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Gretchen Parlato and Her New Album Flor |
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Ten years had gone by since Jazz singer, composer and lyricist Gretchen
Parlato and I last sat down to have a chat. A lot had changed both in
the world and in Gretchen Parlato’s life during that time. She moved
from New York City back to Los Angeles to be closer to her family, she
got married and she now has a seven-year-old son. She received a Grammy
Award nomination, Best Jazz Vocal Album, in 2015 for her album, Live
in New York City. Her sense of humor, which was so evident a decade
ago is still evident and as we talked over the phone she was just as
insightful, introspective and still comfortable in her own skin.
Ten years ago, she told this writer, “The goal of art is to reflect who
you are and to reflect your life. It has been a process for me to get to
that place and to realize that it is okay to not try to sound like
anyone else or to try to be like anyone else. It is just being
completely honest and open and vulnerable. I want to be versatile, but I
also want to sound like me.”
Did she still feel the same and does her new album Flor (her
quartet has the same name), reflect that same sentiment?
She enlightened us, “I am pleased with my thirty-five year old self for
saying that (she laughs lightly). I would agree, that was my path then
and it was my self-realization then. It is definitely a continued path
now. Our art is a reflection of our life, so my life now and for the
past seven years of motherhood is very different than when I was
thirty-five, single, independent, and doing whatever I wanted to do,
when I was touring the world. It did take me a little bit of time even
after I had my son, I thought how could I balance these two very
different lifestyles? How could I find time to be creative and to be a
really present mother, while providing a nurturing atmosphere and
setting. That took some time, but I think with this album I was finally
able to put it into words.
“What Does a Lion Say?” is very specifically about early years of
motherhood. Everything is new, wonderful, crazy, and sleepless. You are
in the present moment, and it is all about this new life that you are
taking care of. You have flashes of who are they going to become? (You
know) this will all change, but it is about being present in the moment.
That is what the reflection is, and this album puts motherhood into art,
poetry, and lyrics. Who knows, in ten more years where I will be.
For now, it is about the early
years and what that feels like as an artist. It is an amazing and crazy
thing to watch a human being grow every day.”
The name Flor, is Portuguese for flower, fitting in many ways, most
obviously, because Brazilian music, grooves and vibes are front and
center on this album and secondly the album is a pretty piece of art.
“I named the band first. It felt like a name that would give this group
some distinction from the (former) quartets and (reflected) Brazilian
music,” she says.
The album Flor offers a diverse musical palette and rather than starting
at the beginning, we will begin with the last song, a cover of David
Bowie’s “No Plan,” released posthumously on his EP of the same name.
Knowing that he was dying of cancer, David Bowie wrote this verse of the
song, “All
the things that are my life / My moods, my beliefs / My desires, me
alone / Nothing to regret / This is no place, but here I am / This is
not quite yet…”
We wondered how with Gretchen Parlato being in a much different place in
her life, she was able to inhabit this song.
As for Bowie’s thought she says, “it is a bit of a mystery. We can
assume that the words that he wrote for this song painted a picture
around dying, facing death, and facing that transition. There is no
plan, but just accepting things as they are.
For me, I am forty-five years old, healthy, and hoping I have a long
life. I feel as we age and with becoming a parent too, you think about
that time and what happens and what it would feel like. I will have
these very deep conversations with my son when he will ask, what happens
when you die? It is profound, beautiful, and natural.
Hearing a David Bowie song and feeling that I could sing it could bring
peace and comfort for people about something scary. I don’t think we
should push that idea away. It is more about embracing it and embracing
the mystery of it. It will be easier to handle if we talk about it.
Instead of talking, why not sing about it? It was the melody and the
harmony and song structure, first gave me the idea. The lyrics reminded
me of in Yoga, where they say all the movements are to prepare for the
last final pose and stillness. That is supposed to represent death and
release. It is helpful to tap into and touch in some way.
It is a beautiful, profound piece that I hoped as the band Flor we could
do something unique with and tell our own story.”
