October 2, 2007

Rising jazz stars Esperanza Spalding, Gretchen Parlato to perform at Purdue

The program, featuring the Esperanza Spalding Trio and the Gretchen Parlato Duo, is one of Convocations' Discovery Concerts, a series of events that showcase exciting new performing artists, said Kerry Schutt Nason, Purdue Convocations director of marketing.

Spalding first cradled a double bass at the age of 15, and within months she was hailed as a child prodigy. Now at age 23, she has surpassed jazz guitarist Pat Metheny as the youngest teacher ever at Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music, Nason said. Making her mark as a composer, arranger and vocalist for her own ensemble, Spalding also is performing as a session player alongside jazz icons such as saxophonist Joe Lovano and singer Patti Austin.

During her six years of professional playing experience, the young bassist has experimented with a wide variety of styles, including hip-hop, blues, funk, pop fusion, Brazilian, Afro-Cuban and jazz. Her recording debut, "Junjo," a nine-track album released in 2006, features her own vocal licks, rapid-fire scats, Spanish singing and bass playing.

Spalding has impressed critics as well as more seasoned musicians with her ambition and professional attitude, Nason said.

"She communicates her upbeat personality in everything she plays," jazz vibraphonist Gary Burton has said about Spalding. "She's definitely headed for a great career, and it will be soon."

The Esperanza Spalding Trio also includes Rochelle Lyndon on drums and Leonardo Genovese on piano.

Gretchen Parlato was the winner of the 2004 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, and she is wowing critics and audiences with her voice, rhythms and breezy phrases, Nason said.

In 2001, she was the first vocalist to be accepted into the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, where she studied and performed alongside jazz musicians such as Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. As Parlato was continuing her education, she was already making her mark in the professional world. Her recording credits include numerous films, television shows, commercials and studio records.

Since moving to New York in 2003, she has been performing at jazz venues such as Blue Note, Dizzy's Jazz at Lincoln Center, 55 Bar and the Jazz Gallery.

"The first thing you notice about Gretchen Parlato is that she's a singer with a deep, almost magical connection to the music," Hancock has said. "She takes a lot of chances with her understated style, and it works. Every note is expressive, powerful and pretty."

The Gretchen Parlato Duo also features Mike Moreno on guitar.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster outlets.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kerry Schutt Nason, (765) 494-5045, knason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Publication-quality photos of the Esperanza Spalding and Gretchen Parlato are available at https://www.purdue.edu/convos/spaldingimages.shtml