Three Ladies in Melody

The Holiday season is upon us, the winter is fast approaching (getting dark in CT by 5 p.m.), and we are continually being assaulted by advertisements plus bombarded by bad news.  This Saturday evening at 8 p.m., one can leave all the negatives behind to "accentuate the positive" with the Duchess Trio.  Duchess - Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou - is bringing their delightful sounds to the Milford Center for the Arts, 40 Railroad Avenue in Milford CT.  Billed as a "Holiday Show", these delightful songstresses will mix and mingle music from their two Anzic albums with songs of the seasons.  One of the most engaging elements of their music is how they blend songs from the 1930s and 40s, some you may know, many you might not, and make one tap his feet or smile from the emotional tug at the heartstrings.  On top of that, all three are wonderful solo singers and, collectively, create sweet harmonies.

Joining them in concert will be pianist Michael Cabe, guitarist Jesse  Lewis, and bassist Noah Garabedian.  Yes, no drummer, so the music will be on a more intimate level (but it will still swing with glee) plus it's a "cabaret" setting and one might feel as if he/she was sitting in a 1920s jazz club (just maybe).

No matter what, Duchess will brighten your mood, make you laugh (check out their podcast "Harmony & Hijinks" for a healthy taste of the trio's stage banter as well as a closer look into their creative process plus interviews with fellow musicians and producer Oded Lev-Ari) and, ultimately, feel good. Can't ask for more than that!

For ticket information, go to milfordarts.org/about-us/tickets/. To learn more about this Trio (which, this month, celebrates its fourth anniversary), go to www.duchesstrio.com.

Here's a taste from the group's second recording:

Hiatus Listening & Watching: Podcasts & Artistic Video

Among the orders I have to follow over this hiatus, sitting still and lying down are among the top 10. So, I have been watching some television and poking around YouTube as well as other sites.  But, I have been also listening to podcasts.  I am hooked on Leo Sidran's "The Third Story" as he is not only a musician but also a fine interviewer.

This morning, I checked out his interview with Duchess Trio, that delightful vocal group featuring Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou.  One learns a lot about how to keep a group together, about the history of each vocalist, and even an impromptu (sort of) performance.  Go to www.third-story.com/listen/duchess and check it out. While you're at the site, check out the other people he has interviewed (including his father, Ben Sidran).  There's a lot to learning from listening.

That should logically lead you to this: www.duchesstrio.com/harmonyandhijinks/. They are such engaging people, it's easy to sit and listen to several episodes at a time.  It's summertime, time for lazing about, time for enjoyment but, with all the political and social unrest at the moment, one might  feel as if frivolity is just wasted time.  It's not, nor should it ever be. If we lose our senses of humor and perspective, we run the risk of becoming one-dimensional and, frankly, dull.  So, my prescription would be "one episode per day. morning, noon, or night."



Here's a video to enjoy as well:



I started this series with a short set from the Vadim Neselovskyi Trio.  Here's a new video the Ukranian-born pianist posted this week from his January 2017 release "Get Up and Go" -  this track features the lovely voice of Sara Serpa: