Duchess, founded in 2013 by New York singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou, has already been anointed by jazz critics. The group just placed second in the JazzTimes Critic’s Poll in the company of legends Take 6, New York Voices, and The Manhattan Transfer. Inspired by the music of the 1930’s and the virtuosic Boswell Sisters, they’ve created a wonderfully entertaining and contemporary package. With two critically acclaimed albums on Anzic Records under their belts, The New Yorker had this to say about this enchanting group: “(they) whip up music that traffics in delight!” What more could you ask for?
Amy Cervini, Toronto-bred and New York-based, released her 5th solo album No One Ever Tells You on Anzic. She has performed around the world from Jerusalem to Monterey in concert halls and jazz clubs from Carnegie Hall to The Jazz Standard. The All Music Guide recommends her recordings for the “honest, self-assured and honey-dripping presence clearly heard.”
Hilary Gardner began her career singing in dive bars in her native Wasilla, Alaska and singing along with records by Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, and Joni Mitchell. Trying her luck in New York in 2003, her eclectic path has included commercial jingles, guesting with Jeff Goldblum at Café Carlyle, a cameo on a Moby record, and performing the national anthem at CitiField for New York Mets. In 2010 she appeared on Broadway in Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away and, more recently, sang (and she notes wore a fabulous dress) in Errol Morris’ critically acclaimed Netflix documentary-drama, Wormwood.
Melissa Stylianou, is a Toronto native and, like her mates, a New York transplant. She has five discs to her credit now. The most recent, No Regrets, recorded live on Anzic, teamed her with pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Linda Oh, drummer Matt Wilson, clarinetist Anat Cohen and saxophonist Billy Drewes. She has sung in New York at Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, Joe’s Pub, Blue Note, Birdland and Jazz Standard and performed with Joel Frahm, John Hart, Orlando le Fleming, Helen Sung, Gene Bertoncini and others. Stylianou like her Duchess colleagues is a dedicated teacher, giving classes for young children and adults at the 92nd Street Y.
Litchfield Jazz Festival welcomes Duchess for their first appearance here
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