Dos Amantes
Kat Parra
JazzMa Records
The cultural heritage behind Latin Jazz provides the foundation of the style, and the music only becomes richer as an artist digs deeply into those roots. Many artists make the initial connection between African-American jazz traditions and music from South America and the Caribbean; these two cultural background stand visibly in the music’s forefront. Other musicians reach further into the style’s history, focusing upon the common African ancestry between African-American jazz and Afro-Latin rhythms. The African background emphasizes the connections between the two styles and explains their sympathetic nature; a deeper investigation even expose some core rhythms from African music. While most artists stop at Africa, an even larger tradition existed hundreds of years earlier when Spain was a cultural and artistic centerpiece of the world. Muslim traditions intermixed with early European ideals, Arabic aesthetics, and African culture to create an incredibly flexible and diverse society. Within this dynamic ebb and flow, a community of Jewish citizens built the Sephardic culture filled with deep musical traditions. When Christianity drove the Sephardic Jews from Spain in 1492, their songs and traditions fell into the background of social memory, obscured by new musical ideas from dominant cultures. Vocalist Kat Parra found Sephardic music and dove into the necessary research to understand and assimilate it, delivering a daring collection of jazz interpretations on Dos Amantes.

Drawing Upon Middle Eastern Textures
Parra builds strong connection between jazz and Sephardic music with several arrangements that draw upon Middle Eastern textures. A dramatic series of rising and falling melodic sequences leads into a driving groove on “Los Bibilicos” providing a foundation for Parra to travel through a strong vocal that slides around chromatic embellishments. A rhythm section break introduces a mysterious flute interlude over a rumba guaguanco, leading into a series of thoughtfully executed pregones from Parra. Flautist Masaru Koga glides over the rumba with a combination of traditional scalar choices and some Middle Eastern articulations until conguero Michaelle Goerlitz leaps into a enthusiastic improvisation. Persistent palmas set a moving foundation behind guitarist Jason McGuire’s flamenco sound on “En La Mar” leading into a authoritative melodic presentation from Parra. The group brings the dynamic to a low level, as McGuire races through a skillfully constructed improvisation full of flamenco flavor. After a brief interlude, Parra returns with a commanding presentation of the melody that pushes the band into a steamy climax. Ravi Gutala’s tablas percolate beneath an understated groove while the wind players hit syncopated attacks on “Una Matika De Ruda.” Parra winds through an elegant melody putting melismatic emphasis onto several strong words, resolving into a freely interpreted scat over Peter Barshay’s bass vamp. Pianist Murray Low provides an insightful improvisation that gracefully floats over the band, pulling lush chordal patches into rhythmic ideas. The music’s connection to the variety of cultures that have graced Spain through it’s history stands in the forefront on these tracks, strengthening Parra’s connection to Sephardic music.

Integrating Caribbean And South American Rhythms
Parra hints at a lineage that stream between Sephardic music and the New World with tracks that integrate Caribbean and South American rhythms. A subtly swinging melodic line from Koga and violinist Stephanie Antoine rides over a classic son on “La Vida Do Por El Raki,” leading into Parra’s strong lyric, which reflects the music’s traditional feel. The group moves into an upbeat groove underneath a repeated coro, giving Parra the opportunity to demonstrate her close connection to the clave through some inspired pregones. Koga and Antoine charge through a spacious mambo leaving spaces for a percussive statement from Goerlitz until Low creates a smart improvisation that plays off the rhythm cleverly. Intertwining lines from Koga and Antoine delicately float over a Peruvian landó rhythm on “Fiestaremos,” as Parra enters with a quiet calm. As Parra digs deeper into the melody, the rich sound of voices rise behind her growing into a huge choral sound from the Temple Sinai Choir of Oakland. A complicated interlude from Koga and Antoine leads into an understated improvisation from Barshay which grows back into Parra’s vocal and the intoxicating sound of the chorus. The frenetic feel of a driving pan Caribbean groove speeds behind Koga and Antoine on “Hanukia” which sends Parra into a vocal celebrating the yearly holiday. Parra grabs hold of the addictive groove and charges through the quick lyrics, leading into a passionate improvisation from violinist Lila Sklar, full of sharp rhythmic accents. Koga flies over the quick tempo with rapid flights of notes and memorable melodic ideas, setting up a raucous breakdown which shows the party atmosphere. Parra embraces the full history of Sephardic music with these pieces, clarifying the connection between Spain, the Caribbean, and South America.

