I only first heard of jazz vocalist Gretchen Parlato last week at Esperanza Spalding’s final dress rehearsal and I was amazed. A vocalist respected by instrumentalists, indeed seen as on par with their level of musicianship, Parlato was the first vocalist accepted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance and the 2004 winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. Her repertoire also includes bossa nova.
Here’s “I Can’t Help It” from her 2009 release, In A Dream. Enjoy!