Duchess - the vocal trio of Hilary Gardner, Melissa Stylianou and Amy Cervini, with arrangements by Oded Lev-Ari - started almost by accident. What began as a seemingly one-off gig at the now-defunct 55 Bar in Greenwich Village turned into an ongoing project, built around close harmony singing inspired by the Andrews Sisters, the Boswell Sisters, and a classic vocal group sound from the 1930s and 40s. They quickly discovered that they had a beautiful blend together, and audiences discovered they were as entertaining as they were musical.
Their last release arrived in March of 2020: a live album recorded at another beloved New York club, the Jazz Standard. It captured Duchess at its most joyful just as live music disappeared. Then came the pandemic, the closing of both the Jazz Standard and the 55 Bar, and six years away from the recording studio.
Now they're back with A Marvelous Party, their fourth full-length album, and first in six years. It’s a record that feels like both a return to form, and a real step forward. On the surface A Marvelous Party it plays like an evening of songs about celebration. Listen a little more closely and you hear three musicians taking stock of where they are in their lives and careers. They refer to it as a concept album, but you certainly don’t need to know the concept to enjoy the sound.
Hilary Gardner told me the making of the project began by asking big questions. "Our time, our resources, everything is more limited,” she said. “So then also running beneath all of this was, 'Well, why? Why are we doing this? What do we have to say?' Because this is hard. So what are we doing and why are we doing it?"
Amy Cervini explained that even the concept for the album evolved over time. "We had actually written a grant to make a Rat Pack Vegas album,” she said. “And as we sat down to talk about making another record, we sort of started there and immediately made a little turn."
Melissa Stylianou says those years away ultimately helped the trio focus its artistic vision. "The time that elapsed and the stages we're at in our lives as artists and as a group led to this album being the most intentional," she said.
What started as a side project has quietly become the center of each of their musical lives.
Cervini said,"Duchess has become my only sort of on-stage performance outlet.”
"Singing with these two ladies is really one of the happiest places I can be,” said Stylianou.
And Hilary Gardner smiled when she realized how much had changed: "Whenever anything's written about you [it begins with] 'Best known for their work with Duchess'.”
A Marvelous Party is out now. You can see and hear my full conversation with Hilary, Melissa and Amy - best known for their work with Duchess - here
