Insight
A series in which musicians give us insight into the background of one of their recordings
Duchess
A Marvelous Party
They call it 'A Shindig In Song'. Duchess is a vocal trio from New York; they released their second album A Marvelous Party on the 12th June and it is a swinging album with fine vocal harmonies. Think back to the Boswell Sisters or the Andrews Sisters and you are in the right arena. But the trio are really a quartet with the hidden member being the significant contribution of GRAMMY-nominated composer Oded Lev-Ari. Listen to his arrangement of Nick LaRocca's Tiger Rag for the Three Cohens with the WDR Big Band here.
But back to Duchess - it was Oded who suggested that his wife, Amy Cervini, sing with Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou. Amy says: “Oded was inspired to write custom arrangements for us. His arrangements are tailored for our voices, with this playful, imaginative correspondence between the history of this sort of music and our individual, contemporary sensibilities.” Oded adds: "There is a tradition in big-band composition – particularly with Duke Ellington – that emphasises writing for the individual playing the instrument, not necessarily for the instrument itself. Getting to know the three voices and their range of colours has allowed me to do that with Duchess. I can hear what a specific note would sound like when Melissa sings it versus Amy or Hilary. They’re so in tune with one another that it allows us to explore and experiment even while maintaining that great sound and vibe.”
Duchess first got together in 2013 at Greenwich Village’s now bygone 55 Bar with what had initially seemed like a one-off gig ending up as obvious musical kismet. The trio recorded the studio albums Duchess (2015) and Laughing at Life (2017), prompting Downbeat Magazine to declare, “For a good time, call Duchess.”
A Marvelous Party has a mix of songs, some well known, others new. It opens with This Could Be The Start Of Something Big. Amy says: "We're lucky, because with Oded's writing, a five-piece horn section can sound like a big band, even though we only have to pay five people! Seriously, it's the perfect intro, very 'here we are', Super fun."
One of the new songs is Champagne by contemporary singer-songwriter Kat Edmonson. "A slice of vintage-style pop - the popped cork and clinking glasses at the end of that tune are genuine - from bubbly at the wrap of the sessions."
The penultimate song on the album is the Peggy Lee number Is That All There is? where the trio trade the solo spoken verses and come together for the sung choruses.
Hilary Gardner says: "The world feels different today than it did when we first came on the scene, or maybe it's just that we're different. Kids are growing up. We've all weathered devastating losses of loved ones. Oh, and the planet is on fire ... But there's still joy to be found and shared. As the song goes, 'If that's all there is, my friends, then let's keep dancing / Let's break out the booze and have a ball."
And have a ball they do .... Ain't That A Kick In The Head:
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