Episode 34: "D is for Duchess," with our pal/mixologist Grant Gardner

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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.

The master mixologist in his element: Grant Gardner mixing the Duchess cocktail for our podcast. We work HARD, you guys.

THE DUCHESS COCKTAIL:

Build in a wine glass full of ice:

• 1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters

• 1.5 oz Lillet

• 0.75 oz Aperol

• 3 oz sparkling wine (prosecco/cava works)

• Sip and enjoy like the sophisticate you are!

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 

CLICK HERE to reserve your spot at our upcoming show at the Jazz Standard...and make sure you order a Duchess when you're there!

Episode 33: "Feel the burn!" Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer rocks our wine world.

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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.]

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FRED'S WINE PICKS:

Being both a sommelier and a musician, Fred knows how to read the room: he chose a rosé and a Prosecco rosé for us to drink during this taping. The Barrymore rosé is from Monterey, CA...and Duchess sang at the Monterey Jazz Festival...wearing pink! Coincidence? WE THINK NOT.

Above: effervescent, delightful, the pink of perfection, and just right for summer! (Oh, and the wine was good, too.) Thanks for the hooch, Fred!

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CHEERS!

We had the best time hanging with Fred. Stay tuned for his podcast, coming soon!

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRED DEXHEIMER:

• Fred's website
• What's a Master Sommelier, anyway!?

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

A signature cut by Fred’s favorite band, Toto.

In the least surprising news ever, Fred’s first karaoke song was “White Wedding,” by Billy Idol. With the help of four (!) gin & tonics, he brought the house down.

After a little bit (a lot) of rosé, we may all have found ourselves (badly) singing this classic tune during this episode’s taping.

Episode 32: "I'll do my best to free them, but first I want to see them," with guest Kate McGarry

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IN THIS EPISODE:

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.

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THE HERO'S JOURNEY

Kate mentioned going through a "hero's journey" when making a recording (Hilary identifies more with "stomach-churning neurosis," but "hero's journey" has a much better ring to it). Kate's analogy is perfect: the creative process is a journey, and we hope this graphic is helpful to you the next time you're about to start something new!

LEARN MORE ABOUT KATE MCGARRY:

• katemcgarry.com
• Check out this Duchess-curated Spotify playlist of Kate's music!

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Check out this moving rendition of Kate’s deeply personal original composition, “Climb Down,” accompanied by her husband, guitarist Keith Ganz.

The great Rumi poem, interpreted by the outstanding vocal group, Moss. (Theo Bleckmann, Peter Eldridge, Kate McGarry & Luciana Souza).

“Chaka Khan—Chaka Khan—Chaka Khan!” The Prince-penned hit guaranteed to make Kate dance. (Us too, Kate. Us, too.)

Episode 31: "Malleability, focus, and...fun!" with guest Laila Biali

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IN THIS EPISODE:

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).

RADIO DAYS...

Laila's mother woke the kids up on Sunday mornings with the CBC's opera broadcasts, whereas Melissa tuned in at night. Fast-forward to today: you can catch Laila spinning jazz (HER WORDS) as the host of Saturday Night Jazz on CBC Music. Tune in HERE!

LEARN MORE ABOUT LAILA BIALI:

• lailabiali.com

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Check out this Duchess-curated playlist of some of Laila's music!

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Episode 30: "I'd be nowhere without my friends," with guest Catherine Russell

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IN THIS EPISODE:

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 life-saving properties of music. 

RENAISSANCE WOMAN

From playing the tuba to studying theatre, Catherine Russell has done it all. The jazz world is very happy to have Catherine in its midst these days, but Catherine's also shared the stage with some of pop and rock music's biggest names, as shown in the photo below. 

Clockwise from top: Catherine taking a curtain call with David Bowie; backing up Donald Fagan with her harmonious cohorts Carolyn Leonhart and LaTanya Hall; swinging in style with Michael Feinstein; on the road with Steely Dan; rocking out with Cyndi Lauper.

MAKING A JOYFUL NOISE...

Our very own Melissa Stylianou regularly sings the Jazz Vespers at St. Peter's Church here in NYC, as does Catherine from time to time. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT CATHERINE RUSSELL:

• Dig this Duchess-curated Spotify playlist of Catherine's music!
• Catherine's website!

