In a Dream (ObliqSound)
Gretchen Parlato
Released August 25, 2009
JazzTimes Top 10 Albums of 2009
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=nXZ3Uku0Ya0&list=OLAK5uy_nVam3EKxUs-PoJVd7nwmj2v1Lq8LR0eE8
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3RzIu8LThvyRGzWorhCWRH?si=QXo6z25ETRi83LermOtrJg
About:
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
released 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. Each song emerges as a unique world unto itself, yet
there’s an undeniable thread linking them all together.
Aligning with a virtuosic quartet she describes as “inspiring, creative,
sensitive, musical souls” — Lionel Loueke on guitar, Aaron Parks on piano
and Fender Rhodes, Derrick Hodge on acoustic and electric bass, and drummer
Kendrick Scott — Parlato brings the warmth and compelling command of her
much-heralded live performances to ten exquisite new peeks into her artistic
personality. In a Dream firmly places Gretchen Parlato in the upper
echelon of today’s vocal artists.
Both Hancock and Shorter are already fans. Hancock has said that Parlato has a
“deep, almost magical connection to the music,” and Shorter has said “in
an inconspicuous way, Gretchen plays the same instrument as Frank
Sinatra.”
Michele Locatelli, the album’s producer and co-founder of ObliqSound, notes
that Parlato’s desire to blend a broad range of musical influences sets her
apart. “Even though her means of expression is jazz-based, it goes beyond that.
The defining thing about her, however, is her subtle sense of rhythm and
timing: she makes a song seem easy when it’s not.”
From the opening number, her interpretation of Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It,”
best known via Michael Jackson’s rendition, Parlato’s extraordinary vocal
calisthenics, immaculate sense of timing and nuanced phrasing are in full
bloom. Parlato transforms the song into a breathy neo-bossa nova, joined solely
by Loueke’s closely intertwined, sweet guitar lines and vocalized percussion
and bass accompaniment. “The song just grew organically and has continued to
develop every time we play it,” Parlato says.
The song list runs the gamut from classic Brazilian — “Doralice,” learned
from the legendary singer/guitarist Joo Gilberto — to the flowing “Turning
Into Blue,” penned by the bassist Alan Hampton, with lyrics by Parlato
based on Buddhist teachings. The way in which she stretches out the word
“turning,” then catches up with “into blue” is indicative of
Parlato’s innate ability to work miracles with a lyric and hold the listener’s
attention via her ingenuity. Ellington’s “Azure,” says Parlato, “taps into
that dreamlike state we can be in when we long for someone and feel completely
alone. I love to reveal the beauty in the darkness.” Performed in a 5/4
rhythm, the track features a stunning bass solo by Hodge.
Hancock’s “Butterfly,” she says, “is about the beauty of simplicity and
space. I arranged it so that we could play around rhythmically, while still
allowing the lyrics to shine through.” In this arrangement, Parlato stays
on top of the groove without deviating, even while exploring every nuance it
has to offer. Shorter’s “ESP,” not surprisingly the purest jazz track
on In a Dream, eases in via meditative vocalizations and ultimately gives
way to Parks’ spellbinding Rhodes solo and intricate drum work from Scott. The
title track, with music by the young pianist Robert Glasper and lyrics by
Parlato, is appropriately dreamy, a groove-based, harmony-rich rumination on
the otherworldly quality of being in love.
Two tracks, “Within Me” and “On the Other Side,” arrived via
guitarist Francis Jacob. On the first, Parlato’s vocal sneaks in with a
whisper, then barely rises, yet remains dynamic and alluring. Appropriately
introspective, she drills deep inside of the lyric and instinctively delivers it
the way it begs to be delivered. The latter song is more rambunctious, a tight
weave of precision, melody and heart. “Weak,” which closes the album, was
originally performed by the R&B trio SWV in 1992. Says Parlato, “I thought
it would be cool to sing this song in a new way and have people say, ‘Wait, why
do I know this?'”
The theme of the album’s title, In a Dream, runs throughout each song.
“Every song has a purpose, relates to my life in some way, and tells a
story,” Parlato explains. Her own story begins in Los Angeles, where she
was born into a highly artistic and musical family that shaped her ears. In her
youth, Parlato soaked up every sound that came her way, from rock and pop to
classical, musical theatre, soul and R&B and, especially, African percussion
and the sensuous rhythms of Brazil — all of which worked its way into her
nascent style. Jazz gained a special foothold in her musical life because, she
says, it forces an artist “to figure out who you are and find your own
voice.”
Her talent became apparent in her early childhood — in fact, In a
Dream includes a handful of snippets of Parlato belting out songs in
perfect rhythm and remarkable pitch at age two! “I thought it was fitting to
try to work these early recordings in with my current music, because it shows
the first steps of my musical path, who I am, where I come from,” she
says. “It makes me realize that music was in me since the very beginning, I had
no choice but to pursue it and share it.”
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. A year later, Parlato
won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition and,
in 2005, self-released her debut.