For the first minute and thirty seconds of the song Gretchen Parlato’s
vocals are barely above a whisper and a sense of peacefulness flood over
the listener, as Marcel Camargo’s acoustic Godin guitar gently and
elegantly accompany Ms. Parlato.
With both “No Plan,” and the Anita Baker song “Sweet Love,” as Gretchen
Parlato interpreted the songs, putting her own signature on them, she
went through a familiar process of deconstructing both songs and then
constructing them once again.
She explains, “The language you used is how I take a song in its
simplest form for what it is and deconstruct it to its skeletal form. It
has a melody, and it has harmony. What is the form of the piece? What is
the instrumentation? I analyze it and take it apart. Then I reconstruct
it. I still have the foundation, the melody, the harmony, the form, the
order of things. The addition to that from my end is my story. What can
I bring that makes the song unique, but still keeps the essence of the
original, so people who know that song and love that song are not
offended? It is not a comparison or a strict cover where it is exactly
like the original, but it honors the original. My hope is that I can
tell a different story and tell something new with it. For something
like “Sweet Love,” by Anita Baker I love her, and I honor her, but I
don’t want to imitate her. My voice is very different, and the
arrangement is very different. What could we do that would still keep
the essence and what is great about the piece? I put it in the meter of
5 and Marcel created some choral harmonization. I don’t sing the bridge,
but at the end of the piece is when I honor that part. It is still verse
and chorus. It is a very different sound. To me it is not who does it
better?”
We take a moment to talk about the musicians, “It started with the
guitarist Marcel Camargo. We went to U.C.L.A together and we have known
each other for over twenty years. He is from Brazil and he (played) a
big part in my learning Brazilian music and playing it. We kept in
touch, and he asked me to sing with him on a larger project. I thought I
did not have anything new to offer, but this music made me feel like
this is what my statement should be. It is music that is loved and has
been there since I was a teenager. Singing with Marcel is what made me
think about doing a Brazilian project.
There were players in Marcel’s ensemble, and I asked him if I could kind
of steal them if you will and create a quartet from the large ensemble.
One was
Artyom Manukyan
the cellist who in Marcel’s group was playing the role of bass player
and it was a neat sound to have a cellist fit that role. There was also
the drummer
Léo Costa who is
from Brazil. He and Marcel have a really great connection. It was great
taking on a band of players who are in sync and who have a great feel
together. Everybody was onboard to start this new project.
I wanted Marcel to be the MD (music director). I thought he would be
very helpful to guide the project,” says Gretchen Parlato.
The song “Roy Allen,” which pays homage to the late Roy Hargrove, is
introduced by both the scatting and percussion of Airto Moreira, who is
soon joined by Gretchen Parlato’s ethereal vocals. This a lavish song
that transports the listener to Brazil.
“Airto Moreira has been around for a long time, and he is a legendary
Brazilian percussionist. We were just thrilled and lucky to have him
grace the project. Having him on it represents gratitude that we still
have those living legends. I had Airto start the song, as though he was
calling spirits and ancestors. What Airto and Roy represent on this
piece is pretty profound to me.
I have always loved that piece and I have great memories of hearing Roy
Hargrove play “Roy Allen,” with the big band in New York City. Roy
Hargrove represents so much to the New York Jazz scene. When he passed
away it was such a big loss and many people wanted to honor him and his
music. I thought “Roy Allen,” would sound great as a Samba and I brought
the idea to our core band. It was during our soundcheck at the Jazz
Standard in New York City. We then went right into the studio and
recorded the album. At the soundcheck I said hey do you guys know this
song? What do you think? Let’s play it. It came together in ten minutes,
and we had fun with it. It was very open, and the song had just two
sections. It was fun, joyous, and wonderful.
Two years ago, when we recorded this with Airto he was in Brazil, and I
was in New Jersey. We had recorded a band version of the song and then
he agreed to play on it, but he had to do it in Brazil. He layered his
voice and percussion over our tracks. After the fact, we put it all
together. I didn’t end up singing with him in that moment. You can hear
me singing the melody, but everything that he does upfront, that is all
him. He created that atmosphere.
