Melissa Stylianou is a jazz vocalist, lyricist, and educator whose warm, conversational singing ranges from the Great American Songbook to the folk and country edges of the repertoire. Born in Toronto in 1976 to a family of Irish and Greek Cypriot roots, she came to jazz somewhat later than many peers, by way of theater and private study, and built a substantial career in Canada before grants allowed her to move to New York in 2005. There she has worked with a wide circle of players, among them Gene Bertoncini, Ike Sturm, Matt Wilson, and Ben Monder, and she is a member of the acclaimed vocal trio Duchess. Her album Dream Dancing earned a rare five star review in DownBeat, one highlight of a discography that now runs to several records as a leader. She remains a familiar voice on New York bandstands, leading her quartet and Brazilian-flavored projects at clubs like Mezzrow.
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