what's new

hello hello!

happy summer to all of you!
here's some exciting news
thank you for your continued support & love...

ObliqSound is pleased to announce the signing
of its newest artist, American vocalist Gretchen Parlato.
Having appeared as a guest on three previous ObliqSound
releases, the singer who Herbie Hancock describes
as having a "deep, almost magical connection to the music"
will release her debut ObliqSound album in 2009.
The album will combine Parlato's vocals
in duo and ensemble, working with Lionel Loueke
on guitar and vocals, Aaron Parks on piano
and Fender Rhodes, Kendrick Scott on drums
and Derrick Hodge on acoustic and electric bass.
Parlato was just named one of the top rising star
female vocalists in Downbeat Magazine's
56th Annual Critics Poll,
and is the first female vocalist signed to
six-year-old independent label ObliqSound.


"Gretchen Parlato is one of the most distinctive vocalists
in jazz today and is part of an incredible community
of artists and friends that make up the ObliqSound family,"
said Michele Locatelli, president and co-founder of ObliqSound.
"She was outstanding on several tracks of Virgin Forest
(including the Independent Music Award winning song
"Kponnon Kpete,") helped to make Andy Milne
& Gregoire Maret's rendition of "Moon River" instantly
memorable on their album Scenarios,
and just this spring, co-wrote the lyrics and sang as a guest
on "Clouds" on Massimo Biolcati's album Persona.
I look forward to presenting this same inspiring
and personal touch with her upcoming album."


"I am thrilled to be working with ObliqSound,"
added Parlato. "I respect the fact that they support
and enhance their artists, without trying to place them
within boundaries. Michele Locatelli has always been
supportive of me and my musical vision, and I look forward
to working together to create a beautiful album."


Parlato was the first vocalist ever to be selected
for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, chosen by
none other than Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter
and Terence Blanchard. She took first prize in the
Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocals Competition in 2004.
Since then, Parlato has toured internationally
with her own band and as a guest for many others.
Notable performances include La Villette in Paris
with Wayne Shorter, 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 and most recently,
Esperanza Spalding's 2008 self-titled album.
In addition to her upcoming US, European
and Australian tours, she can be heard this fall
on Kenny Barron's upcoming release The Traveler.
For more information about Gretchen Parlato,
please see www.gretchenparlato.com
and www.myspace.com/gretchenparlato


About ObliqSound:
ObliqSound is an independent record label
that provides a home for artists around the globe
interested in creating music that crosses
the boundaries of traditional music labeling.
Dedicated to both an instrumental and vocal series,
ObliqSound endeavors to create a body of timeless,
genre-defying music. Recent releases include
John Shannon's understated vocal and guitar
album American Mystic, Grand Pianoramax's
piano/drums/spoken word project
on The Biggest Piano In Town, and pianist Alon Yavnai's
multicultural Travel Notes. The label will present
its first evening at the Montreux Jazz Festival
on July 12, 2008.
For more about ObliqSound,
please see www.obliqsound.com
and www.myspace.com/obliqsound

hello friends!!!

i feel muucho better
im baaaaaack out and about
and hope to see you all soon

i have some great summer gigs i look forward to
in july and august
check the calendar for more info

im also resuming teaching lessons
so feel free to contact me to set something up :)

i feel extremely thankful and grateful to have my health
and to be surrounded by such wonderful family and friends

be well,
gp

hello friends!

hope you are well, enjoying life!

just thought id give my last update on surgery

im feeling better everyday. im back home
in brooklyn now hanging with my sis.
im mostly resting, but i do get up
and walk around a bit
as it does promote healing.
im not in any pain anymore,
i went off my pain meds after the first 5 days.
just kind of a numb overly sensitive feeling,
but i know its all part of the healing process
that ultimately i must surrender to.
sooo, just trying to take care of myself,
since im still a bit weak due to my blood loss.
but hey, i am able to laugh from my belly again!
and if you know me,
you know how essential laughing is in my life. :)

all the love and support from family and friends
has helped me thru this,
so once again,
thank you thank you thank youuuuuuuuuuuu

hope to be out and about in a week or so,
feeling even better than befooooo
be well & take care
gp

surgerrrryyyy updatesssss
Current mood: loved

hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
was that me? or the percocet??????(*&()*(%*)(W

anyway, here i am 5 days after surgery to give some
updates and document this whole ordeal.

