
- A Little Jive Is Good for You [03:47]
- P.S. I Love You [05:46]
- Hummin’ to Myself [03:09]
- It’s a Man [02:50]
- I’ll Be Seeing You [03:20]
- Lollipop [03:11]
- Blah, Blah, Blah [04:51]
- Heebie Jeebies [03:22]
Credits
DUCHESS IS Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou Matt Wilson on drums Paul Sikivie on bass Michael Cabe on piano Jesse Lewis on guitar Jeff Lederer on saxophones Produced by Oded Lev-Ari