GRETCHEN PARLATO: Gretchen Parlato

GRETCHEN PARLATO
Gretchen Parlato é mais uma cantora de jazz americana, das safras mais recentes, que se apaixonou pela bossa-nova e se tornou uma de suas vozes nos USA. Gretchen é incensada por nomes de peso do jazz, como Herbie Hancock e Wayne Shorter, o que dá a exata dimensão do seu talento.
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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 Wayne Shorter and Kenny Barron, and being praised by Herbie Hancock. (Both Hancock and Shorter are already fans. Hancock has said that Parlato has a “deep, almost magical connection to the music,” and Shorterhas said “in an inconspicuous way, Gretchen plays the same instrument as Frank Sinatra”). 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. Judges included Quincy Jones, Flora Purim, Jimmy Scott, Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling. Gretchen Parlato's voice is a thing of wonder, striking the ideal balance between precision and flexibility. She is never predictable, blurring the lines between singer and instrumentalist as she takes a lyric, and at other times improvised flights of wordless fancy to places it's never before been. Her talent became apparent in her early childhood: as she grew, Parlato's musical abilities blossomed. She attended the L.A. County High School for the Arts, later graduated from UCLA with a BA in Ethnomusicology/Jazz Studies, then went on to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, as the Institute's very first vocalist. That was followed by a 2003 move to New York to pursue her dream. In the years since, Parlato's star has only risen. She's toured internationally with her own band and as a guest of many A-list artists such as Wayne Shorter, Oscar Castro-Neves, Gal Costa, Ivan Lins, and Dianne Reeves. Her recording credits include Terence Blanchard, Kenny Barron and Esperanza Spalding's. Parlato is understandably proud. “I sing from my heart and soul and hope that people feel that. I just want them to feel something. That could
be joy or sadness, as long as it moves them in some way.”
(From several sources, edited by CB)
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ALBUM RELEASE
This recording mixes elements of Jazz, Brazilian and African music. She is joined by a superb and complimentary rhythm section of Lionel Loueke (guitar and voice), Aaron Parks (piano), Massimo Biolcati (bass), and Cafe (percussion), each musician beautifully allowing the nuances of her soft and sensual voice to shine.
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MINHA OPINIÃO: depois do que Herbie Hancock falou sobre a moça, não sobrou nada...
Neste álbum, Gretchen vai de Jerome Kern a John Coltrane, passando por Tom Jobim e
Djavan. Ecletismo é isso aí...Beleza de álbum.
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GRETCHEN PARLATO: Gretchen Parlato

PERSONNEL:
Lionel Loueke (guitar and voice)
Aaron Parks (piano)
Massimo Biolcati (bass)
Cafe (percussion)

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
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