Gretchen Parlato joins the SFJAZZ Collective

GRAMMY-nominated vocalist and USC Thornton alum Gretchen Parlato (GCRT ‘03) recently joined the SFJAZZ Collective, an eight-person jazz ensemble and democratic composer’s workshop. She made her debut with the group, along with two other new members, at the SFJAZZ Center in late October.

Parlato is the sole soloist amongst a band of instrumentalists, a situation very similar to when she was accepted into the Thelonius Monk Institute. She shared with DownBeat Magazine, “Now, here I am at 45, and I’m given this similar opportunity. So, I’m using the same tools that I did back then to find my way as part of an ensemble in a traditional way as a vocalist with lyrics or lines that I can sing in unison or harmony.”