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; notable performances
include La Villette in Paris with Wayne Shorter as her guest, the Hollywood
Bowl with Oscar Castro-Neves, Gal Costa, Ivan Lins, and Dianne Reeves, and the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. Her recording
credits include Terence Blanchard’s 2005 Grammy-nominated album Flow,
Kenny Barron’s The Traveler, and Esperanza Spalding’s 2008 self-titled
album. She was recently featured in The Documentary Channel’s 4-part
series Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense, and in a special
called Rising Stars on Japan’s NHK-TV, with a one-hour focus on
Parlato. Glowing reviews have followed her around, such as the one from The
New York Times’ Ben Ratliff that singled out her attention to rhythm and
dynamics, and proclaimed, “It’s evident that she’s an extraordinary
singer.”
Adds Lionel Loueke, “She is the only singer that I never have to account for or
change the way I play; the guitar and the voice are so well balanced that no
one is ever out in front.” That is in fact true of each of her
accompanists. Inherently aware of the leader’s ability to find herself within a
given song, the musicians instinctively find their place alongside her and serve
to accent Parlato’s fine-tuned arrangements.
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.” Anyone who is not moved
by In a Dream is quite possibly incapable of moving at all.
Michael Ricci (All About Jazz)
Track Listing:
1. I Can’t Help It (Susaye Greene / Stevie Wonder) 4:49
2. Within Me (Francis Jacob) 5:34
3. Butterfly (Herbie Hancock / Jean Hancock / Bennie Maupin) 5:01
4. In a Dream (Robert Glasper / Gretchen Parlato) 5:30
5. Doralice (Antonio Almeida / Dorival Caymmi) 3:21
6. Turning into Blue (Alan Hampton / Gretchen Parlato) 5:12
7. E.S.P. (Wayne Shorter) 4:05
8. Azure (Duke Ellington / Irving Mills) 4:16
9. On the Other Side (Francis Jacob) 3:57
10. Weak (Brian Alexander Morgan / Roger / Larry Troutman) 5:00
Personnel:
Gretchen Parlato: vocals, handclaps (1, 3, 5, 9), percussion (7, 9), excerpts of Gretchen singing at age 2 (3, 7)
Lionel Loueke: guitar (all except 6, 10), vocals (1, 3, 5, 8, 9)
Aaron Parks: piano (2, 6, 8), Fender Rhodes (4, 7, 9, 10), glockenspiel (6), synthesizer (10)
Derrick Hodge: acoustic bass (2, 4, 6, 8), electric bass (3, 7, 9, 10)
Kendrick Scott: drums (2, 4, 6, 9, 10), percussion (2)
Recorded September 16, 2008, at Kampo Studios and December 17 and 18, 2008, at Legacy Studios, by Juan Pablo Alcaro
Assistant Engineers: Ariosto Arata, Don Goodrick and Ryan Kelly
Mastered by Nathan James
Produced by Michele Locatelli
Review:
Gretchen Parlato is a rising star in vocal jazz circles of the 2000s who everyone should pay attention to and enjoy. Her singing is pure sterling silver, accented with just a hint of ethnic shadings and a big helping of modern style that goes well beyond standard fare. As alluring, distinct, and mature as her youthful instrument is, she deserves extra credit for choosing some of the most interesting young players who also are ascending to major-league status. Guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke, keyboardist Aaron Parks, bassist Derrick Hodge, and drummer Kendrick Scott are all leaders in their own right, but add bright and inventive accompaniment that perfectly matches the pristinely hopeful sounds Parlato expresses. The music taps from many sources, including a cute vocal variation of Herbie Hancock’s funky “Butterfly,” Wayne Shorter’s “E.S.P.” with rain forest imagery, scat, and quirky 6/8 beats, or Duke Ellington’s “Azure” in adapted 5/4 time with Loueke’s guitar and Hodge in late. Stevie Wonder’s “I Can’t Help It” is a pining, crossover, Latin-tinged love song as Parlato sings and Loueke scats and add mouth pops, while Dori Caymmi’s skittering “Doralice” is easily representative of expanded tropicalia sensuality. Parks, much like his peer Robert Glasper, has the modern spirit song, loose-repeat-phrased-and-deep-harmonic piano style down pat. As you listen to the Glasper/Parlato joint composition “In a Dream,” or the 7/8 meter of “Turning into Blue,” you are enveloped in this thin veneer of cloudy, dream sequence sound that identifies the heart and soul of these unique musicians. “Weak” turns this concept into a rock/funk beat emphasized by Fender Rhodes electric piano juxtaposing choppy rhythms versus Parlato’s sweet voice, whereas “On the Other Side” flips the script in a shuffle with percussion in shades of renewal and retrial. A muffled, taped recording of Parlato singing at age two is tacked on two tracks, emphasizing the growth curve she has experienced, but more so how she appreciates the child-like wonder that her music clearly retains. Gretchen Parlato is going to be a major player on the contemporary vocal music scene, jazz or not. In a Dream already shows vast potential realized, and is easily recommended to those who appreciate vocal music with an instrumentalist’s concept.
Michael G. Nastos (AllMusic)
