“Three fine singers...join together in swinging harmony to whip up music that traffics in delight…this fresh-voiced triumvirate plays it straight from the heart, leaving any trace of camp or post-modern irony at the door.” - The New Yorker
ABOUT
Sure-footed swing, sweet-toned harmony, and ever-insouciant charm are embodied in the jazz vocal trio Duchess, featuring notable New York singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou. Blending the classic and the contemporary, the trio has performed at major festivals and esteemed clubs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel, making it their business to connect through joy.
Duchess’ latest album, A Marvelous Party (2026), is a shindig in song that spins the tale of a party in all its scenes and shades of feeling, from eager anticipation and dizzy elation to wistful ennui and, ultimately, warm-hearted appreciation of it all. Duchess first convened 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.” Then came the EP Harmony for the Holidays (2018) and Live at the Jazz Standard (2020), the latter an atmospheric souvenir from another beloved, now-shuttered Manhattan club.
Duchess has collaborated with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, performing the music of the Andrews Sisters for Taylor’s seminal piece, “Company B,” at Lincoln Center in October/November 2019. Duchess won “Vocal Group of the Year” two years running in the 2021 and 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Awards, and was named “Best Vocal Group” in the 2021 Jazz Times Critics’ Poll.
VIDEOS
PRESS QUOTES
“Three fine singers...join together in swinging harmony to whip up music that traffics in delight…this fresh-voiced triumvirate plays it straight from the heart, leaving any trace of camp or post-modern irony at the door.”
“...the most enduring of contemporary jazz vocal ensembles, as well as, almost indisputedly, the greatest.”
“This threesome devises original arrangements of mostly vintage songs, both familiar and offbeat. They understand that swinging music goes hand in hand with an audacious sense of humor.”
“DUCHESS…is a serious musical force, but it makes some seriously friendly music.”
“For a good time, call Duchess.”