Vocalist Kat Parra new CD "Songbook of the Americas"

"Kat Parra continues to delight us with their delicious Smooth Latin Jazz, 

a perennial wave of mischief and romance". 

Luis Raul Montell, Jazz Caribe

The CD:

"Songbook of the Americas"

Kat Parra

Tracks:

1. (Four)Ever More; 2. Please Do Something; 3. Wouldn’t It Be Sweet (Au Privave); 4. Dare To Dream; 5. María Landó; 6. Veinte Años; 7. Como La Cigarra; 8. Bésame Mucho; 9. Till There Was You; 10. Dame La Mano; 11. Mambo Italiano 

The Musicians:

Kat Parra (vocals); Murray Low (piano), Marc van Wageningen (electric bass); Aaron Germain, Sascha Jacobsen (acoustic bass); Colin Douglas, Daniel Foltz (drums); Michael Spiro, Raul Ramirez (percussion); Masaru Koga (alto & soprano sax, shakuhachi, flute, coros); John Worley (trumpet); Wayne Wallace (trombone); Lila Sklar (violin); Seth Asarnow (bandoneon)

Kat Parra is a latin jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and arranger. SONGBOOK OF THE AMÉRICAS, her fifth CD as a leader, is a richly textured musical journey thatreflects Parra’s adventurous spirit and the wide rangeof cultural influences that informs her style. 

The CD pays tribute to women composers from both North,Central and South America and also features original lyrics penned by Parra.

Parra is joined on this project by some of the finestmusicians in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as special guests, including the jazz duo Tuck & Patti, María Márquez, a popular singer from Venezuela, and Nate Pruitt, a living legend of the SF Bay Area.

Kat Parra Notes:

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 five critically acclaimed CDs, Been invited to perform in Amsterdam, Brazil and Mexico as well as top-tier venues THROUGHOUT the United States, earned the designation "Best Latin Jazz Vocalist of 2010 and 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 did not want to die wondering 'what if ...? Music has always Been an integrated 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 skills as well as voice my stage presence. It was an audition for Cirque Du Soleil in 2005. That made me realize my dream of The Possibility. Once my youngest are Finished with college was I was reliable to take the leap of faith and dive head first into esta new adventure. Nov. 3, 2006 was my last day in corporate America and I've never been happier! "

In Addition to singing fluently in Inglés, Spanish and Portuguese, Parra has the rare Ability to sing in the dying language of Ladino, or Judeo-Espanyol, Which Enables her to interpret Sephardic music (Music of the Spanish Jews) 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 esta 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. "

On her newest CD, "Song of The Americas", Parra pays tribute to women composers from both North, Central and South America as well as original music and lyrics penned by Parra. Parra’s voice is fluid and flexible as she imbues each of the songs on the CD with her own personality and style. This is a richly textured musical journey that reflects Parra’s adventurous spirit. Drawing on a wide range of cultural influences, she creates music that is both familiar yet strikingly original.

Parra has leapt beyond the boundaries of the typical Latin jazz singer. With her thirst for the exploration of myriad world rhythms and tonalities, she has developed a style of music that encompasses sounds that transcend and bend the stereotypical definition of Latin jazz. She has incorporated not only Afro-Cuban music, but also Afro-Peruvian, Middle Eastern, South American folklore, and Nueva Trova. With this multi-lingual and multi-musical approach, Parra is able to captivate her audiences with exciting and vibrant World and Latin music.

Upcoming activities of Kat Parra will be in San Jose, California, in "Alum Rock Jazz Vocal Program" and the Anza Hotel-Hedley Club -first night of  the San Jose Jazz Fest-.

Then we will share with you this video collected in one of the most recent presentations by Kat Parra. It was the April 30, 2016 in The Sound Room, in Oakland, California:



¡¡Viva The Latin Jazz!!

www.katparra.com

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