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Some Catherine Russell family home movies, featuring a childhood encounter with none other than Louis Armstrong, for whom her father, Luis Russell, was musical director.

This bawdy, playful tune made us all blush…and we love it.

IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR...

Catherine’s father, Panama-born bandleader and pianist Luis Russell.

We can’t be sure if Catherine’s mother, Carline Ray, is the guitarist in this particular video, but we know that Carline (a multi-instrumentalist and wonderful singer) performed extensively with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a groundbreaking all-women orchestra.

Episode 29: "Always being the cute little kid is not good for you," with guest Nat Wolff

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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. 

BLAST FROM THE PAST:

HOW did Duchess manage to snag an interview with Nat Wolff, you may ask? Well, Amy was Nat and his brother Alex's piano and voice teacher waaaay back when they were filming their Nickelodeon series, The Naked Brothers Band. They even performed music together at 55 bar...and we've got the photos to prove it!

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Below, check out the trailer for Paper Towns, starring Nat Wolff and supermodel/actress Cara Delavigne. Hilary and Melissa watched this together on their flight home from the Jerusalem Jazz Festival. 

Nat speaks at length with us in this episode about his admiration for author John Green. Judging from the clip below, the feeling is completely mutual.

Below: the jam guaranteed to get Nat dancing. Us too, Nat. Us, too.

Episode 28: "Laughing and crying, you know it's the same release," with guest Jessica Molaskey

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IN THIS EPISODE:

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. 

RENAISSANCE WOMAN

Jessica is an accomplished painter: for her most recent album, "Portraits of Joni," she recreated a painting of Joni Mitchell's. We are blown away by Jessica's artwork!

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Jessica and John co-host Radio Deluxe, a radio program that brings a touch of old New York elegance and wit to the airwaves. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT JESSICA MOLASKEY:

• jessicamolaskey.com

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Check out this Duchess-curated playlist of some of Jessica's solo endeavors, as well as her collaborations with her husband, jazz guitarist/singer John Pizzarelli! 

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A COUNTRY GETAWAY...

Jessica told us all about her family's country house in beautiful upstate New York, and it got us thinking...what about a Duchess retreat? A leafy, lakeside idyll just for the three of us gals...we've got our outfits all picked out! Now we just need the canoe and, well, the country house!

Episode 27: Beating the Winter Blues

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IN THIS EPISODE:

The Duchess gals discuss winter, the winter blues, and how to avoid them. SPOILER: food is our favorite coping mechanism. Another surefire way to beat the winter blues? Comedy! 

SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE MOST...

Sure, maybe this shot looks like it was taken in the depths of December, but it was from March 21st (the second day of spring, incidentally!) when the fourth nor'easter in just three weeks descended upon NYC just in time for our show at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola. Fortunately, our hardy fans persevered and we enjoyed a sold-out show!

The view from atop Jazz at Lincoln Center...it snowed throughout both sets...

...but a swinging, hilarious band and lots of #girlongirlharmony are the best way to keep winter blues at bay!

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" is now on Netflix. Each episode is a brief, hilarious respite from the winter doldrums. Check out a scene from one of our favorite episodes, below.

Craving a cozy recipe for these last days of chilly weather? We turn to Ina Garten for inspiration! (Sorry about the cheese, Melissa.)

BLAST FROM THE PAST:

A camping/halibut fishing excursion from Hilary's childhood in Alaska. Sure, she looks like she's having fun, but here's how she feels about the Great Outdoors now: "If you ever see me standing in a river, in need of a shampoo and trying to catch my dinner, something has befallen me! Something has gone terribly wrong!"

Episode 26: Laughing at Life, BONUS Track! "Going Home"

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We're joined by our producer/arranger extraordinaire, Oded Lev-Ari, as we discuss his arrangement of "Going Home," available exclusively on the vinyl edition of "Laughing at Life." After Oded tutors us on perfecting the rolled Israeli "R" (spoiler: Hilary and Melissa aren't very good at it), we segue into a discussion of how and why a Dvorak composition found its way into the Duchess repertoire.

BLAST FROM THE PAST:

A couple of shots from Oded's magical performance at Greenwich House in February, 2017, in which Duchess premiered his arrangement of "Going Home." Photos by Bradley Bambarger.