i went into surgery thinking that the surgeon
(beth simon! woo hooo!)
was going to remove all 5 fibroids.
turns out once she opened me up
that there were actually 10. crazy.
2 inside my uterus, 2 more in the
walls of the uterus, 5 more on the outside of my uterus
and 1 giant sized
"baby jesus" one completely covering
the top of my uterus like a helmut.
( i do have photos of them if anyone cares to be fascinated
AAAND totes grossed out)

i was on some anesthetic to be in a deep sleep,
they also gave me an epidural which numbed me.
this made for a somewhat pleasant wake up,
the epidural stayed until the next day,
while they gave me a morphine drip and IV.

i did lose 1 liter of blood during the surgery,
so i was shivering once i woke up..
i kept telling them to give me more blankets and they said
"you already have 6 on and 2 around your head" and
i remember mumbling "so give me 6 more,
WTF beeaaach??!! im fooocking freeezing" but they
had their reasons, my fever was normal at that point..
i can say that was one of
the first moments where i used what ive learned from yoga
into my everyday life. i tried to focus on really deep
breaths to calm my muscles and stop quivering..
it kinda worked..
but so did some drugs they gave me.

i was groggy for a while, my mom came in and saw me
and i remember talking to her and being present in the
moment in our conversation.. but i kept asking her
what she had for lunch over and over again,
and how long she'd been next to me.
my sense of time was all wacko, i was aware
but really disoriented. whenever she'd leave id just stare
at the ceiling and wonder..
was my mom just here or was i dreaming?
then i thought id chant to stay in the moment..
and that helped me deeply.


they took me to my bed after a couple hours...
my first visitors besides my mom were my dear friends
maira liriano and sachal vasandani.
i love them all so mucho
and it was so nice to see them right away.
but i had to remind them not to make me
laauugh cuz it hurt too much.
regardless, i still put on my blue wig and took
some post-op helen mckenzie photos.
i like to make light of situations.
and i was on drugs.

during the next days i had more lovely visitors...
mike moreno, dave devoe, gerald clayton, eric prevert,
lisa conlon, joe johnson, jaleel shaw, kendrick scott,
steven crowe...
and sweet phone calls from my dad, my sis, my nana,
my aunt and cousins, dali colorado, chris waterton,
ashley thompson, daniel seeff, ayaka nishina,
michelle brunnick, lionel loueke, benedicta loueke,
malika zarra, jamire williams,reggie quinerly, damion reid,
aaron parks, ben street, karen kennedy, nicolau verguerio,
tierney sutton, esperanza spalding, otis brown, fransisco pais.
emails and texts from emra izrek, joe sanders,
ambrose akinmusire, dena bloomgarden, john ellis,
jessica vautor, julie hardy, laura ocelli,
nick vayenas, bryan lipps, nancy allen, summer deaver,
johanna cranitch, kaoru oyama, joi turner, jacob rodriquez,
michael olatuja, brian bacchus, paul donovan,
kathleen grace, jenny barnes, 2008-infinity, jd walter,
nina harlow, gabriel puentes, mary ann, derrick hodge,
harold o'neill, alice zulkarnian

..... woowwww such an overwhelming outpour
of love and support..
if i have forgotten anyone, please, once again,
blame the percocet.
i also had an outpour of love and support
and my last gig before all of this at cachaca.
thanks to all of you who came out!
very much appreciated!!


