CD Review: Kat Parra's 'Las Aventuras de Pasion'

Kat Parra
Las Aventuras de Pasion
JazzMa Records

California's Kat Parra brings us a rousing mix of Ladino and Sephardic-inpsired tunes with a Latin vein and inspiration from Puerto Rican bomba, afro-jazz, rumba, bolero, cha-cha, ballad, jazz, middle eastern, afro-peruvian, and classical music. The classy vocals and sweeping melodies on piano and percussion on "Call Your Name," is especially inviting and filmic. In short, Kat finds all the types of Latin music styles and delicately lines them up here. The superb instrumentation is pensive, upbeat, and showcases a diverse set of musical talents on vocals and instrumentation. The operatic bolero, "Lo Siento Mi Vida," represents a soulful mix of violin, assorted percussion, and vibrant vocals. The Middle-Eastern-tinged, "Yo M'Enamori D'Un Aire," opens with vibrant hand percussion and drones of strings. Kat's voice is free-flowing and emotive. The entire project is well-worth a listen or two or three. It is ideal for fans of sephardic music with a passion for Latin styles, too. ~ Matthew Forss 

CD Review: Kat Parra's Sephardic Songs

Kat Parra

Dos Amantes

JazzMa Records

Sephardic songstress, Kat Parra, brings us another fine set of songs with an Afro-Latin twist. Kat sings in multiple languages, including Ladino, Spanish, English, and Portuguese. The lyrics provided in the liner notes are mostly Spanish/Ladino and English. Each song is subtitled with a general music category for easy reference. These categories include rumba, afro-peruvian lando, sephardic world jazz, afro-latin, north african jazz, afro-cuban, and afro-caribbean. Consequently, the album's musical arrangements mimic the abovementioned musical cultures. However, Kat's musicianship still retains a unique sound with limited brass and string compositions and a mix of woodwinds, keyboards, bass, varied percussion, and drums. The romantic sounds of Kat's voice and the instruments appropriately encapsulates the true essence of Dos Amantes (Two Lovers). A classy release from a classy vocalist! ~ Matthew Forss