Gretchen Parlato

Gretchen Parlato is an American jazz singer known for her ethereal voice, her understated, improvisational approach and fusion of Brazilian and African elements with jazz. She is notable for performing with Lionel Loueke and being praised by Herbie Hancock; Wayne Shorter has compared her extraordinary voice to a female Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

In 2001 she was the first vocalist to be accepted into the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance by a panel of judges including jazz legends Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Wayne Shorter.

In 2004 she won the first place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.

In 2005 she released her first self titled album. It was named #5 Best Progressive Jazz CDs of 2005 by Jazz Nation and got 5 stars in Down Beat's Blindfold Test by Richard Bona in July 2007.

In August 2007 she was named #3 Rising Star Female Vocalist in DownBeat's 55th Annual Critics Poll.

In September 2007 she performed with jazz legend Wayne Shorter at La Villette Jazz Festival in Paris, who commented, "I think in an inconspicuous way, Gretchen knows how to play the same instrument that Frank Sinatra played. There's no one out there like her."

In July 2008, Parlato signed a recording contract with independent record label ObliqSound. She will release her next album in 2009 on the label, with Lionel Loueke on guitar and vocals, Aaron Parks on piano and Fender Rhodes, Kendrick Scott on drums and Derrick Hodge on acoustic and electric bass. The same week, she was also named #4 Rising Star Female Vocalist in Downbeat's 56th Annual Critics Poll, tied with Lizz Wright, who also appears on Massimo Biolcati's album Persona, as a vocal guest, just like Parlato.

The track listing of her first released album includes covers by Brazilian singers Djavan and Tom Jobim, with tracks 2 and 6 respectively. A notable musician who can also be heard on this record is Lionel Loueke.

Gretchen Parlato Demo Track Listing:

1 Skylark

2 Flor De Lis

3 Come to Me

4 Nonvignon

5 Ela E Carioca

6 Chega De Saudade

7 Benny's Tune

8 Juju/footprints

Sources

http://www.jazzreview.com/article/review-4458.html
http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=MGJCR
http://www.allsoulsatsundown.org/months/0405/parlato.htm
http://www.jazzreview.com/article/review-5625.html
http://www.obliqsound.com/newsb/2008/07/02/obliqsound-signs-vocalist-gretchen-parlato
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgQ8tvh7L00

official website: http://www.gretchenparlato.com/
Gretchen Parlato at ObliqSound: http://obliqsound.com/artists/gretchenparlato.html