Kat Parra - Songbook Of The Américas (2016)

Kat Parra is a jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and arranger with an international perspective. Her style is strongly influenced by world music, especially from Latin America, Spain and the Middle East. Her latest project, SONGBOOK OF THE AMÉRICAS, is her fifth CD as a leader. The CD pays tribute to women composers from both North, Central and South America as well as original music and lyrics penned by Parra.
Review
Always adventurous yet simultaneously wholly accessible, Kat Parra is a highly talented and very gifted musician. As the album title states, here she sings a selection of songs that draws upon the music of many parts of the continent. Among the songs are jazz pieces, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson s Four and Charlie Parker s Au Privave, to both of which Kat has supplied lyrics (thus becoming Ever More and Wouldn t It Be Sweet) and Betty Carter s Please Do Something; some familiar songs from the popular repertoire, Meredith Willson s Till There Was You and Bob Merrill s Mambo Italiano; and songs from Peru, María Landó, Cuba, Viente Años, Argentina, Como La Cigarra and Mexico, Bésame Mucho. In addition to writing lyrics to the music of others, Kat also arranges, along with Aaron Germaine, Murray Low, David Pinto and others. The lyric for Dame La Mano is a poem by Gabriela Mistral, for which Kat has composed the music. All of these songs, familiar and lesser known, are sung with flair and ingenuity, always presenting a personal take but remaining true to the music s origins. Singing with clarity and subtle drive, Kat turns all of these songs into vibrant demonstrations of her artistic skill. She is joined here by several musicians from the Bay Area, where she is based, among them being pianist Murray Low, trumpeter John Worley, trombonist Wayne Wallace, and bassist Marc van Wageningen. Adding to the atmosphere are Latin percussionists as well as players of flute and bandoneón. Also heard are fellow singers Patti Cathcart (along with guitarist Tuck Andress), María Márquez and Nate Pruitt. Altogether this is a delightful journey, seeing old favorites with new eyes and finding new sights to visit again. –Bruce Crowther, Jazz Mostly

KAT PARRA/Songbook of the Americas: This is a lightly different turn of events for Parra. Still a jazzy world beater, she turns up the Latin here and serves up a tasty dish of party music on well known tracks that are not only falling off the beaten path but usually aren t heard as mambos. With the vibe of her local San Francisco base front and center, this sprightly cross cultural mash up is kind of a throw back to those cool, non-hit records your musically adventurous parents had lying around the rec room that fascinated you with their exotic vibe. A tasty workout throughout, let there be know doubt that Parra knows her stuff. Well done. –Midwest Record

San Francisco-based Kat Parra brings together a range of jazz and Latin influences in her fifth album Songbook of the Americas. It's all there in the opening Four, played as a mambo, with tight fluid horn lines and original lyrics, including a break into a Spanish coros. Betty Carter's characteristically witty phrasing in Please Do Something goes down well as a Cha-Cha, the arrangement potentially ideal material for Strictly Come Dancing. Parra nails her bebop credentials in Wouldn't It Be Sweet, an outstanding delivery of original lyrics, vocalese & scatting on Charlie Parker's Au Privave. The rest of the album is composed of predominantly Latin songs, and Parra's slightly hard-edged tone is well suited to the emotional delivery of Spanish lyrics. The variety of the material is enhanced by subtly dynamic arrangements & contributions from the guest vocalists. A highlight is the ensemble's version of well-known bolero Besame Mucho, which is refreshed by a slow and atmospheric interpretation featuring Masaru Koga on shakuhachi (a Japanese end-blown flute), with the acoustic bass & percussion combining particularly effectively. However, the final track, Mambo Italiano, with lyrics so cheesy they include mozzarella (it's true!), may be a mambo too far. Fortunately, the track is redeemed by some great horn lines, a fine trombone solo by Wayne Wallace, and the impression that the band clearly had such a good time playing it, along with the rest of the album. –BeBop Spoken Here

TRACKLIST
1. (Four)Ever More (5:01)
2. Please Do Something (4:42)
3. Wouldn't It Be Sweet (Au Privave) (4:16)
4. Dare To Dream (4:38)
5. Maria Lando (5:50)
6. Veinte Anos (5:19)
7. Como La Cigarra (3:39)
8. Besame Mucho (6:39)
9. Till There Was You (5:16)
10. Dame La Mano (3:38)
11. Mambo Italiano (3:34)