Disc of the day: 13-10-09

Gretchen Parlato: In A Dream (ObliqSound OS107)
Herbie Hancock has good things to say about this innovative young singer making a great impression in the clubs of New York and elsewhere; so does Wayne Shorter.

She keeps good company, too. On this album Lionel Loueke is on guitar and vocals, Aaron Parks is on piano, Derrick Hodge is on bass and Kendrick Scott is on drums.

Now, I’ve always considered that one of the hallmarks of good singers, no matter what their genre, is that their singing should sound as natural as their speaking. Take, for example, Michael McDonald. Well, Gretchen Parlato has that quality.

This disc finds her working often as a fifth instrument within the band.

Track two, Within Me, is an ideal introduction, Parlato singing in a just-above-a-whisper, bossa-tinged tone against a skittish snare pattern and lovely cushioning piano chords. She is particularly adept at the odd timings and nuanced harmonic changes found in this very cool, very contemporary jazz.

There is a fabulous bit in In A Dream where she sings harmony first with Parks’s keyboard, then with Loueke’s guitar.

There are a quite a few videos on YouTube, taken by audience members at the clubs, which suggest she has considerable stage presence and has been paying her dues in some of the most testing environments.

So it would certainly be worth catching her at Pizza Express as part of the London Jazz Festival in November. Until then, get hold of this CD – it has wormed its way into my player and shown a great reluctance to leave.