Gretchen Parlato

Celebrated as one of the most inventive and mesmerizing jazz vocalists of her generation, Parlato performs alongside legends like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Esperanza Spalding. With a flawless voice and impeccable timing, she creates a dreamy, captivating universe, drawing inspiration from Brazilian music, motherhood, and decades of global touring – from Carnegie Hall to the North Sea Jazz Festival.

Gretchen Parlato’s latest project, The Wise Ones, is a beautiful step in her journey towards fully-rounded singer-songwriter, as she blends jazz, R&B, latin and soul into fresh, sugar-sweet melodies. Touring as a quartet, this is the ideal Summer evening sound –  and a huge honour to have her grace the WMC stage.

As the 2010s dawned, acclaimed singer and composer Gretchen Parlato released a pair of albums that redefined the possibilities of vocal jazz in the post-millennium era.  In a Dream (2009) and The Lost and Found  (2011) didn’t merely expand the genre—they reshaped its contours, setting a new creative standard that continues to reverberate today. Now, with her eagerly anticipated new album The Wise Ones, Parlato returns to those formative roots, revisiting their kaleidoscopic beauty through a contemporary lens shaped by time, experience, and transformation.