For the rest of 2014 ("The Year of the Boswell Sisters Revival"!) this space will be dedicated to the October event in New Orleans "The Boswell Sisters: Their Music Goes Round & Round," an educational, cultural exchange of music & information featuring talent from around the world.
October Event Newsletter
July 26, 2014

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Photo by Shervin Lainez
Duchess
New York City

DUCHESS is a New York based, all-women jazz vocal group (Melissa Stylianou, Hilary Gardner and Amy Cervini) singing in the "close harmony" style associated with groups such as the Boswell Sisters.  Together less than a year, the DUCHESS gals have already appeared as headliners at Birdland, showcasing their signature girl-on-girl harmonies at the legendary "Jazz Corner of the World." DUCHESS seeks to bring old-school entertainment to audiences of all persuasions with beautiful, gloriously quirky and hard-swinging tunes. Each a seasoned performer, the DUCHESS gals come together to create an entertaining, fast-paced and unpredictable live show. Watch out for DUCHESS' debut recording, due for release on Anzic Records in 2015.  www.duchesstrio.com 

Harmonious greetings!  Our featured artists this week are Melissa Stylianou, Hilary Gardner and Amy Cervini who make up the New York City based harmony group Duchess. Last week, they confirmed attendance at the October Boswell Sisters Tribute and will perform in the concert at the Mint. See more about Duchess on their website at www.duchesstrio.com. Each of the artists also has beautiful solo websites, so check them out here: Melissa, Hilary and Amy!

In This Week’s News


Tickets Now on Sale! The Louisiana Museum Foundation is now selling advance tickets for its Boswell Sisters Revue on October 10, 2014, from 8 to 11pm (CDT) at the Old U.S. Mint at 400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans. This concert is made up of artists from around the world who are paying tribute to the Boswell Sisters of New Orleans, as an event in conjunction with the symposium “The Boswell Sisters: Their Music Goes Round and Round” being held at The Historic New Orleans Collection. Details on advertising in the concert program will be included in next week’s newsletter. In addition, there will be a table at the concert for artists to sell their CDs or other merchandise if they wish. Please check with us* on what you would like to bring, so we can coordinate with the other artists.

October Accommodations Hotels are filling up quickly in New Orleans during October. If you plan on attending and have not yet reserved your accommodations, you should do so soon. The Hotel Royal in the French Quarter may be an option, as they put aside 10 rooms for our group on a first come, first served basis, but they will only hold the rooms until Aug. 5. If you do want to book a room at this hotel, do so directly by calling Toll Free: 1-800-650-3323 and mention that you are with the Boswell Tribute Group.

Concert Plans Underway We are pleased to announce that Amasa Miller will be the official pianist for this event. He and music director Holley Bendtsen will be accepting charts immediately in preparation for the revue and will begin the process of song selection. We already have several songs reserved, so please send in your multiple preferences as soon as possible. We will begin posting the tentative program for the concert next week, but so far, songs already planned for include “Heebie Jeebies” (entire cast), “Me Minus You” (Banu Gibson), “You-Dle-Ee-Oo-Dee-Oo” (O Sister!) and “Mood Indigo” (The Bendtsen Project). Please email Holley and Amasa as soon as you can!

One Hundred Year Anniversary All attendees of this event will be celebrating the continuance of the Boswell Sound exactly 100 years after the Boswell family moved to New Orleans—and, fortunately for the world of music—made it their home. Their first house was on Prytania Street, but they moved shortly after to settle on Camp Street. The bus tour will take participants to the historic site where they will have their picture taken in front of the house.

Publicity To all attending artists: please send in bios and photos for publicity if you want your information to be included in our publications, on the Music at the Mint website & in press releases and other media. Please email theboswellsisters.com@outlook.com (Note: new email address of TheBoswellSisters.com)

"Shout Sister Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans Bus Tour” Please remember to reserve your spot for the bus tour as soon as possible. One of the highlights of the tour is the group photo in front of the old Boswell homestead. Please call or email as soon as possible (theboswellsisters.com@outlook.com or 607.423.8913). Tickets can be picked up and paid for at Thursday’s “Meet & Greet.” Cost of the tour is $30, but a discount of a third off will be available for all participating artists ($20). Ticket price includes refreshments and a surprise souvenir (to be shipped later) that attendees will cherish forever. A schedule of stops will be included in the first newsletter of August. David McCain (well-known music historian and Boswell Sisters researcher who will be presenting a program at the museum) will be our tour guide. Boswell songs are encouraged at each historic stop.

