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PJ has been nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award in the Jazz category for her original song, "LOVE'S A LOGISTICAL THING" and is a semi-finalist in the 2009 UK Songwriting Contest for "LOVE'S A LOGISTICAL THING" and "SO WHAT DO YOU SAY?" The songs are original compositions from Parker's latest CD, "Dreams Are Meant For Two." According to the HMMA's Web site, "The Hollywood Music in Media Awards recognizes and honors the music of visual mediums, the talented individuals responsible, and the music of independent artists from around the globe." The event will feature celebrity presenters such as Adam Gaynor (Founding Member of Matchbox 20), and a special career achievement presentation to Academy Award Winner John Debney, composer for the new blockbuster feature "Iron Man II." The HMMA has been called "the most anticipated music event of the year" and the "choice of the industry and Hollywood tastemakers." The HMMA will be presented in conjunction with the Music in Media Interactive Conference on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at The Highlands in the world famous Kodak Theater complex in Hollywood, CA. This red-carpet event features live performances, award presentations, a VIP reception and banquet. There will be eight live performances during the awards show featuring nominees and special guest appearances. The HMMA will be shot and post-edited for a televised broadcast in 18 countries and U.S. territories reaching an estimated 120 million households. The UK Songwriting Contest, according to its Web site, was "was formed through a partnership between the BRIT Trust (of BRIT AWARDS fame) and The Music Aid Organisation to promote the art of songwriting. The first UK Songwriting Contest was held in 2002. The contest is now held annually in association with these organisations and other leading music companies and organisations such as The Guild of International Songwriters and Composers."

In Memory Of Coleman Mellett

Coleman Mellett, my wonderful guitarist on "Dreams Are Meant For Two," tragically lost his life in the Continental Express plane crash outside of Buffalo, N.Y. on Thursday, February 12, 2009. Please visit the "Dreams" band's tribute to Coleman on my Web site, www.pjparker.net.

What the Reviewers are Saying

Dreams Are Meant For Two

Michele Bedin, Jazz Hot (Paris, France)
"A light and silky voice that we see is at the service of a beautiful sensibility."
"A sincere jazz, beautifully sung, well accompanied."
"Classic jazz ... a pleasure to hear."

Andrea Canter, "JazzPolice.com:
"With Dreams Are Meant for Two, PJ Parker has issued a definitive statement of intent: to challenge the heart, to unlock memories, to reinvent the familiar, to entertain. And to do so on her own terms, with her own voice."

PJ's original songs "suggest PJ Parker has the potential to be a significant songwriter."

AllAboutJazz.com said of PJ's interpretations of the Great American Songbook selections: "PJ Parker has one voice but several personalities on Dreams Are Meant for Two, and each of them lights the dynamite which leaves every track on the album shaken and stirred. Parker is no timid jazz vocalist; she tackles each composition with fiery passion and striking self-confidence ... the level of comfort that Parker has with these classic songs is impressive in its depth. She knows them inside and out and is keenly aware of how to make them seem new again."

It's Christmas

Andrea Canter, "JazzPolice.com:
"Her new digital collection of mostly traditional fare (supported by pianist Vinnie Ruggieri and bassist Earl Sauls) is best enjoyed with a few props--a glass of brandy, a crackling fire, and a close confidante.

"PJ converted this Scrooge with her opening verse of “Silent Night,” a majestic version with no hint of the soulful blues arrangement that comes a dozen tracks later. PJ follows tradition with her own gentle composition, “Not Beneath the Tree."

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is as sweet as it gets, while “Jingle Bells” features great bass accompaniment from Earl Sauls and introduces another side of PJ, the playful and seductive chanteuse. Filled with old fashioned swing, who would not want to go for the sleigh ride with her? PJ makes elastic jumps across her range and pianist Vinnie Ruggieri is definitely in the holiday spirit. She follows with heartfelt renditions of “A Child Is Born” and “I Wonder As I Wander.” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is given sweet ballad treatment, the slow pace giving the lyrics top billing while PJ nevertheless makes the tune her own.

"A live version of “Silent Night” (recorded live at Rosse’s) turns into a bluesy, soulful display of yet another side of PJ’s vocal and emotional range. Ruggieri wastes no time showing off his blues chops as well. You don’t need Aretha’s power to preach! “The Christmas Song” is another tune that could be dismissed as overly familiar…but don’t head off for another egg nog yet, or you’ll miss PJ’s personally fashioned finale and her band’s exquisite, tinsel-draped support."

Carol Swanson, "ChristmasReviews.com":
"Framed just by the piano and bass, vocalist PJ Parker presents traditional, minimalist jazz, providing the sort of intimate experience you would count yourself lucky to experience in a swank urban watering hole in late December.