WHERE TO BUY LAUGHING AT LIFE:

• Anzic Store (Support our amazing indie label! VINYL, CDs, & digital formats available AND you'll get free shipping!)
• iTunes
• Amazon

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Check out the breadth and variety of some different versions of "Going Home" in the clips below: the original orchestral context, a choral version, and a swinging Stanley Turrentine rendition.

Episode 25: He leaves us breathless...with guest John Dokes

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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. 

How does John make it all work? Well, he's got a couple of superpowers. Tune in to hear how listening and being present are indispensable skills in the boardroom and on the bandstand.

Businessman by day, charismatic singer and dancer by night. John Dokes is a superhero!

John and Melissa couldn't resist cutting a rug after taping this episode.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JOHN DOKES:

• johndokes.com

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Treat your ears to this Duchess-curated playlist, featuring John Dokes and other velvet-toned, swinging crooners!

JOHN DOKES & DAWN HAMPTON: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Musical simpatico doesn't get deeper or more joyful than what John and Dawn embodied when they danced to Count Basie's "Splanky." 

Dawn Hampton dances with John Dokes under the music of George Gee and His Swing Orchestra, Spanish Ballroom, Glen Echo, Maryland, January 16, 2010

Episode 24: "That dried-out Kraft Single is why I'm moving to Canada!" With guest Josh Wynn

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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, and we sat down with him for a chat the day before he hit the road.

We cover a lot of ground in this episode, discussing plaid, politeness, and sexism. (SPOILER: we're against it. Sexism, that is. We all love plaid and politeness.)

PARTING GIFTS:

We couldn't send Josh away empty-handed!

An indispensable instruction manual, plus "Duchess of Sassytown" socks, because those are indispensable, too. 

We'll miss you, Josh! And you'll be our first call for sound & announcing whenever we're singing in Canada!

DEEP CUT FROM THIS EPISODE:

This NY Times op-ed by Lindy West might make you applaud, it might make you angry, and it will almost certainly make you think. 

via GIPHY

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BEING CANADIAN:

Here are just a few things that Josh has to look forward to as he begins his new adventure in Toronto!

Plaid, Canadian beer, sturdy mugs, and politeness...sounds good, eh?

Episode 23: "Sir, I'm wearing a name tag and a bow tie."

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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.

YOU'VE GOT TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT...

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Put on your dancing pants for this week's 1990s-themed playlist. Amy and Melissa picked the Canadian artists, while Hilary's heart belongs to New Jack Swing and the Bad Boy era of hip-hop.

L to R: Melissa, in character at Canada's Wonderland; Amy on the bandstand of the Love Boat; Hilary, decked out in full powerless-18-year-old-customer-service-representative regalia.

Episode 22: "You just scat all over that!" With guest Emilie-Claire Barlow

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Thanks to the power of social media, Duchess learned that we were on tour in Toronto at the same time as Juno award-winning Canadian vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow. On the floor of our hotel room (with Bugles aplenty, natch), we had a ball chatting with Emilie-Claire, who has been a professional musician since she was in the single digits, beginning as a session singer in her native Toronto.

In this, the first episode of season two, we cover a lot of ground: the joys and challenges of arranging, the perils of perfectionism, and why Emilie-Claire is in love with Oaxaca. We also discuss the arts high school Emilie-Claire and Amy both attended, as well as Emilie's week on an ice-breaker in the Arctic, her many carton voices, and the term "scat." (To be more specific: we giggle about the word's etymological relationship to poop. We are only grown-ups on the outside, it seems.)

This photo may appear to be blurry, but in truth, it was perhaps the four of us who were a bit blurry...we were on tour, after all.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EMILIE-CLAIRE BARLOW:

• http://emilieclairebarlow.com

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Treat your ears to this Duchess-curated podcast of some of our favorite Emilie-Claire Barlow recordings!

Emilie-Claire is hilarious and the quintessential good sport. Check out her brilliant response to a few bad apples in the YouTube comments section.

Episode 21: Laughing at Life, track by track! "Dawn"

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IN THIS EPISODE:

We discuss our world-premiere recording of Vet Boswell's composition, "Dawn," Oded lets us in on how he writes such beautiful instrumental introductions, and we give thanks for a very special gift from the Boswell Sisters. 