Corrections Please contact us at theboswellsisters.com@outlook.com if there is any misinformation in these newsletters. We will run corrections in the next weekly edition. We especially want to make sure we have properly listed all the attending artists and provided appropriate links, contact information and spellings! Also, contact us if there is anything you would like to see mentioned in the next newsletter, especially if it includes ways in which to volunteer or help our artists.

Reminder Please let us know if you are attending and how many will be in your party as soon as possible.* The deadline of Aug. 22 is only a suggested one, but it is important so The Historic New Orleans Collection can know approximately how many people will be seated during the presentations. We especially need to have a sense of who and how many will be performing at the Mint.** Also, accommodations are filling up quickly. If you plan on coming, you should get your rooms very soon! In addition, if you are traveling solo, consider doubling or tripling up with your fellow artists! We will be happy to make the connections.

Confirmed Attendees

The Pfister Sisters, New Orleans (http://www.pfistersisters.com/)

Banu Gibson (http://www.banugibson.com/)

Company B Jazz Band, Vancouver, B.C. (http://www.companybjazz.com/)

The Boswell Project, Adelaide, Australia (http://www.theboswellproject.com/) Fundraising campaign (http://www.pozible.com/project/181856)

O Sister!, Seville, Spain (http://osister.bandcamp.com/) Fundraising campaign: (http://vkm.is/osisterinneworleans)

Alisa Burket (one of the founders of She Her & I), Los Angeles (http://sheherandi.com/#/Home)

The Holley Bendtsen Project (three new young singers), New Orleans

Sister Swing, Sacramento, Calif. (http://sisterswing.com/ -- Thursday only)

She, Her & I, Los Angeles (http://sheherandi.com/#/Home)

Margi Gianquinto, New York City (www.margisings.com)

Duchess, New York City (http://www.duchesstrio.com/)

YazooZazz, Washington, D.C. (tomcunningham.com)

Awaiting Confirmation From

Martina DaSilva (http://www.martinadasilva.com/)
The Hazelnuts, Jerusalem, Israel (http://thehazelnuts.bandcamp.com/)
Carolyne Legault (Singin’ Rendez-Vous), Quebec, Canada (http://triovocal.wix.com/singinrendezvous)

Space is limited at THNOC.  Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be attending, as well as how many people will be in your group.  Email: theboswellsisters.com@outlook.com or call (607) 423-8913.

**There is no cost to the artists to attend any of these events (with the exception of the bus tour). THNOC has graciously donated its space and the presenters their time and materials. Artists need to pay for their own transportation, food & lodging. Please help us by reserving your space as soon as possible for this exciting series of events and concluding concert at the Mint. The deadline is Aug. 22, 2014; however, anyone may still reserve after that date but seminar materials and seating at the events cannot be guaranteed. In addition, if planning on attending, we recommend you reserve your accommodations in New Orleans as early as possible!

(Tentative) Schedule of Workshops and Activities at The Historic New Orleans Collection & The Old U.S. Mint

Oct. 9th 9:30am: “Meet & Greet” in the Courtyard– hosted by Kyla Titus. Introduction of the artists & organizers, announcements, updates to program, registration for bus tour

Oct. 9th 11am: “The Boswell Sisters on the Air” by David McCain who will trace the radio career of the Boswell Sisters—which began in New Orleans in the 1920s and spread across the country in the 1930s—using audio recently transferred from the Boswell family collection. Features special video presentation produced by sound engineer Randall Riley on the conversion of the Boswell Sisters’ home recordings to digital.

Oct. 9th 1pm: "Jammin' in the Courtyard” led by Boswell Sisters Revue music director Holley Bendtsen in preparation for the concert at the Mint the next day

Oct. 9th 4pm: "Shout Sister Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans Bus Tour” with tour guide David McCain, refreshments, and Boswell songs at each stop

Oct. 10th 10am: "The Boswell Legacy” book signing

Oct. 10th 11am: “The Making of the PBS Documentary” with Dan Garrison, Director of “The Boswell Sisters: Close Harmony” by Joshua Tree Productions

Oct. 10th, 1pm: Rehearsal at the Mint for “Boswell Sisters Revue”

Oct. 10th 8-11pm: “Boswell Sisters Revue” featuring artists from around the world and the U.S. performing in concert at The Louisiana State Museum’s Mint Building, emceed by Kyla Titus

Oct. 11th 11am: “Inside the Private Lives of the Boswell Sisters” by Kyla Titus who will share images, audio & films from the family collection and answer questions