something else much appreciated is the fact
that i was in good health going into this.
because of my diet and yoga my blood count was high,
ive also been able to keep myself much calmer with
deep breathing and meditation,
i learned how to isolate muscle groups so i can lift myself
with just my arms or my legs,
i can resist the disgusting hospital food that they give
the first day you can eat solid foods.
somehow there isnt the correlation between a healthy diet
and healing. they served me pizza and coffee and
a chocolate brownie.that wouldnt feel good going down,
sitting in your stomach and DEF not coming out if ya
knowuuutimsayinnnnnnnnnnnn!!!
so i encourage all of you to take care of yourselves now
cuz it makes all the difference if you are ever
in a situation like this.


ok... back to the story.. they let me out of the hospital
on friday, and i travelled to my aunts house in summit
new jersey with my mama.. where i am now.
im in great company of my mom,
aunt & uncle, cousins jono and matt, and dawg and cat.
miss rio came over yesterday with muna and johna
and we had a lovely visit.
more visitors to come tomorrow...
and then tuesday i hope to go home to brooklyn.
my sister will arrive that day to help me out.

i'll add some more updates sooon
thanks for reading this
time for more drugs.


oh yaa, speaking of drugs.. i almost forgot to mention
something interesting that i went thru.
i had horrible headaches ever since the day after
surgery.. i thought it was due to the blood loss &
low blood count.. but was puzzled that the crazy strong
drugs didnt help. my aunt finally remembered that there
was some connection between epidurals and headaches,
so we googled around to find that indeed,
there's a 1 in a 100 chance of this kind
of reaction if the needle goes in too far, causing crazy
headaches for 4-5 days and niiightssss. lots of water and
caffeine were supposed to help, so that i did and sure
enough this morning (sunday day 5) my headache went away.
something to be aware of ladiesssss, are ya wiith meee?!!

ok. i think im done for now.

xoxoxoxoxoxoooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
xoxooxoxoxxxxxxooooooooo
gp

i was trying to think of ways to further my career,
so i've decided to have surgery.

i thought about
liposuction (my knees are soooo saggy!)
lip injections (i hear it widens your vibrato?)
and even the ever-popular shoulder implant
(who has time for shoulder pads these days?!)

i've finally settled on fibroid surgery.
you may or may not know what fibroids are..
it is a rather personal subject to blog about,
but i wanted to share my story in hopes that it may help someone else..
and letcha know that i really will have a valid excuse
for maybe not returning phone calls for some time.

seems i have developed a "litter" of fibroids
in and around my uterus. (i am a cat lady, after all.)
fibroids are benign muscle tissue tumors
that are very common among women. some are big,
some are small, some women live with them without problems,
some women, like me, experience problems with them
and want them the F*%@K outta their bodies!

so im having them removed... kinda like a cesarean section,
but without the baby. (i may still name them, though.)
my surgery date is tuesday june 3,
and i will be kinda out of it for a little while..

ive been thinking good thoughts,
chanting, meditating on good health and healing.
ultimately trying to find clarity, understanding,
peace and love in this situation
and all others that we all may face in life.
im so grateful for my family and friends
who all have been very supportive..
i am lucky to be surrounded by such good people.
so, thank youuuu, you are one of those peeps!

thanks for reading this,
be well

love love love,
gp

hi friends!

hope this finds you happy, healthy & enjoying life!

australia was gorgeous!
lovely people, lovely weather
sold out shows, a birthday on the beach...
a fantastic trip!

since i returned to nyc, ive been working with gino sitson's
group in preparation for our european spring tour
we had a great time opening up for bobby mcferrin at carnegie hall,
and are thrilled to be traveling next week
to france, switzerland, austria, and germany
i will also be in portugal for one night with francisco pais group
before i return home in april...

have some plans for more touring and gigs in nyc this summer
as well as going in the studio to record my next album
i'll most definitely keep you posted as things develop

a beautiful phrase that we chant in my yoga class everyday
to share with you...

"lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu"
which more or less means:
"may all creatures of the world be happy, peaceful, and free"

take care,
gp

helloooooo!

on this freezing sunday afternoon in new york,
i am counting the hours til i hop on a plane
and make my way to warm and sunny los angeles

i'll be there for some workshops & performances
i hope to see all my good friends, fans and fam!

saturday jan 26
@ creative seeds
9p

& sunday jan 27
vocal workshop
1p - 4p

see calendar for more info...

aaaaaand
im really excited to go to australia in february!
i'll be in brisbane, albany, & perth
for some performances:

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008
7:30p
gp in Brisbane, Australia
@ Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre
119 Lamington Street (continuation of James St)
New Farm Qld 4005
Australia
+61 7 3358 8600
http://www.brisbanepowerhouse.org/events/view/gretchen-parlato

Saturday, February 9th, 2008
8:00 PM
gp @ Perth International Arts Festival
Albany Town Hall Theatre
York Street
Albany, WA 6331
Australia
6488 5555
http://www.perthfestival.com.au/greatsouthern/gsgretchenparlato

Sunday, February 10th, 2008
8:30 PM
gp @ Perth International Arts Festival
Beck's Music Box
The Esplanade
Perth, WA 6000
Australia
+61 8 6488 5555
http://www.perthfestival.com.au/becksmusicbox/gretchen


i also be there during my birthday, feb 11
and hope to hug a koala.

xoxo,
gp

happy new yearrrrrrrrr!!!

im sure you all enjoyed your new year's celebrations!
this year, i was feeling very introspective, i welcomed
2008 with a yoga ritual of 108 sun salutations!
it felt amazing! ...cleansing, calming, healing...
i also wrote down everything i wanted to release from my past,
and my intentions for 2008.
it was very peaceful... and totally different than
my past new year's activities of crazy fun dance parties :)

one of my intentions was to continue to be grateful
so im taking this time to thank all of you
for your support, love, guidance, encouragement & inspiration!

positive energy, good health, love & creativity,
gp

greetings from sunny los angeles!!!

im here spending time with family and friends
for christmas...
wishing all of you a happy, healthy & peaceful holiday
and a fabulous welcoming of new year!

xoxo,
gp

hi everyone!

just wanted to share the news
that i am featured in 3 different magazines this month
from around the globe!

japan - an article on jazz in new york,


an article about me in jazzit in italy,


and bass player magazine here in america :)


thank all of you for your continued support!

happy thanksgiving
be well,
gp

holiday greetings, friends!

hope life is beautiful
and that you are enjoying fall!
looking forward to having my mama visit me
for thanksgiving here in nyc
and then a nice trip back to LA for christmas

til then, ill be performing and recording in nyc
and taking time to be grateful for all that i have
inspired by what is around me
and hopeful for what is to come...

just got back from paris and im still floating...

or maybe that's just jetlag.
for realsss though, i had an amazing time!

i spent the first couple days
with one of my best friends,
nicolau vergueiro.
he's an artist and living in paris for a while.
my mama met us too, and the three of us
walked around the beautiful city...
to the top of the notre dame,
centre pompidou, a little shopping, a lot of eating,
mostly talking and laughing
and just simply enjoying the moments.
a perfect way to center myself
and prepare for what was to come...

after days of falafel, crepes, gazpacho,
gelato, many cooked vegetables
and way too much bread,
i found myself sharing the stage with wayne shorter.
in a word, it was surreal.
like time was moving in slow motion.
there was a deep sense of space,
calm and magic surrounding all of us,
i did my best to dwell in the precious moment of it all.

had the pleasure of talking with wayne
and his wife, carolina,
whom i have known through nicolau
since we were 15 years old.
realizing how we are all connected,
how there truly is a lesson
in everything that happens in life,
how every person is a teacher to us in some way.

i talked with my sister, heather yesterday
when i got back to nyc.
she told me that our grandfather,
charlie parlato is in the hospital...
these are his last days.
he's 88 and has had a long life
(coincidentally, my other grandfather, caleb frisk
lived to be 88 as well)
his condition has brought
my entire father's side of the family together..
sisters and brothers, sons and daughters,
some who havent spoken to each other in years.
right now they are sitting together
in a little hospital room,
at peace,
comforting my grandfather til his last breath.