DEDICATED TO...

Kyla Titus is the granddaughter of Vet Boswell and a huge supporter of #girlongirlharmony. We met Kyla a few years ago in New Orleans, when we traveled to the Crescent City to celebrate the Bozzies with vocal groups from around the world, and a fast friendship was born.

Kyla's written a wonderful book about the Boswell Sisters, aptly titled The Boswell Legacy. Kyla, we are so grateful to know you and we thank you for sharing the rich, glorious musical tradition of the Bozzies with us! Today's episode is dedicated to you. 

Kyla, we love you! Thank you for everything!

FUN FACT GLEANED FROM TRYING ON VINTAGE GLOVES:

Hilary has the largest hands, but only Melissa can claim a 3/4-sized thumb.

5 & 3/4 thumbs up!

WHERE TO BUY LAUGHING AT LIFE:

• Anzic Store (Support our amazing indie label! You can buy a hard copy or download, AND you'll get free shipping!)
• iTunes
• Amazon

HOW WE CAME TO DEBUT A COMPOSITION BY VET BOSWELL...

Vet's granddaughter, Kyla, sent us the sheet music for a never-before-performed song written by Vet, Oded wrote a beautiful arrangement, and voila! A world premiere of a never-before-heard Boswell Sisters song was born. 

Vet Boswell, pictured above, composed "Dawn" with her husband.

ANOTHER GIFT FROM KYLA & THE BOZZIES...

How amazing are these stage gloves, owned and worn by the Boswell Sisters themselves? We get a thrill whenever we show them to our audiences.

Episode 20: "Flaunt your Formes," with guest Rachel Wirkus

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IN THIS EPISODE:

We speak with stylist, organization guru, and swimwear line founder & CEO, Rachel Wirkus. Rachel gets us thinking about summer with talk of Formes, her new swimwear line, and she also shares some tips for organizing our closets. With summer's balmy temps and beach days on the brain, we also talk about our summer plans and playlists.

RACHEL'S CLOSET WISDOM

Rachel gave us some great pointers to get our closets organized. You'll have to listen to the full podcast to get her complete list of tips, but here are a few to get you started:

Photo credit: Jenny Norris

1. Separate your seasons: fall/winter and spring/summer clothes should be stored together. When the seasons change, you'll feel as though you went shopping!

2. Rows, not piles: instead of stacking clothes in your drawers, fold and store them in rows. That way, you can clearly see everything in each drawer.

3. Color coordinate: white t-shirts, blue jeans, black sweaters, you get the idea. You'll have a much clearer picture of what you own when you group like colors together.

RACHEL AT WORK...

From styling celebs like Liv Tyler to designing her own signature line of swimwear to helping (ahem) singers look their best for press photos, Rachel Wirkus can truly do it all!

LEARN MORE ABOUT RACHEL WIRKUS:

• Rachel's website
• Formes swimwear
• Rachel's Instagram

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE (or, what's in heavy rotation on our playlists this summer):

Amy's rocking out to some Led Zeppelin IV this summer.

Melissa's 4 year old son is digging Michael Jackson these days, so they'll be hearing lots of this song on their upcoming summer road trips.

Hilary's summer jams are filled with the Bay Area groove of Sly & the Family Stone. 

A BLAST FROM THE PAST...

Hilary. High school pep rally. Can you feel her excitement?

Episode 19: "Stay where's you to, 'till I comes where you're at!" With guest Heather Bambrick

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We head to Toronto for laughter and (believe it or not, tears) with the marvelous singer and voice actor Heather Bambrick. We discuss Heather's Newfoundland roots, her early years in vocal harmony groups, her recent Juno nomination, her voiceover career, and she even teaches us some Newfanese.

Before she jumped into the singer's life, Heather very nearly went into law. "I like to argue and I like to be right," she told us. From tales of her beginnings in vocal harmony to the touching story of how her aunt's passing led to the recording of her Juno-nominated solo release, "You'll Never Know," Heather offered lots of wit and wisdom. One of our favorite tidbits? This gem: "Come from an open, honest place when you're a performer." Amen, sister. 

