Harmony for the Holidays

Duchess, the vocal trio comprising New York singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou, is lighting up the holiday season with a new EP, imbuing classic Christmas songs and playful novelty tunes with the sweet-toned harmonies, insouciant swing, and the “jovial esprit” (Downbeat) that have become their signature. Since their 2015 recording debut, the women of Duchess have won over audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Israel, seamlessly melding the timeless tradition of vintage vocal trios with their own 21st-century wit and exuberance for a unique sound that is utterly up-to-date.

Produced and arranged by Oded Lev-Ari (affectionately referred to by the trio as the “Charlie” to their “Angels”), Harmony for the Holidays features a host of veteran instrumentalists: pianist Michael Cabe, guitarist Jesse Lewis, bassist Matt Aronoff, drummer Charles Ruggiero, and an ace horn section of Anat Cohen (clarinet), Nadje Noordhuis (trumpet) and Nick Finzer (trombone). Duchess kicks off the festivities with an invitation to the tropics on their effortlessly swinging rendition of the Andrews Sisters’ “Christmas Island.” The trio’s tender interpretations of “Silver Bells” and “What Are You Doing New Years Eve” are interspersed with a refreshing take on a letter to Santa Claus (“Santa Baby”) and a humorous interfaith negotiation (the bird and the bee's “A Christmas Compromise”). New Orleans meets Hawaii for the last tune of the EP, when the horn section contributes a rollicking Dixieland-infused romp through “Mele Kalikimaka.”

Pour yourself a glass of eggnog and celebrate Harmony for the Holidays with Duchess!