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JOANIE PALLATTO & BRADLEY PARKER-SPARROW |
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Compared to the upbeat nature of the albums mentioned above, the 2025 release of Song sounds dark and mysterious in nature. Joanie’s voice and lyrics are still excellent, yet the surprise here is the depth of quality and musical veracity of Sparrow’s songs and piano work. Some of these tracks are pure Sparrow compositions that feature Joanie on vocals and others are co-writes in the best sense of the word with Joanie often contributing lyrics and sometimes additional music. While the title track is an essential co-write, along with the duo’s tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim, other tracks like “The Ferris Wheel”, “Monk Is Drunk” and the album’s brilliant closer “Cottage Grove” are pure Sparrow. While he may point out the fact that he’s not a “schooled” songwriter, Sparrow is very much able to take his raw talent into more providential directions on Song. Another aspect worth considering here are the two Sparrow solo piano tracks, “Sparrow’s Solo” and “Another Solo”, that shows his expertise at conjuring deep musical moods with just his piano. No surprise here is that Joanie sounds totally keyed into the words and music, and track for track, Song proves to be among Joanie’s most inspiring album releases yet. With its 12 tracks showcasing the vast talent and cooperation between Joanie Pallatto & Bradley Parker-Sparrow, Song is an ear-opening masterpiece by two gifted artists and composers.
When I first met Sparrow in 1980, I had never sung original music. The music and lyrics that he composes is totally unique. I believe that since he is self-taught, his musical instincts are true and real, coming from someplace deep inside. We have recorded songs together on various Southport releases, like Float Out To Sea but this is the first time we ever did an album of original duets for voice and piano. It was a beautiful experience, from co-writing "Song", “Jim De Jong", "Tomorrow", and "Jobim" to recording "classic" Sparrow songs that we have performed over the years, like "The Ferris Wheel", "Monk Is Drunk", "Stare Ahead", "Tico's Lust", "Epilogue" and "Cottage Grove." "Song" was somewhat of a challenge. I wrote out most of the lyrics first and presented it to Sparrow. He asked me to "sing" the melody to give him an idea of how I was hearing the flow of the music. I can't write chords for Sparrow, he has to create his own music, but since I know him so well, we find a way to make it work! "Jobim" is our remembrance of the great composer from Brazil, Antonio Carlos Jobim. We loved writing this together, and were mostly creating a mood. "Tico’s Lust”, with my lyrics to Sparrow’s expansive composition became a musical fable that is re-imagined from my high school days. “Epilogue” is a piece that was recorded on Sparrow’s The Desert Rat Suite back in 1991 where our late friend Ron Rolland “the voice” handled the narration, and our new version gave me the opportunity to interpret the text and sing the chorus section. Joanie Pallatto: "Song" is our gentle creation, which became the title. Sparrow always has the best CD titles! We live inside our song. mwe3: Why is the album so sparse sounding or did you want to feature a kind of stark sonic backdrop to accompany the songs? What other kind of moods were you aiming for on Song? mwe3: “Cottage Grove” is a great track. Can you give us some background on “Cottage Grove”. It’s the most upbeat track on the album. Sparrow’s piano is great and your vocals are among your best. The lyrics are upbeat and funny. Joanie Pallatto: "Cottage Grove" was the most fun to record. We have been performing that song since we met in 1980! In fact, Sparrow did record and release it with a full band, and horns on his LP Sparrow AM/FM Featuring Joanie Pallatto (1982 Neon Records). I changed the arrangement by adding the slow, swinging intro, which was basically improvised in the studio. Then we could take off together "Ooo, Ooo, Ooo!"