Combining A Variety Of Stylistic Elements
Parra moves towards a definition of a Sephardic Jazz identity with several pieces that combine a variety of stylistic elements. The rhythm section provides a quiet propulsion behind Parra’s compelling vocal on “Dos Amantes” remaining consistent as Parra shapes the melody with quick leaps into her high register. The group keeps a thin and mysterious texture behind Sklar and Koga, who both capture the song’s rich subtleties with distinct articulations. Short breaks frame a percussion solo from Katja Cooper before Parra’s vocal returns, building towards a climatic leap into a double time samba. Antoine’s bold violin tone dramatically introduces “A La Nana” sending the piece moving into a spacious setting filled with the quiet chordal movement of Low’s piano. Parra elegantly moves through the exposed space with a quiet lullaby, revealing an intimate look at her rich vocal sound. The rhythm section transitions into a gentle bossa nova, providing some movement while Parra trades skillfully scatted phrases with Antoine. Low fills the sonic space with a deep keyboard patch while Parra and Koga trade Middle Eastern flavored ideas on “Avrix Mi Galanica,” which dissipates into an acoustic setting behind the main lyric. After Parra states the melody, the group takes another turn and falls into an electronic funk groove, allowing Parra to examine the lyric from another rhythmic perspective. A series of hits behind a unison interlude leads into an improvisation from Koga, who moves between dramatic articulations and a funky rhythmic swing that building into strong pregon work from Parra. As the group moves between stylistic ideas, they reference a variety of cultural elements, allowing them to explore the blend of Sephardic music and jazz.

Looking Back Upon A Forgotten Past While Bravely Pushing Latin Jazz Into The Future
Parra delivers an invigorating Latin Jazz sound on Dos Amantes, capturing a broad collection of influences that stretch from ancient Spain to the modern world. Her use of traditional Sephardic songs brings that tradition into the forefront, unearthing often ignored Latin Jazz roots. The blend of cultural identities organically flow from the music, mixing Middle Eastern aesthetics with African rhythms and European sounds. Parra performed some commendable research to find and learn this music and then fully grasp an ancient performance style. She holds an amazing connection to the past, but her interpretations sit squarely in the present. With the help of stunning arrangements from Low, Wayne Wallace, David Pinto, and Oscar Stagnaro, Parra has seamlessly melded Sephardic songs with textures from traditional jazz, Caribbean cultures, and South American rhythms. In this way, Parra really presents the complete lineage of the music, from ancient history to modern times; it’s a compelling statement. An outstanding band supports Parra throughout the album that demonstrates the same understanding of the music and stylistic flexibility. Low constantly provides Parra with a steady and creative foundation, skillfully leading the top-notch rhythm section. Koga delivers some fantastic improvisations that balance between Middle Eastern flavors, jazz melodic construction, and an insightful rhythmic language. Parra gives us a brilliantly executed musical gift in Dos Amantes that looks back into a forgotten past while bravely pushing Latin Jazz into the future.

———-
Check Out These Related Posts:
Album Of The Week: Azucar De Amor, Kat Parra
Celebrating Women In Latin Jazz: 5 Top Female Artists
4 Latin Jazz Vocalists Forging Their Own Identities
Making Connections Through Essential Outreach: Latin Jazz Vocalists On Video

———-
Click here to have these posts delivered via email. Or, click here to subscribe to the full text RSS feed and never miss another post!

Stumble it!