We wanted to create intrigue, starting out really mysteriously,
spotlighting voice and percussion. I over dubbed Airto’s part and I
thought maybe I should come in with the melody over the top of that. In
the studio afterwards it was fun, as we (added) the layers. It really
represents the Samba sound and that energy of having a huge group of
people playing together. Hopefully, that is the feel that people get.
The song honors Roy Hargrove, his life and his legacy,” she says. Gretchen Parlato wrote the English lyrics for the song, “é preciso perdoar,” but she did not write the song. She wrote the music and lyrics for “What Does a Lion Say?” and the lyrics for “Magnus” and for “Wonderful.”
In the early years of motherhood, Gretchen Parlato took a step back from
her music career to focus on her son.
“It was an overwhelming desire that I had to. I didn’t know what I would
feel like until that moment came, so I couldn’t plan it in any way. I
was a little bit older too. I was thirty-eight. I had a nice and
independent time. When you are older you have that maturity and you had
fun, so now you just want to be there and focused. I suppose it is
different, because I am with Mark (her husband), whereas if you are a
single parent, you do not have a choice to stop and slow down. You have
to figure out how to do it all. I was lucky, because I could say I will
handle this part, the house and our son and Mark and I could balance the
work.
I did not completely stop. It was a fun time because I could take my son
with me. There were a handful of shows, not long tours. Marley (her son)
came with me. Either my mom came with me, which was really great or my
sister or if Mark wasn’t working, he would be there. Sometimes my
manager Karen would help out. Marley went to Japan twice, to South
Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, France, Germany, Portugal, and
he was all over the world. We had such a great time. I was able to share
that travel and those experiences with him,” she says.
Eighteen months after the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed much of the world,
disrupted the lives and careers of many, and totally stopped the careers
of performing artists, live is slowly returning to normal in many parts
of the world. Those already in the midst of careers, however, were not
the only ones who had their lives disrupted. Teenagers, college, and
university students with aspirations of becoming artists, were in many
jurisdictions not allowed to attend school. For academic subjects that
has been somewhat more manageable, but how do actors, musicians,
singers, create, learn, and grow when the only offering extended is
remote learning? As schools reopen again, we asked LA County High School
for the Arts graduate Gretchen Parlato if attending an arts school
confirmed for her a career in music and what she would share with
students.
“It absolutely did
(confirm that for me). If there is any seed of any kind of a desire to
be some kind of an artist and if there is an arts high school in their
neighborhood, I would demand, not just suggest, I would say you have to
go and be in that environment. There is something about being that age,
having that kind of passion and knowing that you are surrounded by your
friends who also have that same passion. You are all young and you have
that feeling of being invincible and you are eager.
It gave me so many opportunities and a feeling of community. It
validated, justified, and made me very aware, and it sealed the deal for
me about pursuing a career in the arts. It changed from I like to sing
to this what I want to do and have to do.
I graduated from that school in 1994 and they have grown since then and
added many different art areas.
Being at that school was a dream come true. I have been a very strong
supporter too. I have sung at their galas, and I have donated my time to
going back and singing with the students. I am someone they can talk to
and relate to.
It changed my life, and I would recommend it for any budding artist.”
It had been ten years since we last had a conversation with Gretchen
Parlato, we promise you the next conversation will take place a lot
sooner.
Please visit the
Gretchen Parlato
website here. You can also follow Gretchen Parlato
on
Instagram.
#GretchenParlato #BrazilianMusic #GretchenParlatoInterview #RivetingRiffs #RivetingRiffsMagazine #JazzInterviews #WomenInMusic #JazzSingersWomen #WomenInJazz #AirtoMoreira #MarcelCamargo #RoyHargrove
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The
songs “Wonderful” and “What Does a Lion Say?” are about motherhood and
about my son, seeing life through the eyes of children and knowing the
value of your words. “Wonderful” is about the feeling that kids have
that they are invincible and knowing how wonderful they are. It would be
great if we could keep that energy as adults, know that and let it
shine. 