Mariah Parker - Sangria              9/10

By Eduard Antoniu

This 49-minute album is recommended for fans of world music (“Waterwheel”, “Sangria”, “Tenth Journey”) and jazz (“First Flight”, almost like Weather Report, “Between the Lines”, with a soft touch and a beautiful piano solo, “Debajo de la Lluvia”, which is Spanish for “Under the Rain”, and “Milo’s Moment”, both with a Latin feeling).

The two genres are fused in “Pente”, which sounds as if from Ian Anderson’s Divinities.

Half of the eight original compositions are in 7/8. The others are in 4/4 (“Debajo de la Lluvia”), 5/8 (“Pente”), 10/8+4/4 (“Tenth Journey”) and 5/8+6/8 (“Between the Lines”).

Among the instruments that are used: bansuri, the transverse alto flute from the Indian subcontinent (“Waterwheel”), santur, the Iranian hammered dulcimer, played by Mariah Parker (“Sangria” and “Tenth Journey”), who is otherwise on piano, sarangi, the bowed, short-necked lute from the Indian subcontinent (“Sangria”), English horn (“Tenth Journey”) and tabla (all but “Debajo de la Lluvia” and “Between the Lines”).

“Sangria” was originally recorded for Matthew Montfort’s solo album (please see the review) yet enriched here. She plans for a full version of this piece. “Tenth Journey” is the only track on the album that also features vocal improvisation. “Milo’s Moment” was called after her cat’s choosing words with magnets on the refrigerator but incidentally there are also children’s books with almost the same title.

Mariah Parker also does the graphic design of the album. It has insightful liner notes.

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