VOA标准英语2011--Gretchen Parlato's 'The Lost And Found'

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Gretchen Parlato's 'The Lost And Found' Features Wide Range of Jazz Influences

We all know what winning an American Idol¹ competition can do for a singer's career. Even a Top 10 showing can keep a performer working for years. Winning one of the world's most prestigious² jazz competitions can also prove a worthwhile endeavor.
Singer-songwriter Gretchen Parlato was a relative unknown in the jazz field. Then came her first-place finish at the 17th annual Thelonious Monk³ International Jazz Competition, singing Frank Loesser's "I've Never Been In Love Before" to an esteemed⁴ panel of judges that included Al Jarreau, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Kurt Elling. Three years earlier, she was the first-ever vocalist admitted to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance.
The competition has been a valuable stepping stone for aspiring⁵ jazz artists, especially vocalists. Two of today's top jazz singers: Jane Monheit and Roberta Gambarini, were finalists in 1998, finishing behind the late Teri Thornton, who, at age 64, secured a recording⁶ contract with Verve Records.
2004 winner Parlato has appeared as a guest vocalist on more than 50 albums. She recently released her third solo collection, The Lost And Found.
Parlato puts a jazz spin on Simply Red's "Holding Back The Years." She also tackles the Miles Davis classic "Blue In Green," and Lauryn Hill's "All That I Can Say."
With influences ranging from pop standards to Brazilian jazz, Parlato describes her music as all-encompassing. Wondering what to call it?? "Just listen and you can decide for yourself," Parlato advises.