Oct. 11th 1pm: “Thirty-five Years of Pfister Sisters Harmony” with Holley Bendtsen, Debbie Davis, Yvette Voelker

Oct. 11th 2pm: “2014: The Year of the Boswell Sisters Revival” with event organizers, and representatives from the three main events of 2014 (the exhibit, the book & the documentary) discussing the recent surge in interest in close harmony and jazz singing and an Open Mike for all artists who wish to speak &/or take questions

Oct. 12th 2pm: The Spotted Cat Music Club “Boswell Sisters Open Mike,” emceed by The Pfister Sisters—Holley Bendtsen, Debbie Davis & Yvette Voelker

*In collaboration with Vet Boswell Family Collection, LLC. For more information, contact Richard Daley, Business Manager at 607.432.8913, or email RichardDaley@outlook.com or theboswellsisters.com@outlook.com.
Welcome...to our website dedicated to honoring the music, lives and times of the "World's Foremost Harmony Singers": The Boswell Sisters. Never heard of them? Well, this has to be one of the greatest musical crimes of the century, because chances are their musical style and innovations have influenced much of the popular music many of us have enjoyed since. But most importantly, if you have not heard their music, you are seriously missing out.
                                
                               Who were The Boswell Sisters?
They were three extraordinarily gifted musicians who emerged from the wellspring of the jazz movement in New Orleans in the early 1900s.
They were icons, pioneers in music and early radio with influences that extend far beyond their own time. As Maxene Andrews once said, “They took the idea of jazz and did it vocally.” And they did it with such blending and precision that it has never  been equaled since. Widely imitated around the world, they are musician’s musicians, and list of those who were influenced by them and their style is very long indeed.
If you enjoy vocal groups in particular, or popular music in general, then you owe a great deal of  tribute to The Boswell Sisters.
 
So enjoy this exploration of the personal lives and journey of these three musical geniuses of the South. This site—and in far more detail the new book poised for publication—contains information on the Boswell Sisters that does not exist anywhere else, through meticulous study of their private letters, films, records, and other career and personal ephemera. Important information, because it not only gives us clues on the development of a unique and thoroughly enjoyable musical style, but an understanding of our American heritage and culture, and ultimately, a better understanding of ourselves. 
                        Comments and suggestions are welcome!

The incredible story of The Boswell Sisters.

The story of these young girls is a multidimensional one, imperative from a musical  perspective, but from so many others as well. This is also a story of rugged  individualism and fierce adherence to a vision—despite their gender and the predetermined roles for white middle class females of the time. Consider their celebrity against the backdrop of the Great Depression, a  time when their youthfulness, energy, optimism, and fresh arrangements of old songs conveyed hope to their audiences. Their perfect harmony symbolized support and togetherness during hard  times, as their sisterhood helped them through family tragedy and loss. Finally, there is also the theme of great strength and determination conquering disability. All of these themes echo down through generations of their ancestors. Yet through all their trials and tribulations, the sisters forged ahead  for the love of their music—and established an enormously successful career in a very short time, as well as a well-deserved place in music history.

As  their ancestors before them, the Boswell Sisters were true pioneers. Young, brave, and strong, they came upon the new world of music in the early 1900s just as their families came upon the new world of America three-hundred years before. This new world of music was uniquely American, a melting pot of influences from all over the world—it was called jazz. And the Boswell Sisters’ important contribution to it and to virtually all other varieties of American popular music to follow needs to be noticed, understood, and honored at the highest levels of the music and entertainment cultures. This recognition is long overdue.

People We Like.

Aura Emsweller

Aura Lee traces her healthy obsession with Boswell Sister music to a Kentucky childhood chockfull of harmony singing, from barbershop around the family piano to Gospel with the Junior Choir at church to transistor radio sing-alongs of Do-Wop and Bluegrass. Her parents’ Columbia Record of the Month Club selection of Louis Armstrong’s’ Hot Five graced her with her first chance to chime in with Heebie Jeebies. At 14, she harmonized in the pop/rock band she started with her brother, Bill. A folk trio followed in high school and another when she was studying Communications at Boston University. A band which performed and recorded in Germany and Switzerland led to the eclectic show band, Wildwood (Houston) and later the 1930s focused group, Sportin’ Life (L.A.). All this gave her an immediate shock of recognition of the unique brilliance of the Boswell Sister blend and arrangements upon first hearing their music. Aura Lee sought out Vet in 1977, and had the honor of being part of a small, dedicated group of Boswell Sisters’ enthusiasts spearheaded by music historian David McCain, that gave the sole surviving sister an opportunity to relive the glory days with her sisters as well as the growing confidence that a younger generation appreciated and would preserve the Boswell Legacy.
As a Board Member of the not-for-profit Writers in the Round Music School, in Houston, Texas, she is continuing to provide Master Class Harmony Workshops, where Boswell Sisters music enlightens members of yet another generation to the high standard established by “The World’s Foremost Harmonists.”

