Review Text
VOCALIST and COMPOSER KAT PARRA RETURNS WITH HER NEW ENSEMBLE, THE SEPHARDIC MUSIC EXPERIENCE in DOS AMANTES, a STUNNING NEW DISC OUT on JAZZMA RECORDS * Featuring special guests Jason McGuire, guitar; Ravi Gutala, tablas; and members of the Temple Sinai Choir of Oakland * "... a moveable feast of Latin styles... [Her vocals are] beautifully shaped; her grasp of [the] archaic Judeo-Spanish style is remarkable." - Philip Van Vleck, Billboard Review "... an exceptional world-music ambassador... an album [Azucar de Amor] about hope and, by extension, music's role as a universally uniting force." - Chris Loudon, JazzTimes "Parra isn't content with tried and true formulas. Since the release of her impressive 2006 debut she's been creating an ambitious, often unexpected, repertoire. Parra possesses a voice with personality and soul." - Andrew Gilbert, NPR's "California Report" Three years ago Kat Parra quit her job as a graphic designer at Cisco Systems, Inc. to pursue her passion for music and she's never looked back. Since then the award-winning composer has released two critically acclaimed CDs on the Patois label, been invited to perform in Brazil and Mexico as well as top-tier venues throughout the United States, earned the designation "Best Latin Jazz Vocalist of 2008" by Latin Jazz Corner, and received a 2008 nomination for "Latin Jazz Album of the Year" from the Jazz Journalists Association. "After having successfully raised two children as a single parent, I felt it was time to finally pursue my dream of being a full-time musician," says Parra. "I came to realize I didn't want to die wondering 'what if...? Music has always been an integral part of my identity, but after receiving my Bachelor of Music degree I knew that as a single parent my financial circumstances would not allow me to focus all my attention on a full-time music career. As I raised my children I performed with various bands of many different genres, which allowed me to hone my vocal skills as well as my stage presence. It was an audition for Cirque Du Soleil in 2005 that made me realize the possibility of my dream. Once my youngest son was finished with college I was able to take the leap of faith and dive head first into this new adventure. Nov. 3, 2006 was my last day in corporate America and I've never been happier!" Parra explores her roots on her third CD Dos Amantes, a disc devoted entirely to songs of the Sephardic Jews. "I have always been proud of my Jewish heritage - the history and the tenacity to survive - but it wasn't something I easily shared with others," she says. "Learning about my connection to the Sephardic Jews has given me even more reason to be proud of who I am." The history of the Sephardic Jews starts in the heart of the Iberian Peninsula. Beginning in the early eighth century, Spain was a multi-cultural society where Jews, Muslims, and Christians co-existed in relative peace for nearly 800 years. After their expulsion in 1492, Sephardic Jews found refuge in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. They also traveled to the New World with conquistadors and settlers from Holland, Spain and Portugal. Thus, like ripples in a pond, the Sephardic Jewish Diaspora spread ever outward, and in their music, we hear all the streams that flowed together to form their unique musical language. In addition to singing fluently in English, Spanish and Portuguese, Parra has the rare ability to sing in the dying language of Ladino, or Judeo-Espanyol, which enables her to interpret this music faithfully. "This is the language of the Spanish Jews, an antiquated form of Castilian that also includes words from Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish and many other languages. It is an amalgamation of the Sephardic Diaspora, and it is my small way of helping to preserve this language. It is still spoken, but in very few places and mainly by the older generations in Turkey, Israel and in homes across the globe." Dos Amantes, which means "two loves" in Ladino and Spanish, fuses
