from The Seattle Times:
Jazz preview: Gretchen Parlato
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle; $15/$18 (206-838-4333)
The title of Gretchen Parlato’s new album “In a Dream” (Obliqsound) aptly captures the sustained mood of ethereal introspection that she evokes from the first track to the last.
Possessing an enticingly crystalline voice and a ravishing concept deeply informed by samba ballads and bossa nova, Parlato is among the very best of a rising generation of jazz singers, an artist who has taken her own sweet time forging a highly personal sound unlike that of any of her peers.
“For me, the best way to be as an artist is to be completely yourself, letting that vulnerability come through,” said Parlato, who makes her Seattle debut as a bandleader at the Triple Door on Wednesday, with pianist Taylor Eigsti, bassist Alan Hampton and drummer Kendrick Scott (heard recently at Jazz Alley with Terence Blanchard).
“The meditative, calm sound is a reflection of my personality,” Parlato says. “I’ve got a silly and a crazy side, but it makes sense the music would come across that way. I do yoga every day and try to keep a sense of peace and calm in my life. I don’t have a lot of frantic energy.”
Continue reading at The Seattle Times.