"Parker's own Not Beneath the Tree is a well-written ballad about the greatest gifts, which (not surprisingly) cannot be purchased online. It's Christmas nicely combines the sacred and secular, and the overall tone is slightly subdued and richly contemplative.

"Those who favor sophisticated jazz stylings will find much to love here. PJ Parker's release is a delectable dish for the holidays, perfect for two to enjoy by candlelight!"

"Intimate," PJ Parker's Debut CD

Andrea Canter, "Jazz Police":
"... an appealing debut from an artist deserving wider recognition."

"The title Intimate refers not only to the small club ambience and interaction between vocalist and pianist, but to the gentle passion that PJ injects into each song, each track a personal statement that ensures a recording that goes far beyond the usual set of familiar standards."

"Contrary to cabaret or 'lounge' singing, Intimate is a perfect example of 'jazz' singing -- without going outside the sensibilities of a mainstream audience, PJ makes every note and phrase a personal experiment."

"... PJ Parker rises above the sea of promising vocalists as a true jazz singer who warrants serious attention."

Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene, Los Angeles:
"All 16 of the standards are well known but, by sometimes performing the songs slightly slower, out-of-tempo or at a faster pace than expected, the warhorses (which include "Just In Time," "How High The Moon," "All Of Me" and "Am I Blue") are brought back to life, never sounding tired or overly predictable.

PJ Parker has a sweet and very musical voice and her singing is full of honest emotions and subtle improvising. This is a difficult release to resist and is well worth acquiring ..."

"She is at her best on 'Blame It On My Youth.' With Bianculli's sensitive touch leading her, she brings a breathy sweetness to this contemplative paean to the lover we've all lost at one time.

"With 'All of Me,' she is in command, slowly drawing the listener in with an attitude of majestic surrender. These slow tempos are her forte."

Michel Bedin, Jazz Hot, Paris. (Translated from French):
"This is an 'exercise without a net,' from which she emerges with much skill and grace."

"... All these songs are brought back to us through this voice, rather soft, tender and reassuring, that PJ Parker treats us to."

"This CD is a nice example of real jazz in the United States, the popular jazz that has never been avoided by people who know the music."

Jazz Hot also named "Intimate" a "Discovery" for the month of March, 2007!

You could say PJ Parker’s path was revealed at age three, when she made her first improvised recording, a rendition of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song."

The native New Yorker’s first taste of performing in front of a live audience came a little later, around age five, in several Long Island restaurants. Much to the chagrin of her parents, she would frequently disappear, only to be discovered politely taking requests, her remuneration a fat green or black olive from the relish tray. Her love of olives continues to this day.

PJ has taken her innate love of performing and combined it with the benefits of a lifelong exposure to jazz to produce “Intimate,” a live recording of some of the most popular selections from the Great American Songbook. Accompanied simply by piano, PJ brings her unique perspective to classics such as “I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face,” “All of Me,” “Sentimental Journey” and “Summertime.”

From producing neighborhood backyard traveling shows to church and school solo performances as a child and teenager, PJ went on to New York University to major in vocal music, studying the classics in five languages, and went on the road after graduation. Her touring with various show bands took her up and down the East Coast, Midwest and an extended stay in the Bahamas.

Performing in concerts, dinner theater, summer stock and regional theater and musical reviews -- favorites including Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living In Paris, 110 in the Shade, and Pippin -- PJ has also been the featured vocalist with orchestras and bands from Atlantic City to New York City.

As a jazz vocalist, PJ has performed with such artists as Jerry Bruno, Roy Cumming, Steve Gilmore, Harry Leahy, Keith MacDonald, Gary Mazzaroppi, Geary Moore, Rich Reiter and Radam Schwartz. She has also been the featured vocalist for the opening act bands for John Pizzarelli and Harry Connick Jr., and appeared in the annual Philadelphia Variety Club Telethon with Ben Vereen and Maureen McGovern. She was also the featured female vocalist in the big band show, "Your Seaside Ballroom," which received rave reviews at the Trump Plaza Theater in Atlantic City.

With her first live CD, "Intimate," PJ honors her father, jazz pianist Tom Parker, whose early influence led her to Frank Sinatra, the Hi-Lo's, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen MacRae and Tony Bennett. The "Intimate" collection is culled from months of live recordings at Rosse's, a quiet little restaurant that was nestled in the Watchung Mountains of New Jersey.

Accompanied by the creative stylings of Vinnie Ruggieri and John Bianculli, the "Intimate" songs are a microcosm of the many she learned hearing her father play or sing or embrace and a tribute to the simple magic of piano and voice.