amazing how life works...

hello everyone!

hope you are well.. i am feelin good
just returned from quebec city
where lionel and i played
festival de jazz de quebec
what a warm and lovely place...

have a few shows here in nyc
before my gig of a lifetime:

gp with wayne shorter
sunday september 2
@ la villette jazz festival
cite de la musique
paris, france

gretchen parlato . voice
lionel loueke . guitar & voice
aaron parks . piano & rhodes
derrick hodge . bass
kendrick scott . drums

with very special guest
wayne shorter!!!

we are beyond excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"when you are grateful, you do not suffer"
-thich nhat hanh

aaaaaaahhh summertime...

hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather!
life is good...

my cd is finally available on ITUNES!
you can also purchase songs on my myspace page
http://www.myspace.com/gretchenparlato

things are great here in nyc
though i am really looking forward
to a visit to my city of angels
i'll be in LA
july 11 - 25
among lots of rest and relaxation,
i'll be teaching some lessons/workshops/sessions
so please contact me if you have an interest

check out the july issue of DOWNBEAT
for a fabulous article on lionel loueke
i was interviewed for this and sing his praises!
also a nice mention of our duo project...

aaaand
have a song featured in the blindfold test
with richard bona

i continue to be grateful and content with all that i have
and all that is to come
(like opening up for wayne shorter in paris sept 2?!!
whaaaaaat??!!!)

love to you all,
gp

hello hello my june bugs!

come join us
at the brooklyn botanical garden!
http://bbg.org/vis2/2007/jazzandroses/

gp & lionel loueke
@ brooklyn botanical garden
cherry esplanade stage
sunday june 3
2:30p

im still @ the 55bar
the first friday of every month
free early shows 6p - 9p

hope life is wonderful for you all!
love love love,
gp

happy happy...

hello my friends!
thank you for visiting my website
and for your continuous support...

spring is flirting with me here in nyc!
there's something about warm weather
that makes me feel like everything is in it's right place...

i've been spending my time
enjoying life and every person around me,
living in this moment,
being grateful,
laughing as much as possible,
trying to stay disciplined & focused,
creating, listening & being inspired,
making aspirations,
drinking tea,
doing yoga,
eating hummus...
and of course, making music
cuz,
my gift is my song
aaand
this one's for youuuuu

hope my nyc peeps can come out
to the jazz gallery
friday mar 9
9p & 10:30p sets

with
aaron parks . piano
josh mease . guitar
alan hampton . bass
jamire williams . drums

im very excited about this show!
josh mease is the greatest songwriter ever.
i've stolen some songs from him
and will sing them with a riiidiculous band
of musicians whom i adore.
what more could a girl ask for...?

be well,
gp

hello friends...

happy new year !

i am deeply sorry to inform you
that my european tour with lionel loueke
which was supposed to take place next week
has been postponed

please check back for updates
we hope to be over there soon!

again, my most sincere apologies...

be well & take care,
gp

its decemberrrrrr
and its tooo cold for the valley girl!!

so i'll be in los angeles
dec 19 - jan 4
just relaxing before a busy and exciting month in january '07

email me if you are interested
in setting up lessons/workshops

wishing all of you a fabulous holiday season!

love,
gp

hello hellooooo

whats happening my friends!
thank you always for visiting

i've been written up in a book!
"ENTERTAINMENT: DIVAS CABARET JAZZ THEN AND NOW"
by maximillien de lafayette
in the chapter, "best of the best"
so, i guess i'm officially a diva...?!!
honestly, im humbled & honored to be included...

hope all the new yaawkers can make it out
monday november 27
@ the jazz standard
7:30p & 9:30p sets
with my boysss!
lage lund, alan hampton, & jamire williams

happy thanksgiving to everyone!
love from,
gp

hey hey...

