Gretchen Parlato Quartet

In the organizer's words:

Your Gretchen question could be: who was I a good twenty years ago, what artistic ideas did I have back then and where do I actually stand today? The Wise Ones, a new album by Californian singer Gretchen Parlato, provides more than satisfactory answers. On the one hand, it takes her back to a time when she became friends with bassist, guitarist and songwriter Alan Hampton at the Thelonious Monk Institute, but on the other hand it also contains stunning material from the present alongside older, timeless songs that she tells from today's perspective.

The Wises Ones is a sound document that tells of the many collaborations that enriched Gretchen Parlato's life - including those with her husband, drummer Mark Giuliana. She sings the songs on the album with that very special voice, with that irresistible mixture of ethereal lightness and palpable depth.

Gretchen Parlato is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding singers in recent jazz history. She has not only kept the promise she made when she won the Thelonious Monk Competition in 2004, she has easily surpassed it - with half a dozen of her own albums and recordings with the vocal trio Tillery, with greats such as Kenny Barron, Terence Blanchard and Esperanza Spalding.

Lineup:

Gretchen Parlato (voc)

Alan Hampton (b, git)

Jacob Mann (p, keys)

Mark Guiliana (drums)