Duchess, the vocal trio of Melissa Stylianou, Hilary Gardner, and Amy Cervini (left to right in photo above), has been offering up its unique approach to the tradition of vocal harmony singing since 2013. Inspired by the Boswell Sisters and the Andrews Sisters, Duchess has expanded that tradition, adding a modern edge, making it one of the most exciting vocal groups on the scene today. Its fourth album, A Marvelous Party, has just been released on Anzic Records.
To celebrate the album release, Duchess made an appearance at Birdland on June 14 with a rousing set focused primarily on songs from the recording. The trio was accompanied by the band from the album — pianist Michael Cabe, guitarist Jesse Lewis, bassist Matt Aronoff, drummer Jared Schonig, alto/soprano saxophonist Erica von Kleist, tenor saxophonist Jason Rigby, baritone saxophonist Owen Broder, trumpeter Summer Carmago, and trombonist Nick Finzer — giving sprightly life to the arrangements of Oded Lev-Ari.
The three vocalists kicked things off appropriately, as they do on the album, with “This Could Be the Start of Something Big.” As they proceeded through their program, they continued in the same order as the album: “Lucky Day,” “Are You Having Any Fun,” “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” “Enjoy Yourself,” “Hey, Look Me Over,” “It’s All Right With Me,” “Champagne,” “Put on a Happy Face,” “Is That All There Is”, and “Danke Schoen;” while interspersing a few other selections from earlier recordings that fit nicely into the theme of the evening: “Swing! Brother, Swing,” “Here’s to the Losers,” “The Sunny Side of the Street”, and the fitting closer, “I Love Being Here With You.”
The choice of songs was interesting. “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” was a nod toward the Rat Pack, the Frank Sinatra-led cronies from the heyday of Las Vegas, that included Frank, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr and Joey Bishop. As with the Rat Pack, the Duchess performance was full of between song patter, wit, and camaraderie. “Champagne” is a tune by Danton Boller and Kat Edmonson, a witty expression of the seductive power of over-indulging in the bubbly. Their surprising inclusion of the Lieber and Stoller recitative, “Is That All There Is,” notably recorded by Peggy Lee, found them alternating recitations of life situations comprising the lyrics. The band was superb with ample examples of solo artistry throughout.
The program for the Birdland set I attended did not include the song on the album that inspired its title, Noel Coward’s “I Went to a Marvelous Party.” But when the set ended, the audience didn’t miss this omission and rose to give a standing ovation for the marvelous party that Duchess had just hosted.-JOE LANG
https://duchesstrio.bandcamp.com/album/a-marvelous-party
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PHOTO BY DREW REYNOLDS