JAZZ@FIRST | MY FOOLISH HEART: SONGS OF LOVE AND LONGING

Hailed by Fred Hersch for her “gorgeous instrument, superb musicianship, and great taste,” jazz vocalist and songwriter Melissa Stylianou joins the Phil DeGreg Trio for an afternoon of songs exploring love and longing. Alongside Victor Young and Ned Washington’s “My Foolish Heart,” the program features beloved standards like Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek,” Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields’ “The Way You Look Tonight,” and Lerner and Loewe’s “On the Street Where You Live.” Stylianou will also uncover lesser-known gems like “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” and “Remind Me,” backed by the tight-knit, swinging trio led by Cincinnati’s own Phil DeGreg.

 

A complimentary wine and cheese intermission is included with your ticket.

 

Jazz@First Series Sponsor: Al Harris

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About the Artist: Melissa Stylianou, vocals

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Toronto-born, NYC-based jazz vocalist Melissa Stylianou, hailed by piano master Fred Hersch for her “gorgeous instrument, superb musicianship, and great taste,” has garnered acclaim as both a gifted songwriter and a bold, imaginative interpreter of wide-ranging material spanning diverse genres, from the Great American Songbook to Johnny Cash to original songs. In addition to her five albums as a leader, Stylianou documented her close musical bond with guitar legend Gene Bertoncini and bassist Ike Sturm on the 2022 album Dream Dancing on Anzic Records. The album received wide critical acclaim, including a rare 5-star review in Downbeat Magazine. 

 

A trained actor, Melissa places a premium on storytelling, whether interpreting an oft-heard jazz standard, singing an Irish folk song from the 17th century, finding her own voice in the songs of pop writers like Paul Simon, or spinning a tale rooted in her own life.

 

Melissa is a member of the powerhouse vocal trio Duchess, alongside Amy Cervini and Hilary Gardner. Duchess released its fourth full-length recording this summer and has performed all over the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. As a bandleader and featured vocalist, Stylianou maintains a busy performing and recording schedule. She is currently developing an album of original songs that will reflect and combine her Irish and Greek-Cypriot musical roots.

 

Learn more at melissastylianou.com.​​
 

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About the Artist: Phil DeGreg, piano

 

Phil DeGreg began playing the piano in his childhood and now performs as a jazz pianist internationally. His earliest jazz influences were Bud Powell and Bill Evans, but he is accomplished and comfortable in a wide range of jazz styles, ranging from mainstream to bebop to Brazilian jazz. A graduate of Yale and the University of North Texas, he toured with the Woody Herman Orchestra in the 1980s and has 10 CDs to his credit as a leader. For 13 years he accompanied many national and international jazz artists in the house trio in Cincinnati’s famous Blue Wisp Jazz Club. He has been on staff with the renowned Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops since 1983, and has performed and taught in Europe and South America.

 

Phil DeGreg is the retired Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts study grants. In 2008 he was awarded a 4-month Fulbright Fellowship as a lecturer in Brazil.

 

His text “Jazz Keyboard Harmony” is a practical text for teaching jazz harmony for all musicians, and is used all over the world in universities and for private study.

 

Learn more about Phil DeGreg on his website phildegreg.com.