Hilary Gardner & Ehud Asherie - The Late Set (2017)

Vocalist Hilary Gardner grew up in Wasilla, Alaska infatuated with New York City. Hilary’s latest release, The Late Set (Anzic), is a collection of piano/vocal duets with celebrated pianist Ehud Asherie and hearkens back to a bygone era of after-hours music making in tucked-away jazz haunts. Hilary and Ehud’s love of timeless songs is evident in their intimate, swinging renditions of standards both familiar and obscure by stalwarts of the Great American Songbook, including Harry Warren, Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, Harold Arlen, and more.

Hilary’s critically acclaimed 2014 Anzic Records debut, The Great City, garnered effusive praise from the jazz community, including DownBeat Magazine, which named Hilary “an artist to watch” and a Rising Star Female Vocalist.

Hilary is a founding member of DUCHESS, a Boswell Sisters-inspired vocal trio with Anzic Records label-mates Amy Cervini and Melissa Stylianou. In addition to their two critically lauded albums, Duchess and Laughing at Life, they have launched a podcast, Harmony & Hijinks. Duchess has performed at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, Saratoga Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, and the Jerusalem Jazz Festival. The trio has also enjoyed sold-out appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Rubin Museum.

The Frank Sinatra estate chose Hilary to appear as the live, onstage singer in Tony-award winner Twyla Tharp’s Broadway hit, Come Fly Away. Backed by a 19-piece big band, Hilary sang solos and duets with Frank Sinatra in a performance hailed by critics as “wonderful” (Huffington Post), “elegant” (USA Today), and “terrific” (New York Observer). Hilary performed with Jeff Goldblum and his band at the Café Carlyle, prompting New York Magazine to call hers “a voice worth seeking out.” In the wake of her appearance with Goldblum, Michael Feinstein invited Hilary to be his guest on NPR's Song Travels with Michael Feinstein. She was also a guest on Judy Carmichael’s SiriusXM program, Jazz Inspired. Hilary has appeared as a guest soloist with symphonies across the country, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Carolina Philharmonic, Rochester Symphony Orchestra, and the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. Hilary performs as a leader throughout New York City and the United States.