Memrie Innerarity

Memrie Innerarity, a native of Mississippi, has sung as a
  featured soloist with the New Orleans Symphony and Mobile Symphony. She received an Obie for Tommie Tune’s The Club, appeared with Deborah Kerr in The Last of Mrs. Cheney, and appeared in A Rat’s Mass at LaMama ETC, in which she also served as assistant to jazz composer Cecil Taylor. In the
production The Heebie Jeebies about the Boswell Sisters, she played Martha Boswell, in both the Berkshire Theatre Festival and the NYC productions. She has served as musical director for Golden Fleece Ltd., the Westchester Conservatory, the Northern Westchester Center for
Performing Arts, the Dallas Theatre Center, and many musical productions in NYC and regionally. She has composed many works for the musical stage as well as many choral works. Now living in Berkshire County, Mass., Memrie has recently
taken up fiddling with some of the many excellent musicians who live near her. She is an active member of the New York Composers Circle, a member of Actors Equity (ret.) and the American Federation of Musicians.

Dan Morgenstern

A lifelong Boswell Sisters fan, Dan Morgenstern retired in 2012 after 35 years as Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, the
largest archival collection of jazz materials anywhere. He was editor of the magazines Metronome, Jazz, and Down Beat. His books "Jazz People" and "Living With Jazz" both won ASCAP's Deems Taylor Awards. A prolific writer of liner notes, he has won eight Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes. In 2007, he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. Still active as a writer and broadcaster, Morgenstern is co-editor of the Journal of Jazz Studies, a contributing editor of Jersey Jazz, and founder and
co-host of WBGO's "Jazz from the Archives." Dan, having
known Vet Boswell and her daughter Chica, recently met the third Boswell Sisters generation, granddaughter Kyla Titus, at the 39th Annual Jazz Record Collector’s Bash on June 21, 2013 (see Gallery).

Jim Von Schilling

Music always had a big role in Jim Von Schilling’s life, but one
day while turning his radio dial, he chanced upon a recording that was unlike anything he’d ever heard before. It was Shout, Sister, Shout by the Boswell Sisters, being played by a Fordham student, Rich Conaty, on his new college radio show, The Big Broadcast. The next day
Jim found and purchased the one Boswell Sisters album available (The Boswell Sisters–1932-34 on Biograph) and dove into its liner notes by Michael Brooks for his first education on these amazing jazz vocalists. The radio show, album, and liner notes began a new passion for him and literally
changed the path of his life. Jim started researching, writing, and teaching about the history of popular music, and one of his first articles was about the
Boswell Sisters. This led him to meet Vet Boswell, speak with Connee Boswell, and connect with many other Boswell researchers and enthusiasts over the years. With all Jim has researched and explored, he still finds nothing quite as special and satisfying as a Boswell Sisters’ recording!
See more people in the Cast of Characters page...

Links We Like.

