From New York to Paris

Multifaceted jazz bassist, Nicki Parrott, showcases the warm phrasing of her unique vocals while swinging the music to perfection. Parrott is a world renowned double bassist and jazz vocalist. Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki started her musical training at age four with the piano and flute. Nicki switched to double bass at the age of 15. Nicki was bassist and vocalist for the legendary Les Paul for over 10 years, in addition to performing at most of the world's top jazz venues and festivals including THE Jazz Cruise and sold-out performances at Birdland and Dizzy's in NYC. Nicki has performed with such jazz greats as Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Michel Legrand, and Arif Mardin. She has recorded over two dozen vocal records. Featured Guest Artists: JOHN DIMARTINO piano HARRY ALLEN horns GIL GOLDSTEIN accordion ALVIN ATKINSON drums "She has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store." Les Paul Bassist and singer Nicki Parrott is always a delight to hear, whether she's singing or playing bass or (astonishingly, to me) doing both simultaneously. Her latest is a quartet date that focuses on what we call the American Song Book-basically, songs by the likes of Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Cahn and Styne, and one of more of the Gershwins. These are songs that usually were first heard in stage musicals in the 1920s and 1930s, and that have since become jazz standards (as well as providing the chord changes for additional jazz tunes). So the repertoire on which Parrott is drawing here is pretty familiar: "I Love Paris," "Manhattan," "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue," etc. But she sings and plays them with such warmth and with such a tender yet firm sense of swing that you don't mind whatsoever hearing them again. Kudos also to reedman Harry Allen, who brings his own powerful sense of warmth and swing to the proceedings. For all jazz collections.