Gretchen Parlato

Jazz Standard; Wed 4

Photograph: Jeaneen Lund

Jazz has always had its share of early bloomers, but Gretchen Parlato shows up everyone on her new disc, In a Dream, which includes playful, rhythmically confident snippets the singer recorded at the precocious age of two. You may not sense a jazz-diva-in-the-making in those faded tracks, but they might just explain why Parlato, winner of the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition in 2004, sounds like such a seasoned professional at just-past 30.

From early on, Parlato held her own alongside masters like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock; In a Dream, her second album and first for the ObliqSound label, proves that she’s also a superb bandleader, more intent on mixing it up with her collaborators than simply soaring over them. Parlato’s airy sound and flexible timing serve her well throughout this instantly engaging collection of offbeat standards and seductive originals; her rhythmic forays with Beninese singer-guitarist Lionel Loueke are an ear-tickling delight.—Steve Smith

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