With her affinity for bossa nova, jazz singer Gretchen Parlato is often asked if she's Brazilian, to which she replies, "No, I am very proud of my Italian-American heritage." In fact, the award-winning vocalist represents not two, but three generations of Italian-American jazz artists.

Her grandfather Charlie Parlato was a veteran trumpeter of the big band era, and her father, Dave Parlato, was the longtime bass player for Frank Zappa and also played with Henry Mancini, Barbara Streisand and Buddy Rich.

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Source: http://www.italianamericanvoice.com/