The Late Set, Hilary Gardner

I'm thrilled to announce that The Late Set, my new album with the great pianist Ehud Asherie, is now available for pre-order! The album will be released on Anzic Records on October 27, and in the meantime, there's lots of exciting news to share.

Our CD release show will be at Mezzrow on Wednesday, October 25. Tickets are already going fast, so please reserve now. Ehud and I would love to see you there! 

You can also catch us on the air at WBGO on Sunday, October 22. We'll join the erudite and witty Michael Bourne for some conversation and music on his fabulous show, Singers Unlimited. Tune in at 88.3 FM or you can live-stream on the WBGO website.

I've got a number of fun gigs this month, including my debut with the Mike Sailors nonet tomorrow night (Sept. 30) at the Django. Then, on October 5, I'll join my dear friend Amy Cervini for a tune or two at her birthday show at 55 bar (it's rumored DUCHESS will be in the house, too. Don't miss it!).

I'm honored to be singing a fun Eddie Durham arrangement with the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra on 10/12. On October 26, DUCHESS will take the stage at Joe's Pub for a star-studded celebration of the Breithaupt Brothers Songbook. Finally, I'll be singing a tune for the Frank Perowsky Jazz Orchestra's CD release at Birdland on October 29. Whew!

It's so good to be back on the scene! Please visit hilarygardner.com for a complete gig schedule and all the latest news. Hope to see you at a show very soon!

Love, Hilary

A new CD of girl-on-girl harmony from DUCHESS

New York City-based vocalists Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou joined forces to become DUCHESS just two years ago. On a lark, the three of us got together at Greenwich Village's quintessential speakeasy, The 55 Bar, for an evening of hijinks, hilarity, and swinging, 3-part harmony...and, just like that, a band was born!

Gratified by the audience's enthusiastic response, we decided to make a CD, and 2015 saw the release of our eponymous debut album. Over the months that followed, DUCHESS headlined sold-out shows at top venues throughout New York City (Jazz Standard, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola - Jazz at Lincoln Center) and toured extensively, performing at national and international jazz festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Jerusalem Jazz Festival, among others.  Our CD and live performances garnered raves from the likes of DownBeat Magazine, The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Seattle Times, and many more.

With all this great momentum, the time is right for us to record another CD. Thanks to all our touring and performing, we've raised and saved a sizable chunk of the funds needed to make another album, and now we're calling on our friends and fans--affectionately known as our DUCHESS Honey Buns--to join the party and help us bring this new project to life!

read more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1174960801/everybody-loves-duchess-were-making-a-new-cd?ref=nav_search

Hilary Gardner

The picture up there is a happy moment from my recent trip to Mexico, where I spent a fantastic week relaxing, sightseeing, and eating with my parents, who live in Baja.  More pictures after the jump!  In the meantime, here's what's coming up this month:  

DUCHESS is getting ready to kick off a four-week residency back where it all began, the 55 bar.  We'll be there March 16, 23, 30, and April 6, working out new material for our upcoming album, which we're set to record this spring!  We're very excited and hope you'll come out and see us.

I'm looking forward to Easter Sunday, when I'll be joined by the ever-swinging John Merrill (guitar) and Noah Garabedian (bass) for some music-making at L'Amico, a wonderful new restaurant helmed by my friend, the very talented chef/owner Laurent Tourondel.   

The elegant and insightful vocalist, Gabrielle Stravelli, and I had a wonderful time chatting for her podcast, Big Modern Music, and our episode is now available for FREE download on iTunes!  I was also delighted to see this wonderful review of my recent Mezzrow appearance with Ehud Asherie. 

Spring is just around the corner! For a complete list of my upcoming performances, please visit www.hilarygardner.com.  

Love, Hilary

Hilary Gardner

Hilary with dancer Holley Farmer at Come Fly Away's opening night party.

(Photo: Bruce Glikas, Broadway.com)

"Gardner evokes memories of another time and place." - NPR

"A voice worth seeking out." - New York Magazine

"Gardner's ready to fly." - Paul deBarros, Seattle Times

"...an uninhibited answer to the young Doris Day." - Stephen Holden, New York Times

"...a sound and vibe that makes you think she's the secret love child of Peggy Lee and Tom Waits." - Midwest Record

I'm a singer and writer living in Brooklyn, New York.  I share my August 22 birthday with Dorothy Parker, John Lee Hooker, Claude Debussy, and Kristen Wiig.  My first gigs were in Wasilla, Alaska, where I sang Patsy Cline tunes in dive bars. Classical voice study helped build my musical foundation, but equally formative was the time I spent singing along with records by Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits, to name just a few.  

I was indeed willing to be lucky when I moved to New York, and New York has been very generous to me.  Since my arrival in 2003, I’ve sung with orchestras, big bands, small bands, a vocal jazz quartet, and a country band.  In 2010, I  was the female vocalist (and Frank Sinatra's duet partner) in Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away.  

Among my more eclectic gigs are assorted commercial jingles, a cameo on a Moby record, and performing the national anthem at CitiField for the New York Mets.  

My debut album, The Great City, was released by Anzic Records in 2014.  Part love letter, part lament, the record celebrates the electricity, dynamism, and sense of possibility that permeate life in the Big Apple.  When I'm not performing or rehearsing music, I’m am often writing on my blog, Ad Alta Voce, about creativity, food, or this city I love so much.