Musician

Gretchen Parlato

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. On In a Dream, her debut album for ObliqSound, which releases August 25, Parlato and her intuitive support team reinvent constantly, Parlato impeccably articulating in a voice so ethereal that the listener might very well feel that he or she is "in a dream." Coming four years after her self-titled debut, In a Dream finds Parlato embarking on a beguiling journey deep into the heart of both her own compositions and classic material by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and others��all of which she instantly makes her own

Video

If It Was

Featuring the music of Gretchen Parlato
Duration: 04:44
August 31, 2025

Award-winning singer {{m: Gretchen Parlato = 16961}} and song writer/multi-instrumentalist {{m: Alan Hampton = 30678}} share an uncommonly beautiful chemistry. Perfectly-crafted recordings such as the ballad ��If It Was�� (first released in 2011 to commemorate Japan��s tsunami victims) incorporate tender ensembles and blended vocals and leave a sense of catharsis and completeness. Thus, it was noteworthy to learn they decided to revisit ��If It Was�� as of August 2025. There was good reason for this -- to show support for their fellow residents of the Altadena community in Los Angeles after the Eaton fires. All proceeds from the recording go to www.altagether.org, working for a collective recovery from that disaster. The new version features a wistful upright bass introduction by {{m: John Clayton = 5751}} and increasingly rich piano solo by his son, {{m: Gerald Clayton = 17739}}. Meanwhile, the in-studio video illustrates the musical power of a simple arrangement. Within the YouTube video description box, click on ��Show transcript�� to see a rendition of the poetic lyrics.

Article: Album Review

Rebecca Martin: She

by Angelo Leonardi
August 7, 2025

Sono trascorsi esattamente trent'anni da quando la EMI pubblic�� il debutto della 26enne Rebecca Martin (Once Blue), nel gruppo omonimo col bassista Ben Street, il chitarrista Kurt Rosenwinkel e il batterista Kenny Wollesen. Da allora la cantautrice ha pubblicato tredici album (sei da leader) con musicisti a lei particolarmente affini: non solo il marito Larry Grenadier ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Dena DeRose, Amina Claudine Myers, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, Antonia Bennett, Jennifer Lee, MzVal & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
June 30, 2025

This broadcast includes new releases from Antonia Bennett, Mike Clark & Mike Zilber, Jennifer Lee, MzVal, Dena DeRose, Amina Claudine Myers, Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell, with birthday shoutouts to Erica Seguine and Jaimie Branch, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear--see them live, buy their music so they can continue ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

The Music of Hoagy Carmichael, part 2

by Larry Slater
June 20, 2025

This is the second hour dedicated to the music of Hoagy Carmichael, the most jazz oriented of all the American songwriters. His output was remarkably varied, and without a signature style that characterized the theater composers like Jerome Kern or Cole Porter. Carmichael composed several hundred songs, including 50 that achieved hit record status. ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Nnenna Freelon, Roy Ayers, Roberta Flack, Saje and More

by Jua Howard
March 31, 2025

Greetings Music Family! It's finally time for another episode of the “First Instrument Jazz Show"! I've got new music from Nnenna Freelon, Kate McGarry, {m: Nicole Zuraitis and Kristin Korb; and more timeless music from Roberta Flack, Roy Ayers, Säje, Ben Williams and many more. Come get lost in the music with me!Playlist Intro ...

Article: Album Review

Lionel Loueke & Dave Holland: United

by Ian Patterson
February 8, 2025

Why did they not think of this before? A fair question. But as the Greek poet Homer put it, even a fool is wise after the event. “Why did you not think of it before?," Homer might have retorted. Yes, the music on United is so sublime, so natural sounding, that guitarist Lionel Loueke and bassist ...

Album

Plot Armor

By Taylor Eigsti

Label: GroundUP Music
Released: 2024
Track listing: Let You Bee; Bucket of F's (feat. Ben Wendel); Look Around You (feat. Becca Stevens); Plot Armor; Light Dream (feat. Terence Blanchard); Fire Within (feat. Lisa Fischer); The Rumor; Actually; Beyond The Blue (feat. Gretchen Parlato); 201918; Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered; Bad Sport Lobby.

Album

Beyond Bossa

By Delia Fischer

Label: Origin Records
Released: 2024
Track listing: A Little Samba; Song of Self Affirmation (feat. Matias Correa); What Good is Summer? (feat. Eugene Friesen & M��rcio Nucci); Almost Paradise (feat. Luciana Souza); Lemon Jugglers of Rio (feat. New York Voices); My Time (feat. Gretchen Parlato); The Street Where I Was Born; Every Hopeful Corner; Marketplace (feat. Mario Biondi); The Acupuncture Song (feat. Chico Pinheiro & Pretinho Da Serrinha); Workaholic (feat. Marcos Valle); My Voice in Your Head.

Article: Live Review

Mantova Jazz Festival 2024

by Angelo Leonardi
November 29, 2024

Teatro Ariston, Auditorium Monteverdi Mantova Jazz 2024 Mantova 11 ottobre--16 novembre 2024 Il Mantova Jazz Festival conferma la sua rilevanza tra le rassegne autunnali italiane continuando a selezionare proposte d'alto profilo nel panorama nazionale e internazionale. Il festival prende il nome da Roberto Chiozzini, storico fondatore negli anni cinquanta del ...