Kat Parra and the Sephardic Music Experience

Kat Parra has leapt beyond the boundaries of the typical latin jazz singer. With her thirst for the exploration of world rhythms and tonalities, she has developed a style of music that encompasses sounds that both transcend and bend the stereotypical definition of latin jazz. Utilizing the rich and varied tonalities of Latin America, the Middle East and Spain, Kat has created an engaging and unique repertoire with fresh and exciting new arrangements. Kat sings fluently in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Judeo-Espanyol. With this multi-lingual and multi-musical experience, Kat Parra is able to transport her audiences to an exciting and vibrant journey of world and latin music. This music appeals to audiences who have an appreciation for Latin and World Jazz as well as audiences who have a love for rhythm and danceable sounds.

Sephardic World Jazz – New arrangements of ancient secular music of the Spanish Jews incorporating world rhythms from Spain, North Africa, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, and the Caribbean, creating an exotic and passionate sound. The Sephardic Music Experience (SME) explores the rich and diverse history of Sephardic music and its influences from different regions of the world and brings community closer together through its vibrancy. Intrigued by the era in which this music was first performed; an era where Muslims and Jews lived together in relative peace, while sharing ideas and innovations with one another, has propelled Parra into further discovery of this rich musical history.  This project also aids in the preservation of the Judeo-Espanyol language, a dying language of the Spanish Jews.  The concert we present is enjoyable for audiences who have a love of jazz, World and Latin music, as well as those who are interested in the history of the Spanish Jews.

Instrumentation:Kat Parra: vocals, Murray Low: piano, Masaru Koga: woodwinds, Peter Barshay: bass and Paul van Wageningen: drums. If funds allow, percussion and violin can be added. The ensemble can be anywhere between 5-7 members