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Gretchen Parlato: The Lost and Found

By A. Lienhard
April 19, 2011
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Gretchen Parlato's much anticipated third release, The Lost and Found, secures her position as the leading vocalist in New York's under-40 jazz scene. On this 15-track program, Parlato and producer

Robert Glasper

piano
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Glasper blend musical styles like so many cocktails. They purposefully demonstrate that hip-hop has a quiet side, that you needn't be from Brazil to play its music, and that a mere whisper can incite goose bumps.

The album opens with an update of the Simply Red hit "Holding Back The Years," breathlessly retold over a four-chord vamp and a relaxed backbeat. Parlato offers a second cover, Mary J. Blige's "All That I Can Say," as well as a few repurposed jazz standards. But apart from these nods to influence and tradition, most of the music here is penned by Parlato and her band mates.

The album's soundscape is dominated by the mysterious wobble of the Rhodes electric piano. Young virtuoso

Taylor Eigsti

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Taylor Eigsti brings vigor to the instrument, all the while supporting Parlato with purpose and skill. Nowhere is this more evident than on the Brazilian-tinged "Me and You," a duo track that brings his exquisite rhythmic powers into full view. He also plays piano on several tracks, and does so particularly beautifully on "Henya," but the mood of the session centers on the vintage sound of that hump-backed instrument. Producer

Robert Glasper

piano
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Robert Glasper, a master of both the Rhodes and the genres where it's most often used, serves as the architect behind this recording. The angled vamps of "Blue and Green," which mutate the classic in unrecognizable ways, bear his handiwork, as do the Headhunter-like textures punctuating the slow drive of "Better Than," one of the album's most beautiful tracks. Surprisingly he does not perform on The Lost and Found, generously allowing Eigsti room to shine throughout.

Drummer

Kendrick Scott

drums
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kendrick Scott and bassist

Derrick Hodge

bass
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Derrick Hodge (both long-time Glasper associates) anchor the band with rippling grooves possessed of both restraint and power. For Scott, who regularly backs artists such as

Terence Blanchard

trumpet
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Terence Blanchard and

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock, this album provides further proof that beyond his explosive straight-ahead prowess, he's a masterful pop sideman too.

Guitarist/singer

Alan Hampton

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Alan Hampton, who is also one of New York's top bassists, blows the roof off the CD with his cameo on "Still." It's a simple song, apart from its 11/8 meter, which longingly muses:

Even if you say goodbye, I still love

Even when my life is through, I still love.

Parlato joins on the second verse, with Egisti repeating the melody in octaves on the piano. It's a joyous, infectious tune—its effect on the band is clear, as they break into laughter while clapping to the odd-metered beat.

One final highlight occurs during the closing vamp of Parlato's "Winter Wind." As the line repeats, she clings to the last note in each phrase, edging up the intensity each time. By the time it ends, the repeating hook:

It's the time of your life It's the time of your life
So hold on, hold on

has its claws in you.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Holding Back The Years; Winter Wind; How We Love; Juju; Still; Better than; Alo, Alo; Circling; Henya; In a Dream (Remix); All That I Can Say; Me and You; Blue in Green; The Lost and Found; Without a Sound.

Personnel

Gretchen Parlato

vocals

Gretchen Parlato: vocals; Taylor Eigsti: piano; Derrick Hodge, Alan Hampton: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums; Dayna Stephens: tenor saxophone.

Album information

Title: The Lost And Found | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: ObliqSound

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