Harmony and Hijinks with Duchess

It's a very special happy hour! We're continuing our alphabetic sojourn through the world of cocktails with a bespoke libation: the Duchess, created especially for us by the Jazz Standard's master mixologist (and erstwhile jazz guitarist) Grant Gardner (no relation to Hilary, as far as we can tell). Tune in for the story behind our eponymous tipple, which is (we say immodestly) as effervescent, elegant, and fun at parties as we are.

We are joined by Master Sommelier, drummer, Toto super-fan, and Hilary's erstwhile coworker, Fred Dexheimer for a funny, far-reaching chat about all things Bacchic. Being happy tipplers ourselves, we loved Fred's riffing on the many parallels between enjoying wine and making music. As Hilary can attest from their years working together in restaurants, Fred's no stranger to hijinks, and it's safe to say a good time was had by all when we taped this episode. [Full disclosure: we were drinking rosé THE ENTIRE TIME.]

We are joined by Grammy-nominated songwriter, singer, and educator Kate McGarry for a far-reaching conversation about carrying the weight of our ancestors, being present and generous onstage, creating community, and much more (including sitting in the Kennedy family pew at church during her Massachusetts childhood). Kate is a true singers' singer and a beautiful spirit; her definition of harmony as "energetic alignment" is as elegant as it is concise.

Juno-nominated singer, pianist, songwriter, and radio host Laila Biali chats with us backstage at Birdland before her recent NYC show promoting her new self-titled album. Tune in to hear how a classically trained kid from Vancouver wound up gigging with Sting (and surreptitiously snapping photos during dinner at his Tuscan villa).

Get ready for a master class on singing and life with Grammy-winning vocalist (and all-around beautiful and wise human being) Catherine Russell. Cat has shared the stage with David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and Steely Dan (to name but a few) and, with half a dozen critically acclaimed recordings under her belt, is one of the most dynamic jazz and blues singers of our time. Cat shares insights about how she chooses the songs she sings, the importance of being a musical archaeologist, and the live-saving properties of music. 

We're going to Hollywood! We chat with singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, erstwhile standup comic, and (oh, yeah!) MOVIE STAR Nat Wolff about his childhood music lessons with Duchess's very own Amy Cervini, what it was like growing up in show business, the importance of being nice, and the time he got pranked by Robert De Niro. 

We sit down with singer, actor, radio host, painter, and urbane woman-about-town Jessica Molaskey. In our chat, Jessica shares her lifelong love of Joni Mitchell and Stephen Sondheim, the joys of genre-hopping, and the fine art of trusting one’s intuition.

The Duchess gals discuss winter, winter blues and how to avoid them.

In this week’s episode we discuss a vinyl-only bonus track “Going Home,” Hebrew "R" sound pronunciation, and Dvorak's "From The New World" symphony. Also included is a seldom-heard English Horn imitation by our arranger/producer Oded Lev-Ari. 

We sit down for a long-anticipated chat with one of our favorite people and vocalists, Mr. John Dokes. In true Clark Kent fashion, John is a high-powered business executive by day (after a stint as a marketing exec and comic book creator at Marvel comics, he's now Chief Marketing Officer of Accuweather) and a jazz singer and swing dancer by night. 

The gals of Duchess bid a very fond "bon voyage!" to our friend (and favorite sound man) Josh Wynn. Josh was responsible for not only the sound, but also some very mellifluous announcing for us at a number of gigs at Jazz Standard over the years. He's now north of the border, starting a new chapter in Amy and Melissa's hometown of Toronto, Canada, and we sat down with him for a chat the day before he hit the road.

We're taking a walk down memory lane...in our Doc Martens and ribbon chokers. That's right, we're turning back the clock to the 1990s and our summer jobs. Tune in to hear how Melissa went method for her stint as a Bajoran in a Canadian theme park (yes, really), while Amy and Hilary did time--er, spent time—in Alaska, working for Princess Cruises.

In our first episode of season two, we chat with Canadian vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow. We discuss the arts high school that Emilie-Claire and Amy attended, her week on an ice-breaker in the Arctic, her many cartoon voices and the term "scat."  

A short and sweet update from the ladies of Duchess - Happy Holidays! Look for season 2 coming January 22, 2018. 

We discuss our world premier recording of Vet Boswell's "Dawn," writing tune introductions and a special gift from the Boswell sisters.  This episode is dedicated to Kyla Titus.

In this episode we speak with stylist, organization guru and swimwear line founder, Rachel Wirkus.  Rachel got us thinking about summer with talk of Formes, her new swimwear line and also gives us some tips for organizing our closets.  Speaking of summer, we also talk about our summer plans and playlists.  

