ACCIDENTAL
MELODY is
the 13th CD by Chicago-based vocalist and songwriter JOANIE
PALLATTO. The album comprises 13 original tunes composed wholly
by Pallatto or in collaboration with her husband BRADLEY
PARKER-SPARROW or with esteemed jazz guitarist FAREED HAQUE.
Pallatto
has been a mainstay on the Chicago music scene for over of 44 years.
A studio singer and an independent recording and performing artist,
she is also the co-owner with Sparrow of Southport Records, which has
produced 100's of recordings for local musicians over the years. ACCIDENTAL
MELODY is the fourth album she has recorded with all original
music. Jack Bowers of All About Jazz said, “I’ve heard a large
number of female singers over the past few years including some
big–label hotshots, and she’s in the same league with any of them.
Pallatto’s warm, personal style suits well her charming, slightly
husky voice. She has splendid control, range and diction, and — most
important — abiding respect for a lyric.”
Joining
Pallatto for this project are some of Chicago’s top musicians,
including JOHN CHRISTENSEN (bass), ERIC HINES
(percussion), JUAN PASTOR (percussion), BRADLEY
PARKER-SPARROW (piano), and FAREED HAQUE (guitar).
Pallatto has been performing and recording with Haque since 1994. He
has played on all her original music, and she asked him to produce ACCIDENTAL
MELODY. Pallatto says, “Haque is a virtuoso. He really
understands me and what I’m trying to accomplish. We decided to
create a more intimate feel for ACCIDENTAL MELODY by
using mostly acoustic instrumentation. Fareed’s suggestions are
always inciteful, so I asked him to assemble the band, and he brought
on board John, Eric, and Juan, all wonderful musicians whom I met and
performed with for the first time.”
After
running a recording studio for nearly 40 years with her husband,
Pallatto has expertise in all aspects of music production. She is
also a versatile vocalist, having been a solo singer and a member of
different vocal groups, as well as singing jingles for hundreds of
national radio and television commercials. She is also a successful
voiceover artist.
The
songs on ACCIDENTAL MELODY are composed in different
styles. But Pallatto is particularly adept at writing lyrics, which
are by turn philosophical, romantic, and quite clever. For example,
the opening number, “Surrender” is about surrendering to life with
lyrics that say, “Surrender your suspicions / Stop resisting your
negotiations / Surrender to life - Every Day, Every Day / Surrender
to Survival / Seize the day on your arrival / Surrender to life -
Every Day, Every Day.” The song features Haque playing classical,
electric, and steel string guitars, creating a rich tapestry of
sound.
Pallatto
was inspired after listening to an Eddie Palmieri album and wrote
“Accidental Melody” as a salsa. She wrote “Apart” while visiting in
Costa Rica in 2020 right before the pandemic. She and Sparrow were
almost stuck there when everything locked down. “Apart” is a love
song about being apart from the person you love … “We're apart -
But not alone / And we are part of each other. / Time will pass - and
love will last / For we are part of each other.” “You Think You
Know” was written after everything opened up after the lockdown.
Pallatto wrote “A Shooting Star” for Haque. The song, which has a
tango feel, features high speed guitar work by Haque and an acoustic
bass solo by Christensen.
“The
Melody of You” is an intimate love song, written by Sparrow with
additional lyrics by Pallatto. The song is a duet with Sparrow at the
piano. Pallatto dedicates “Don’t Ever Look for Love” to her friend
Tania, who wanted to be in a relationship. Her advice to her friend
is “Don't Ever Look For Love / It's got to find you / There's
nothing you can do / The more you look / The more it hides away.”
“The Cuckoo Clock,” a duet with Haque, opens with Haque imitating the
sound of a cuckoo on his electric guitar. The song, about a cuckoo
clock that was in her mother’s house, is a metaphor of Pallatto’s
childhood.
“In
the Middle of Life” has a Latin feel. It is not about being
middle-aged; rather, it is about being present in the moment, that is
being in the middle of life. “Sound” once again features a duet with
Sparrow. The tune is completely improvised. “Lafayette” is another
duet with Haque on electric guitar. The song is about travelling home
to Chicago and knowing she’ll be there soon when she passes the city
of Lafayette. “Keeping Track of Time,” composed by Pallatto and Sparrow,
has a pop ballad feel. The album closes with “The Lost Year,” a song
about the Covid shutdown. Pallatto advises us to “Live your life /
Day by Day / Just take the time / To work and play / Find a way / To
cherish today / Where did it go? - The Lost Year.”
ABOUT
JOANIE PALLATTO
Joanie
Pallatto comes from a musical family. Her father and brother
played violin, and her mother played guitar. She began learning music
when she was four years old, first on the violin and then on the
clarinet. She discovered her passion for singing by performing with
her school’s choir. She attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory
of Music where she was introduced to the music of Chick Corea and
Miles Davis and vocalists Betty Carter, Bob Dorough, Cleo Laine, Mark
Murphy, and Annie Ross.
In
the 1970s she went on tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and moved
to Chicago in 1979. She married pianist and composer Bradley
Parker-Sparrow and founded the label Southport Records in 1984.
She
has worked extensively as a studio musician and as a jazz vocalist,
performing in Chicago at City Winery, Andy's, and The Green Mill. She
has also performed in New York City at the Iridium Jazz Club, Pangea,
and Birdland. Concert engagements have included Chicago Jazz
Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, The Old Town School of Folk Music,
Park West, Stage 773 and Bailiwick Theater. She was also a featured
soloist with Daniel Barenboim in 'Ellington Among Friends' at
Symphony Center.
ACCIDENTAL
MELODY will
be released on May 19, 2023 on Southport Records and will be
available everywhere.
Online:
Chicagosound.com
Facebook.com/people/Joanie-Pallatto/100063624871273/
@JoaniePallatto
En.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanie_Pallatto
CD
Release Concert at The Green Mill, Sunday, June 11, 2023, 4-6 pm
with
Joanie Pallatto, vocals; Fareed Haque, guitar; Sparrow, piano
https://greenmilljazz.com/events/4pm-6pm-joanie-pallattos-cd-release-party/
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