“Alongside the introspective, almost meditative singer, there lies a humorous and theatrical personality…a combination of musical refinement, vulnerability, and playfulness. Gretchen Parlato doesn’t need grand gestures to make an impression; her strength lies precisely in her subtlety. Every note feels…

This was my gig of the festival, and one of my gigs of the year. My reason for having wanted to be there was clear: a chance to catch a London appearance by no fewer than three major figures from…

[Loueke] utilised a plethora of extended techniques on both guitar and voice, from string-scratching slides and false harmonics to breath sounds and percussive vocal clicks. Soaring above this in a silky realm of her own is Parlato. Her iconic timbre…

by Jess Williams, Rochester Beacon, June 30, 2023
It’s mesmerizing how well the two understood and supported each other; this type of musicianship can really only be found in a pair as tight as this one. The musicians seemed to…

by Andrew Gilbert, Classical Voice San Francisco

Listening to her can feel like eavesdropping on an intimate conversation, exposed and vulnerable. A bandleader comfortable with freedom and a singer who doesn’t need a net, Parlato is at her best when…

By Dan Emerson, jazzpolice.com 

Freed from the bonds of COVID lockdown, the SFJazz Collective brought plenty of creative and performing energy with its annual (in “normal” times) visit to the Dakota jazz club in Minneapolis, on March 28th.  

In its…

Nick Catalano, All That Jazz

"The New Year was dramatically ushered in at The Jazz Standard on January 2nd when Gretchen Parlato and her band wowed an SRO audience with some of the most prescient music of the season. No…

Angela Perez, BeMelbourne 

Hailed as one of the most important jazz singers since Cassandra Wilson, Gretchen Parlato is the kind of artist that comes along once in a generation. 

"It could be said that the measure of an artist can…

By Eloy Japhet Esquivel Jueves, April 19, 2018, El Sol de León, Sociales

"The angelic voice of Gretchen Parlato enthralled the attendees ... the jazz vocalist, who before being on the terrace of the Bicentennial stepped on the prestigious concert…

Jesús Quintero 

(google translation from Spanish) It is inevitable to rely on metaphors, because what Gretchen Parlato offers is the opportunity to see how with her voice she draws a point that - almost evanescent, of intense faint appearance -…

Michael J. West, Washington City Paper  

"The name Gretchen Parlato has been repeated and praised often enough that any jazz fan who hasn't heard her can be skeptical. But once you hear her, chances are you'll be startled anyway. She's…