Grammy-winner Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks have played in New York nightclubs, appeared in films: The Cotton Club, The Aviator, Finding Forrester, Revolutionary Road, and HBOsBoardwalk Empire, and for concerts at the Town Hall, Jazz At Lincoln Center and the Newport Jazz Festival.  Other recording projects include soundtracks for Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World,Tamara Jenkins’ The Savages, Robert DeNiro’s The Good Shepherd, Sam Mendes’ Away We Go, Michael Mann’s film Public Enemies, andJohn Krokidas’ feature, Kill Your Darlings, along with HBO’s Grey Gardens and Todd Haynes’ HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce and an upcoming Haynes’ film called Carol. The Nighthawks are also seen and heard in the USA Network series Royal Pains and in the PBS seriesMichael Feinstein’s American Songbook.
The three Pearls - namely, Sue Halloran, Jeanne O'Connor and Holli Ross - have been bringing vintage "girl group" harmonies and fresh modern jazz, swing and Latin arrangements to stages in the U.S. and abroad for quite some time. The repertoire ranges from the big band sounds of Count Basie and Glenn Miller to the vocal bebop of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross to beautiful original arrangements with a Brazilian flavor to the great harmonies of girl groups like the Boswell Sisters, Andrews Sisters, and MacGuire Sisters, with some 1960s girl group sounds tossed into the mix.
"Commodore Recording Studio is an affordable, professional environment that is comfortable and performance-friendly...great equipment, great microphones, two pianos, a vintage house drum kit, and a control room where you can actually hear what’s happening....over 30 years of audio recording experience that no amount of equipment can make up for. Commodore occupies a large free-standing brick building in beautiful Thurmont, Maryland, allowing artists to make top-quality recordings without having to travel to busy urban areas. In fact, many metropolitan clients
prefer Thurmont’s restful small-town atmosphere..."
The Mississippi Rag calls Dan Levinson the "in-demand reedman." A specialist in traditional jazz and swing, Dan is indeed one of the most prolific
musicians on the scene today, equally at home as both a leader and sideman. During a twenty-year career, he has appeared alongside such prominent artists as Dick Hyman, Mel Tormé, Wynton Marsalis, Ed Polcer, Howard Alden, Joe Ascione, Dan Barrett, Jon-Erik Kellso, Randy Reinhart, Mark Shane, Kevin Dorn, Dick Sudhalter, Frank Vignola, Randy Sandke, and John Cocuzzi. (Read more about Dan Levinson on his website)
"O Sister! is a tribute to the popular American music of the 30s and in general to the golden decades of “Dixie” and “Swing”. The group was created in an attempt to recuperate the open spirit with which jazz was born, when it still lacked the intellectual and even elitist connotation we insist on attributing to it today.
Jazz was, quite simply, music to dance to and have fun with, the music of the streets. And all this took place in a social and rconomic context not unlike the
uncertain moments we are living today. The project is also a tribute to The Boswell Sisters, a ground-breaking female vocal
jazz trio, perhaps not as popular as they deserved in spite of being imitated by many later vocal groups and admired by artists as important as Ella Fitzgerald
herself."
"Contains a listing of recording sessions by the Boswell Sisters from 1925 to 1936, the year the trio disbanded. The listing includes solo recordings by
Connie, some with Martha on piano. After the trio stopped working, Connie continued her solo performing and recording career through 1957, changing the spelling to Connee. For a list of those recordings, follow this link: Discography of
Connee Boswell after 1936"
"A nationally renowned jazz singer, educator, and jazz historian. She presently teaches at Berklee College of Music as Professor in the Voice Department... performs regularly at venues across the USA, appears as a clinician at educational conferences, serves on the Board of Advisors of the Boswell Sisters Museum in N.Y., and has been frequently interviewed on public radio in her capacity as an expert on the early history of jazz." 
See more links in the Cast of Characters page...

Kyla Titus

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Helvetia (Vet) Boswell's granddaughter, Boswell Sisters storyteller and caretaker of the Boswell family archives, Kyla Titus consulted on the Historic New Orleans Collection Boswell Sisters exhibit entitled, "Shout Sister Shout: The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans," currently underway until October 2014. She is also on the creative team of Joshua Tree Productions public television documentary entitled, "The Boswell Sisters: Close Harmony," expected to be released in December 2014. Her book, "The Boswell Legacy" is near publication. A former special educator, Kyla has devoted her time to helping further the awareness of the "World's Foremost Harmony Singers" and their innovative "Boswell Sound."

David W. McCain

Picture of Chica Minnerly
Just as his beloved Boswell Sisters, David McCain is originally from New Orleans. His research (much of which has been donated to several New Orleans institutions) into the history of harmony singing quickly led him to the Boswell Sisters’ musical genius. David was captivated by their sound, but needed more. He found himself full of questions that he determined only Vet Boswell could answer. After their meeting, a close friendship ensued until her death in 1988. His closeness with Vet’s family continues, and he is currently working with Kyla on the book, as well as other projects, to perpetuate and credit the highly influential Boswell Sound.

Chica Boswell Jones, in spirit

Picture of Chica Minnerly
Vet "Chica" Boswell Jones Minnerly was musically gifted and a trained classical pianist, but she nevertheless chose a career in special education. Upon retiring, she, like her aunt Martha Boswell, moved to a farm in the New York countryside. She spent the rest of her life at her beloved farm, working to honor the music and lives of her famous mother and aunts. Chica passed away in 2010, leaving the Boswell family legacy to her only daughter, Kyla, to carry forward. Much of this legacy would have been lost had it not been for Chica's tireless efforts, and we are deeply grateful to her for her perseverance and preservation of this important history.

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