Bookending our interview with Heather is one of our favorite segments, "I'll Drink to That." We're making our way through the alphabet one tipple at a time, and this episode features the letter "C."

I'LL DRINK TO THAT!

C is for champagne...which, frankly, is a little pricey. We opt, instead, for cava, cider, and prosecco (which does not start with "c" but does have two "c's" in it. Hilary draws on her many (!) years of waitressing to demonstrate how to open a bottle of bubbles quietly and, most importantly, without putting someone's eye out with a flying cork. 

Cin-cin, santé, bottoms up...whatever your toast, it's party time!

Safety first!

LEARN MORE ABOUT HEATHER BAMBRICK:

• http://www.heatherbambrick.ca/

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Heather Bambrick performs Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore" from her debut recording "It's About Time" - featuring sax solo by Mike Murley

A gorgeous track from Heather's Juno-nominated solo release, "You'll Never Know."

Heather is the voice of Daniel's mother in the hit kids' series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Here's the scene that brought Melissa to tears, which in turn set Amy crying...let the record show that neither Heather nor Hilary cried during this broadcast!

Duchess loves Heather Bambrick! This shot was taken this spring at the Jazz Bistro in Toronto, where Heather sat in with us for a four-part-harmony rendition of "Que Sera, Sera."

Episode 18: Laughing at Life, track by track! "We'll Meet Again"

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In this week's episode, we talk about our interpretation of the World War II favorite "We'll Meet Again," Johnny Cash's version, and some more beautiful clarinet work from Anat Cohen. Oh, and there is a bit of fond reminiscing about cuddling in the studio. You've been warned (bow-chicka-wow-wow).

A SONG FOR THE AGES

The music of WWII carries a special poignancy for those who lived through it. This Washington Post article by Fred Barbash on British songstress Dame Vera Lynn shines a light on how meaningful and powerful a song can be:

To fully fathom the meaning of Vera Lynn to the British, you have to picture a British soldier, in the depths of Britain’s despair at the outset of World War II, hunkered down somewhere in North Africa, wondering how, if ever, it would end and whether, if ever, he’d get home.

“We were very lucky,” said one such soldier, William Pitcher, in a 1996 oral history. “All the war, even the worst of times, we had a good short wave radio system. In fact, I can remember it was desert, we’d, in the nighttime, on Saturday nights when Vera Lynn come on we’d get the radio off the truck and we’d cover ourselves up with tarp and turn it on. And we’d listen to Vera sing to the troops on a Friday night, on the radio.”

Vera Lynn singing for (and, it appears, with) the troops in WWII.

WHERE TO BUY LAUGHING AT LIFE:

• Anzic Store (Support our amazing indie label! You can buy a hard copy or download, AND you'll get free shipping!)
• iTunes
• Amazon

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Johnny Cash's version, like ours, includes some sweet clarinet.

The classic version by Great Britain's Vera Lynn. Fun fact: Decca released a compilation of Lynn's wartime recordings to commemorate her 100th birthday, and she became the oldest person to ever have an album chart! Truly timeless.

Episode 17: Laughing at Life, track by track! "Here's to the Losers"

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IN THIS EPISODE:

We swoon over Sinatra (who doesn't!?), whose version of "Here's to the Losers" informed our own, brassy, three-part harmony version. Oded also discusses his arranging techniques, which include quality time in the great outdoors and ideas coming to him in his sleep. 

DUCHESS LOVES FRANK...

We first sang "Here's to the Losers" with a big band at the Sinatra-thon, a celebration of Sinatra's centennial. We loved the song and Oded's arrangement so much, we knew we had to put it on our album. Photo credit: Stephen Sorokoff

Swoon...

Is it any wonder the Duchess gals are smitten? Frank Sinatra was the epitome of cool. 

WHERE TO BUY LAUGHING AT LIFE:

• Anzic Store (Support our amazing indie label! You can buy a hard copy or download, AND you'll get free shipping!)
• iTunes
• Amazon

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Sinatra's version of "Here's to the Losers," arranged by Marty Paich.

A ridiculously swinging chart by the great Billy May. 

Arranged by Nelson Riddle, whose swinging charts for Sinatra introduced Oded to the world of arranging. 

