The Wise Ones
gretchen parlato
Edition Records, 2026
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the wise ones
Gretchen Parlato
The Wise Ones
on Edition Records
out SEPTEMBER 11
The Wise Ones is the new album from Gretchen Parlato, one of the defining vocalists of her generation, whose phrasing, tone and rhythmic instinct have reshaped the language of modern jazz singing. Fifteen years after In a Dream helped redefine the role of the voice in contemporary jazz, Parlato returns to the sound that set that shift in motion. Reuniting with Robert Glasper, Gerald Clayton, Mark Guiliana and long-time collaborator Alan Hampton, The Wise Ones brings together songs written across two decades – new reflections alongside earlier compositions, shaped into one cohesive narrative. At 50, Parlato writes from a place of balance, gratitude and presence, holding a clear perspective between youth and elderhood.
The Wise Ones asks a quiet but resonant question: how do we honour who we were while embracing who we are becoming? The answer unfolds through space, groove, restraint and emotional clarity, marking a defining statement from one of the most influential voices of her era.
produced by Gretchen parlato & Alan Hampton
executive producer Dave Stapleton
Gretchen Parlato - voice
Alan Hampton - bass / voice / guitar
Mark Guiliana - drums / percussion
featuring
Robert Glasper - piano / rhodes
Gerald Clayton - piano / rhodes / wurlizter / celest / pump organ
Amber Navran - voice / woodwinds / synthesizers
Meshell Ndegeocello - voice / bass
Becca Stevens - voice / kora
Josh Mease - guitar
Jacob Mann - synthesizers
Max Bryk - synthesizers
Recorded at Lucy's Meat Market, Los Angeles, Nov 17 & 21, 2026
Engineered and mixed by Pete Min
Additional engineering:
Alan Hampton, Mark Guiliana, Becca Stevens
Mastered by Dave Darlington at Base Hit Recording, New York
Gretchen Parlato, “Rainbow (feat. Robert Glasper)”
The coolly aerated vocal style that Gretchen Parlato brought to modern jazz in the mid-aughts — laid-back yet locked-in, with Brazilian and R&B influences finding common cause with the enlightened Herbie-and-Wayne cohort — created a lane so routinely traveled that it’s now just part of the infrastructure.
“Rainbow”… makes smart use of [Glasper’s] hallmark gospel harmonies, as Parlato sings with muted but firm conviction about a hopeful symbol of inclusion emerging from the gust and the gloom.
— Nate Chinen
Looking at the honest side of music with Gretchen Parlato’s The Wise Ones
With a singular voice and a magnificent, distinctive rhythmic vocal approach, Parlato has redefined the direction of vocal jazz – and beyond – since the beginning of her career, with works that have become landmarks of contemporary jazz (and, in particular, turning points for singers) embracing and encompassing a multitude of genres.
Her music is – and has always been – honest, real and transparent. As are the relationships that bind her to her many collaborators – from the long term one with Lionel Loueke to the more recent with Alan Hampton, co-producer of her new release. And I think this is the magic that happens in The Wise Ones. The album is a perfect celebration of all Parlato’s artistic strengths: a dream team (featuring Robert Glasper, Gerald Clayton, Mark Guiliana, as well as vocalists Becca Stevens and Moonchild’s Amber Navran, Meshell Ndegeocello and Josh Mease), united to celebrate what is mean to be her statement about time, evolution and transformation but also gratitude and appreciation for everything that comes with existence itself.
— Germana Stella La Sorsa, Jazz in Europe