back in nyc after a great time in LA!
highlight definitely was the performance
with lionel at the vic...
we were honored to have
herbie hancock in the audience
and even better to have him share the stage with us!

also enjoyed a few gigs with the fabulous singer,
gino sitson, and his vocal group
we'll be performing mon 10/23 @ the zincbar
hope you can make it...

also going into the studio in the next couple months
first with sean jones to record his latest album
and then with composer, ayaka nishina
to record a piece produced by john zorn!
for 8 voices (8 gp's!)
and electronics...dedicated to all things red...
looking forward to it..

happy halloweeeeeeeeeeeen!
gp

hello hellooooo

im looking forward to visiting my hometown this month!
i'll be in the city of angels for some shows
and this time, bringing with me
a musical partner in crime,
the always amazing:
lionel loueke

if you are in the los angeles area
please come out to join us

friday sept 29 @ lacma
sunday oct 1 @ dizzy's san diego
wednesday oct 4 @ steamers
thursday oct 5 @ the vic

gig details on calendar page...

we'll also be conducting some clinics & masterclasses
see clinics page for more info...

i'm also thrilled to be singing
at this year's thelonious monk international piano competition
and 20 year anniversary
sun sept 17

my new yaawkers
i hope to see you
saturday sept 16
@ williamsburg jazz festival
rose cafe
9:30p - 10:30p

be well,
gp

hello friendsssss!!!

hope my nyc peeps
can join me for this gig
it's always a special treat
to sing with lionel...
back from his summer tour with herbie

gp & lionel loueke duets
@ the jazz standard
monday august 14
7:30p & 9:30p sets

check out this month's downbeat
for "players" feature
&
i'm honored to have made it into
54th annual critics poll
rising star female vocalist

thank you all for your continued love & support
be well,
gp

whass a happeninnn!!!

hope you're enjoying your summertimesss!!!

among many july gigs in nyc
i'll be singing with
john scofield
wed july 26
check gig page for details

a heads up too for next month
check out aug issue of "downbeat"
...should be a little feature in therrrre

hope to see you at a future gig!
also, i'd love to hear from you
so please feel free to
sign the guestboook...

laters,
gp

helloo friends!

thank you all for your continued support!
some cool things goin on this month...

thursday june 1st
"juju/footprints" was featured on
npr's "song of the day"

there's been an overwhelming response
to this npr piece, cds sold out from cdbaby in 2 days!
they are back in stock now...

hope you can join us
tues june 6 & weds june 7
@ the jazz standard

gp & lionel loueke duets @ 7:30p
gp with lionel loueke trio @ 9:30p

more duet shows with lionel loueke this month
check calendar for dates

new reviews from performances in paris & quebec
en francais!   [Voir]     [Le Soleil]

hope you all are doing fabuloussly!
-gp

hey friends!

hope life is wonderful for you all...
thank you all for your continued support!
i've got some exciting performances
coming up this month

gp & lionel loueke duets
& the jacky terrasson trio
@ la sorbonne
paris, france
may 19

gp & lionel loueke duets
quebec, canada
may 23 & 24
"Tracer sa voie" interview (french)
@voir.ca

and some local gigs in nyc
check calendar for details

lionel loueke is on the
cover of jazziz this month!!!
i was interviewed as part of the article
check it out
www.jazziz.com

gp & lionel loueke duets
@ the 55bar
friday april 7
6p - 9p

gp
@ la lanterna / bar next door
monday april 10
8p - 11:30p

gp w/ odd logik
@ pianos
thursday april 13
9p

gp w/ odd logik
@ the zinc bar
monday april 17
7:30p - 9p

lionel loueke trio
will be recording an album
i am thrilled to be a part of
we'll be in the studio april 18 & 19

i will be in los angeles
thurs april 27 - weds may 3

on air dates:
tues april 25 w/ thejazzcat.net
fri april 28 @ kpfk in los angeles
global village w/ sergio mielniczenko

workshop in los angeles
saturday april 29
w / gerald clayton
see clinics page for more info and sign up