Aloisio, a sensuous and passionate soprano and Pallatto, a sultry and inviting alto, agree that there are times when they can’t tell each other apart — sharing in harmony, scat and improvisation. These fourteen songs reflect many different styles, from Gershwin to The Beatles, from Hermeto Pascoal to Michael Franks, with a musical dose of original jazz, book ended with two new tracks featuring guitarist Fareed Haque.

Featured artists are a who’s who of Chicago music and beyond: Fareed Haque: guitars, Mark Walker: drums and percussion, Bradley Parker-Sparrow: piano, Howard Levy: piano and harmonica, Dedé Sampaio: percussion, Cliff Colnot: conductor and arranger, Tomas de Utrera: flamenco guitar, Johnny Frigo: violin, Bob Dorough: vocal and piano, Brad Goode: trumpet, Gerard Aloisio: bass trombone, and King Fleming: piano.

FROM APRIL ALOISIO:

Our friend Tomas de Utrera brought his original flamenco song, Little Sparrow (Gorrión) to Joanie, and she quickly wrote the lyrics, hearing our voices in harmony. We were flying together, singing live in the studio with Tomas on his guitar. We added David Onderdonk on classical guitar & Azucena Vega on flamenco dance! I wanted to expand the piece into the Sparrow Suite. On Improv Sparrows, Joanie & I are continuing to fly freely with Bradley Parker-Sparrow on piano & violin virtuoso Johnny Frigo.

Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal, is one of the most creative and beloved musicians of our time. On Bebê, I wanted to add a new concept to our vocal duo by adding my brother Gerard Aloisio with his vocal into the mix, as well as his bass trombone and whistling. The track also features the percussion of Dedé Sampaio who hails from Brazil, and Bud who introduces us with a bark!

True is an emotional vocal duet composed and performed by Bradley Parker-Sparrow on piano, Eldee Young on basses & Alejo Poveda on drums & percussion, including Gerard Aloisio’s brooding bass trombone interwoven & arranged by Joanie, “We know it’s True…”

FROM JOANIE PALLATTO:

April Aloisio has the best ideas! It was her plan to create this album of our vocal duets we’ve recorded over the years. We recorded two new songs to show ‘where we’re at now’ and called on our friend and musical partner, Fareed Haque, and he was inspired to create the guitar arrangement that brought a new and fresh sound to these well-known songs, I Feel Free (by Peter Brown and Jack Bruce of the band, Cream) and While My Guitar Gently Weeps (by George Harrison.) We were in vocal bliss!

When I recorded my first album Whisper Not in 1986, I’ll never forget the thrill of hearing 19 strings in our studio, recording on Michael Franks’ lovely Antonio’s Song. I’ll be forever grateful to Cliff Colnot (Oct. 7, 1947- Feb 12, 2024) for conducting and writing such an impressive and beautiful arrangement around our vocals!

I count among my dearest friends our dearly departed, singer-pianist-composer and totally unique artist Bob Dorough. I had written lyrics to Simone, the jazzy chestnut by the late Frank Foster. Frank guided me with the ‘correct’ changes to the tune and was happy to hear that Bob would be playing piano and singing. April and I got to ‘sing along with Bob’ and all was good in life.

ABOUT APRIL ALOISIO

“a sensitive and risk-taking jazz vocalist” – Alex Henderson, Jazz Journalist

April Aloisio was born and raised in Chicago and with a mother who sang professionally with big bands, and she heard all the greatest jazz singers albums, from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Dinah Washington and Nat King Cole. Her musical journey began in Cincinnati, Ohio at her first professional engagement at the historic Golden Lamb Inn, accompanying herself on guitar. As she evolved musically and began singing jazz & Brazilian music, she worked with Cincinnati greats Jimmy McGary, Cal Collins, Kenny Poole and Steve Schmidt. Her first album in 1982, April Aloisio, brought together Cincinnati’s finest musicians to record and to play at clubs, outdoor festivals and the Blue Wisp Jazz Club.

She moved back to Chicago in 1986, after Joanie Pallatto and Sparrow suggested she come home to record and perform. She recorded Brazilian Heart in 1994, Footprints in 1996 and Easy to Love in 1998 for Southport Records. Radio host Chris Heim wrote in her liner notes for Footprints  “…an artist who can invest everything from a sunny samba to a dark, brooding tango with the ring of emotional truth.” Chicago performances included The Jazz Showcase, The Green Mill, Chicago Cultural Center, The Bop Shop,  and Pops for Champagne.

Returning to Cincinnati in 2000, she produced and recorded 3 more CDs on her own label, most recently Yoga Bossa Nova recorded in 2016 with Fareed Haque, which features Antonio Carlos Jobim compositions in a yoga flow. Aloisio is a Certified Yoga teacher, specializing in yoga for Parkinson’s Disease and Chair Yoga. As an entrepreneur, she created Yoga on the Go, Ltd. “BRINGING YOGA TO YOU!” She also brings her music to the facilities where she teaches yoga. She sings regularly in downtown Cincinnati at Jazz at Washington Park, the Harth Room, Schwartz’s Point Jazz & Acoustic Club and Amador Cuban restaurant in Newport, Kentucky. She also brings her music to the facilities where she has taught yoga for many years. April lives in Bellevue, Kentucky just across the Ohio river overlooking beautiful Cincinnati. She has a daughter and two grandchildren.

ABOUT JOANIE PALLATTO

“a stirring and special voice” – Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune

Joanie Pallatto, born in Xenia, Ohio comes from a musical family. Her father and brother played violin, and her mother sang and composed songs. She discovered her passion for singing by performing with her school’s choir. She graduated from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and went on tour with the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

After moving to Chicago in 1979, she married pianist and composer Bradley Parker-Sparrow and co-founded the label Southport Records in 1984. She became his partner at Sparrow Sound Design Recording Studio. As producers and engineers, they have released over 150 recordings since 1977 – mostly of jazz artists, along with cabaret performers and contemporary classical composers.

She has a history of 42 years as one of Chicago’s leading studio voices, singing jingles for hundreds of national radio and television commercials. As a jazz vocalist, she has performed in Chicago at The Jazz Showcase, The Green Mill,  City Winery, Catch 35  and Andy’s, along with concert engagements at the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Cultural Center, The Old Town School of Folk Music, and Park West. She was also a featured soloist with Daniel Barenboim in ‘Ellington Among Friends’ at Symphony Center. She has also performed in New York City at the Iridium Jazz Club, Pangea, and Birdland.

Along with her expertise in all aspects of musical production, she is an independent artist with 14 albums as a leader/co-leader. Her last four Southport albums showcase her all original music and lyrics, It’s Not Easy (2008), As You Spend Your Life ( 2011), My Original Plan (2021) and Accidental Melody (2023). From writer Christopher Loudon’s review in the May 2011 issue of Jazz Times: “Trying to channel Pallatto is like attempting to bottle a cyclone. It’s best to just let her run wild…”