Kat Parra Latin World Ensemble at California Jazz Conservatory

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. For this concert, Kat and her ace ensemble are excited to celebrate the release of this highly acclaimed CD.

In 2006, vocalist Kat Parra quit her job as a graphic designer at Cisco Systems, Inc...

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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. For this concert, Kat and her ace ensemble are excited to celebrate the release of this highly acclaimed CD.

In 2006, vocalist 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. She has performed 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. 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 Sephardic music (Music of the Spanish Jews) faithfully. 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. katparra.com

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