"A stirring and special voice."
RICK KOGAN, The Chicago Tribune
"She sings voluptuously, her voice all but overflowing the bounds of her music!
NEIL TESSER, author, The PLAYBOY Guide to Jazz (Plume)
"... impressively in control ... Pallatto stands out in an overcrowded field"
LLOYD SACHS, The Chicago Sun-Times
"An airiness of spirit and a certain twinkle in the eye that pulls everything together and draws a listener in."
CHRIS HEIM, WBEZ 91.5 FM (Chicago Public Radio)
"Downright iconoclastic."
JOHN MCDONOUGH, DownBeat Magazine
Bio
A native of Xenia, Ohio, Joanie Pallatto is a graduate of The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Joanie toured with The Glenn Miller Orchestra as a featured vocalist before moving to Chicago in 1979 to pursue her career in music.
Co-owner and partner with pianist/composer and husband, Bradley Parker-Sparrow at Sparrow Sound Design Recording Studio and SOUTHPORT & NORTHPORT Records, Joanie's engineering expertise is displayed in the areas of recording, mixing and mastering, along with CD production, producing, arranging and composing.
As a Solo Singer, Group Singer and Voiceover Talent, Joanie has recorded on hundreds of radio and television commercials nationally. (SAG/AFTRA/AFM)
As a jazz vocalist, Joanie performs at various venues in the Chicago area, including Andy's and Pops for Champagne. Concert engagements have included The Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, The Old Town School Of Folk Music, Park West, and as featured soloist with Daniel Barenboim in "Ellington Among Friends" at Symphony Center in 1999.
As a SOUTHPORT recording artist, Joanie's first album as a leader is from 1986, "Whisper Not." Cliff Colnot arranged “Antonio’s Song” for nineteen strings with the rhythm section! This recording exists on vinyl LP and cassette.
The 1994 CD release of "Who Wrote This Song?" features a who's who of Chicago's finest musicians, including Fareed Haque, Willie Pickens, Howard Levy, Steve Eisen, Larry Gray, Sparrow and vocalist/pianist/composer/lyricist and jazz legend, Bob Dorough.
"Passing
Tones" is Joanie's 1995 CD release. Featuring tenor sax great Von
Freeman, and pianist extraordinaire Willie Pickens, Joanie
explores her ever-expanding repertoire of classic standards, obscure song gems
and original songs, with liner notes by Bob Dorough!
Joanie is featured on the 1996 SOUTHPORT CD, "FIRE with Von Freeman" exploring free, improvised jazz with pianist Sparrow, bassist Tatsu Aoki and drummer Michael Raynor.
"TWO" with pianist/arranger Marshall Vente is Joanie's critically-acclaimed CD release from 1997. One piano and one voice combine...
On the 1999 release of "Words & Music", Joanie explores the pure essence of music from the Great American Songbook, and original compositions with her trademark jazz sensibility. With Eldee Young, Rich Fudoli, Alejo Poveda, Sparrow, Dave Onderdonk, Willie Pickens...
The year 2000 brings a new recording to the table, with legendary veteran pianist/composer King Fleming, "The King And I." All but four selections are King's originals, with several lyric contributions by Joanie. Featuring the King Fleming rhythm section of Clifford Griffin-bass and Bill Cochran-drums, with Von Freeman, Rich Fudoli and Bobby Lewis.
“We Are Not Machines” (2001) is a CD by Sparrow, featuring Joanie Pallatto. The CD contains film score excerpts from “Watch,” a John Covert film. Deeply rooted in improvisation, Joanie’s vocals are a sexy tour de force! Sparrow’s acoustic piano combines with the keyboard machines – a compelling battle!
“Canned Beer” (2003) is from Sparrow & Joanie Pallatto, “The Machine Band.” With John E. Magnan on electric bass, and Alejo Poveda on drums, composer-pianist Sparrow with composer/vocalist Pallatto offer modern musical interpretations of popular/dance/hip-hop/cabaret and world music forms. With the Corporate Control of modern radio and media by consolidation and advance monopolies this CD and band is an attack of the closed system of not only radio, but live and concert music.
"Shut Eye" (2006) - Pianist/composer Bradley Parker-Sparrow explores a new theme for a film by director John Covert, "Shut Eye." The music is cinematic in scope, following the sinister moods of characters within the film, featuring vocalist Joanie Pallatto, the flugelhorn of Bobby Lewis, vocalist April Aloisio, john E. Magnan, bass and Alejo Poveda, drums. Meshing the concert grand piano with keyboard work and samples, Sparrow presents his dramatic, thematic statements. Much of Pallatto’s work features wordless vocals, portraying the moods and characters imagined onscreen, including a breathy duet with Lewis on the sexy track, “Wet.” The director says of the film: "A Shut-Eye is what magicians call one of their own who gets so good that he begins to believe in his own magic and forget that it's just a trick."
"It's Not Easy" (2008) - "It's Not Easy" contains 10 original songs by vocalist/composer/lyricist Joanie Pallatto. The fine musicians on "It's Not Easy" are: John Devlin, Fareed Haque, Eric Hochberg, Howard Levy, john E. Magnan, Bradley Parker- Sparrow, Alejo Poveda, Michael Raynor, Eldee Young and Magic the Dog. Produced by Bradley-Parker Sparrow. Design is by Al Brandtner.
Demo Disc
1
Intro: LISTEN
2 Everything: SHORT!
3 I Sing: WORDS
4 I Speak: VOICEOVER
5 I Sing: NO WORDS
6 I Need Something: IMPROVISATION
7 Arranging: A VOCAL BREW
8 Before The Voice: A SONG
Contact Joanie
Joanie Pallatto, Inc.
3501 N. Southport
Chicago, IL 60657-1435
Cell: 773-259-7719
Fax: 773-472-4330
joanie@chicagosound.com