... mwe3: “Jobim” is a haunting track. Great melody. lol It’s sort of like looking back 60+ years later on a cold rainy night in Chicago. It’s a great pop song. What is your favorite Jobim album and when did you first hear him? I saw what I presume was his final concert at Carnegie Hall. How does Jobim influence your music and vocal delivery? Passarim is a great album, with beautiful vocals. In fact, April Aloisio and I recorded "Samba Do Soho" which is featured on our recent "April & Joanie Sing!" His recordings of "Aguas de Marco" (The Waters of March) with vocalist Elis Regina are charming and unforgettable. There are so many. I never had the opportunity to see him. mwe3: In addition to Jobim, another jazz hero Thelonious Monk is the subject of “Monk Is Drunk”. What is your opinion of Monk? His name is well known yet he remains somewhat of a mystery. What brought on the Monk tribute? It’s got a lot of humor in it. mwe3: There’s a kind of poetic type of influence on the track “Epilogue”. You mix some spoken word enhancing your melodic lyrics. The song is subtitled “The Desert Rat Suite-Book IX”? Can you shed some light on the lyrics? We move in an animal manner toward life… Joanie Pallatto: “Epilogue” is a piece that was recorded on Sparrow’s The Desert Rat Suite back in 1991 where our late friend Ron Rolland “the voice” handled the narration, and our new version gave me the opportunity to interpret the text and sing the chorus section. Sparrow's album was sub-titled Liberation After The Decline Of Western Music. Every track on that album was based on a musical theme. The theme of his texts speak to the music industry, in his words "that neglects the bold and the new and destroys the dreams of its children, growing proudly fat, animal like without art. And like rats our musical dreams approach the desert horizon." mwe3: Tell us about “Jim De Jong”. Is he a Chicago music hero of sorts? And who was/is Billy Brimfield? Just quoting some names in the song. The track is a good example of your scat singing. I had the melody, and Sparrow came up with the chords. The episodic piano intro sets the tone for the poetic lyrics, evolving into scat singing and improvisation. Billy Brimfield was a renowned Chicago jazz trumpet player with great tone and style. mwe3: Is “Stare Ahead” a good example of the darker, introspective nature of Song. Is the song taken from a real life experience? mwe3: Is “Tomorrow” related somewhat to “Stare Ahead”? Seems like the sentiments on both songs are kind of related. Joanie Pallatto: "Tomorrow" is a story of love and longing, that we co-wrote. Do you feel it too? mwe3: “The Ferris Wheel” is a definite highlight on Song. It’s kind of a surreal track at least lyrically. How does the Chicago World’s Fair Of 1893 fit into the song ideas? What does the Ferris wheel symbolize in the song? Joanie Pallatto: "The Ferris Wheel" is a minor key waltz that explores the historic World's Fair of 1893. Composed by Sparrow, the track builds in intensity with the vocal interpretation. It was composed for the centennial in 1993, and we finally had the opportunity to record it! I think this is one of Sparrow's best songs, musically and lyrically. Joanie Pallatto: We are both so pleased to release our new recording to the world. As we continue on our life's journey, we plan to keep writing and recording. As musicians, that is what you do! Our honeymoon was in Costa Rica in 1982. It will always have a special place in our hearts, especially the Caribbean Coast, it hasn't changed all that much. There are no all-inclusive resorts! The people are so kind. We have made many life-long friends in Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Limon.
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Chicago-based singer-songwriter Joanie Pallatto has been on quite a roll in the 2020’s. In 2021, she released My Original Plan, followed by Accidental Melody in 2023 and then a duo album in 2024 with fellow singer April Aloisio called April & Joanie Sing! This much musical goodness is now followed up by another duo album entitled Song with Joanie’s partner Bradley Parker-Sparrow.
mwe3: Compared to your 2021 album My Original Plan, your new album, Song, made with Bradley Parker-Sparrow sounds quite introspective. Tell us about working with Sparrow, your partner in music and with your label Southport. Can you compare this with other albums you made with Sparrow or is this your most unique collaboration yet? I do recall the Float Out To Sea album but there were other artists backing you. 
Joanie Pallatto: The great Studs Terkel wrote of Sparrow, "Sparrow is one of Chicago's originals, he does not follow the fashion of the day, but his own north star."
Joanie Pallatto: We wanted to showcase our music as duets for voice and piano. We have often performed as a duo, and this recording was long past due for us, personally!
Joanie Pallatto: "Monk Is Drunk", composed by Sparrow, is a fast swing groove with improvisation and scat singing inviting the listener to imagine the antics of famed pianist Thelonious Monk and the band with the register ringing in the club. Monk played the piano with fierce and eccentric improvisation. Monk's songs are always interesting to me. How did he come up with "Round Midnight"?