In this episode, we catch up with Toronto-based vocalist Heather Bambrick. We discuss the many sides of Heather including her vocal harmony roots, her recent Juno nomination for her latest solo record, her voice-over career (which gets both Melissa and Amy crying) and she teaches us some Newfanese.  We also continue one of our favorite segments, "I'll Drink to That" with the letter "C."

In this week’s episode we talk about the World War II favorite “We'll Meet Again,” Johnny Cash's version and some more beautiful clarinet work by Anat Cohen.  

In this week’s episode we talk about “Here's to the Losers.” We discuss Frank Sinatra's version of the song and how it informed our own, brassy 3-part harmony parts, and arranging as an outdoor activity.  

Kat Edmonton stops by to talk about American Idol, songwriting and her upcoming record. Also, What's New and Favorite Duchess Beers. 

In this week’s episode we talk about Johnny Mercer’s “Strip Polka.” It’s about Queenie, a stripper with a heart of gold and features tenor saxophonist, Jeff Lederer.    

In this week’s episode we talk about “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” by Cole Porter.  We talk about discovering the verse and rediscovering this song, interpretation as a group in a ballad and sing the praises of Cole Porter for the second time this season.    

We discuss the Ray Charles' classic, Hallelujah I Love Her So. 

We discuss Duke Ellington's "Creole Love Call" arranged for us by Wycliffe Gordon.

We catch up with Janis Seigel, founding member of the Manhattan Transfer. 

What do James Bond's Goldfinger and Melissa's rendition of Where Would You Be Without Me have in common? All will be revealed as we continue our song-by-song exploration of Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about the Stylianou vehicle Where Would You Be Without Me. 

Is Amy Cervini "unsentimental?" What influence did Blossom Dearie have on Amy's career? And what do we think of Cole Porter? All this and more is revealed as we continue our song-by-song exploration of Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about Give Him The Oo La La.

We continue our song-by-song exploration of our newly-released album, Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about Stars Fell on Alabama. We talk about special guest Wycliffe Gordon and discuss the arrangement by Oded Lev-Ari. 

We continue our song-by-song exploration of our newly-released album, Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about the Everybody Loves My Baby. We talk about the Boswell Sisters version, our own original lyrics, and special guest Anat Cohen on clarine

We continue our song-by-song exploration of our newly-released album, Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about the title track made famous by Ruth Etting in 1930. Our producer/arranger, Oded Lev-Ari, talks about his concept for the arrangement and some of the tricks he used including inspiration from a thesaurus, Count Basie and Duchess’ own phrasing.

In this episode of "Harmony and Hijinks," the ladies of the vocal trio Duchess interview Grammy-winning vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant. We discuss Cecile's journey as a singer, the Thelonious Monk competition and how, according to Cecile herself, she never wins anything. We also talk about the relationship between Cecile's visual art and her music, as well as feminism and her band, and Cecile answers the Duchess questionnaire. Then, we open some fan mail asking about one of our favorite subjects, food, which leads to reminiscing about our favorite tour meals. The episode closes with a new segment called “I’ll Drink to That,” in which we concoct (and drink, of course!) a favorite cocktail, the Aperol Spritz. 

We're continuing our song-by-song exploration of our newly-released album, Laughing at Life, with this episode's chat about "On the Sunny Side of the Street," penned in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Our producer/arranger, Oded Lev-Ari, shares how the Three Cohens' collective improvisations inspired his arrangement, as well as why he opted not to include the song's original verse for the Duchess rendition of this jazz standard.

The ladies of Duchess (Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou) are joined by arranger/producer Oded Lev-Ari to discuss their sophomore release "Laughing at Life." This episode features the first track on the album "Swing Brother Swing" by Clarence Williams, Lewis Raymond and Walter Bishop.

In this episode of "Harmony and Hijinks," the ladies of the vocal trio Duchess interview Grammy-nominated vocalist, Jane Monheit. They discuss a recent performance at Birdland Jazz Club in New York City, Cole Porter, chasing and arranging songs, bullies, and using your “music words.”  The gals also open some Fan Mail about ancestry and Andrews Sisters and talk about the genius of Jacques Pepin.  Links: Jane Monehit: http://www.janemonheitonline.com Somebody Loves Me, Live at Birdland (from The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wllCYKp-sIY Ill Wind (from The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_OaynVWzQQ More than Words by Extreme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrIiLvg58SY Jacques Pepin (Chicken and Celery Gratin) http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11353-jacques-pepins-basic-roast-chicken  

In this inaugural episode of "Harmony and Hijinks," the ladies of the vocal trio Duchess discuss their path to harmony—musical and otherwise—and set out on an exploration of the idea of harmony across disciplines and practices. The individual members of the trio interview each other, and complete the "Duchess Questionnaire.” True to form, harmony and hijinks ensue.