Modern Drummer — October, 2026
Gretchen Parlato’s The Wise Ones is one of the best records of the year. She is a fantastic singer who avoids all classification, and Mark Guiliana’s drumming (on every track) helps her straddle genre and not become pigeonholed to any specific“approach.” He is really the co-star of this recording. There are no vocalists that sound like Parlato and no drummers that sound like Guiliana, and they are a fantastic pairing of musicians.
Bassist Meshell Ndegeocello guests on the out-standing “Never Coming Down” (I wish she was on more.) Multi-instrumentalist Alan Hampton provides guitar and bass on the entire record, while pianists Robert Glasper, Gerald Clayton, and Jacob Mann take turns offering their strong keyboard contributions on alternating tracks. The lush and thick textures and the way Parlato stacks her vocals on the record are absolutely stunning. Each track on the record features a different instrumentalist from the record which creates a fantastic sense of unity on the record. The grooves on “Rainbow” “Already Gone,” and “TheWise Ones” are wonderful. They way that Parlato con-structs her arrangements is fantastic, many times Guiliana sneaks in without drawing attention to the killer groove she is creating, check out “In My Bed.” And just listen to the pocket of the last song on the record, “Landslide.” I can’t stop listening to this record!