Melissa Stylianou No Regrets

The fifth album from singer Melissa Stylianou – No Regrets – is all about the joy of spontaneity and making the most of the moment. The Canadian-born, New York-based vocalist recorded a set of jazz standards and other favorites in a live-to-two-track, noon-to-night studio session – old-school – backed by an ultra-simpatico trio of New York all-stars: pianist Bruce Barth, double-bassist Linda Oh and drummer Matt Wilson, with stylish guest spots by clarinetist Anat Cohen and alto saxophonist Billy Drewes.

Past albums have seen her put a personal spin on songs from Björk and Joanna Newsom to Johnny Cash to Tom Waits, not to mention her own lovely original compositions. Jazz standards have been a part of the mix, too, but No Regrets – intimately produced by Oded Lev-Ari – sees Stylianou delve into vintage material like never before. She sings songs by likes of the Gershwins, Jerome Kern and Duke Ellington, along with a Billie Holiday tune, a vocal twist on Thelonious Monk, the indigo-hued chestnut “A Nightingale Can Sing the Blues” and, as a left-field inclusion, as a left-field inclusion, a folk setting of Yeats, “Down by the Salley Gardens.” This beautiful album once again underscores why DownBeat has called her a “sophisticated storyteller” and an “original.”