Episode 16: "The Perfect Patsy," with guest Kat Edmonson

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Whoo, nelly, do we ever cover a lot of ground! We begin by sharing a little bit of what we have all been watching and listening to in the world of podcasts (Amy), Netflix (Melissa), and Amazon Prime (Hilary). Then we dive headlong into a chat with the enchanting and brilliant Kat Edmonson. We love singing with Kat and are thrilled to have provided some background vocals for her upcoming release on Sony Masterworks (stay tuned for more info on that!). 

Kat tells us how being super focused and dedicated to the hustle of the music business has enabled her to, in her words, "live out [her] childhood fantasy all the time." During the course of our conversation, Kat reveals why old Hollywood and tap dancing are so important to her (and gives us some movie recommendations!), answers the Duchess Questionnaire (in which she reveals how she, being the "perfect patsy," narrowly avoided a brush with crime!), and we all laugh ourselves silly at (what else) a viral video of Pirate Cat.

Then...it's time for a beer tasting during one of our favorite segments: "I'll Drink to That!"

AT THE MOVIES WITH KAT!

Some of Kat's favorite old movies...how many have you seen? (The Duchess gals are frantically updating our Netflix queues...)

I'LL DRINK TO THAT!

It's beer-tasting time! Amy, Hilary, and Melissa each brought a favorite beer to try. We are always accepting recommendations, so if you know of a beer that you think we'd love, please send it our way! (The recommendation, that is. Not the beer.)

Melissa brought the refreshing Sixpoint Sweet Action, Amy introduced us to the peachy and delicious Belgian Lambic, and Hilary was a sucker for Blue Point's Honey Robber Cream Ale, which boasts the cutest label EVER. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT KAT EDMONSON:

• katedmonson.com

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

We love this song, penned by Kat while in the throes of a hangover...could a Duchess cover version be on the horizon?

A spare, elegant performance from when our luminous friend appeared on Austin City Limits.

OH NO BIG DEAL, just singing an iconic holiday duet with BFF Lyle Lovett on The Tonight Show!

The video that sent us all into hysterics. Doesn't get any better than this fearless feline.

KAT'S WORDS OF WISDOM

We had a ball talking with Kat, who said all kinds of wise things during our chat. But this little gem is worth framing and posting somewhere you can see it every day:

"The only thing standing in the way for me right now is some fear. But, you know, that hasn't stopped me so far." 

Episode 15: Laughing at Life, track by track! "Strip Polka"

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IN THIS EPISODE:

Melissa discloses that she likes the gavotte (don't get too excited; it's an 18th century French dance), we speculate on the life of Queenie (the stripper with a heart of gold), our sax player's solo would fit right in on Saturday Night Live, and we discuss the pronunciation of "thee-yay-ter" vs. "theatre." If you haven't guessed it already, we're talking about our version of the Johnny Mercer penned novelty tune, "Strip Polka." 

THE SENTIMENTAL GENTLEMAN FROM GEORGIA: JOHNNY MERCER

Composer/lyricist/singer/Capitol Records co-founder Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, GA and moved to New York City's Greenwich Village at just 19 years old. When he wasn't collaborating with Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Arlen, and Harry Warren (to name but a few), he was writing for Hollywood. His songs were immortalized by the biggest stars of the day: Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, and countless others. His legacy continues today, with the Johnny Mercer Foundation, which supports songwriting in the tradition of the Great American Songbook with far-reaching educational initiatives and charitable outreach.

ABOUT THAT SAX SOLO...

That bump-n-grind, no-holds-barred, SNL-opening-credits-worthy saxophone solo you hear on this track is courtesy of our friend and colleague Jeff Lederer. His freewheeling romp of a solo really gives this track a special je ne sais quoi...we are certain Queenie herself would approve!

WHERE TO BUY LAUGHING AT LIFE:

• Anzic Store (Support our amazing indie label! You can buy a hard copy or download, AND you'll get free shipping!)
• iTunes
• Amazon

DEEP CUTS FROM THIS EPISODE:

The Andrews Sisters' 1942 version.

Johnny Mercer tells us all about Queenie, the good-time gal who "stops---and always just in time."

QUEENIE...QUEEN OF THEM ALL!

It's impossible to know if Johnny Mercer was imagining any one particular dancer when he wrote "Strip Polka," but we like to think he was picturing someone like these gals.