Sangria CD Reviews

Parker, on piano and santur, explores the exciting sonic terrain that blends the driving rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East India. Add intriguing melodic ideas to the mix and the result is compelling, at once adventurous yet accessible. Features original compositions that draw musical […]

Prolusion. As the press kit of this release says, Mariah PARKER is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who has degree in music at UC Santa Cruz and has also studied with jazz great Art Lande and Latin Jazz pianist extraordinaire Rebeca Mauleon. The document also suggests she is currently a […]

Other Licks, by Margaret Coble Instrumental albums rarely catch my ear, but this world fusion set by the acclaimed California jazz pianist is a hypnotic tour of global grooves, melding Indian and Middle Eastern instrumentation with Latin rhythms. Indian and flamenco music collide via cello and tabla in the title […]

My first reaction to Mariah Parker’s Sangria was “Muy caliente!” Joined by a stellar cast of guest artists, including luminaries such as scalloped fret board guitarist Matthew Montfort and renowned saxophonist Paul Mc-Candless, Parker infuses enough heat, passion, sultriness, and sass into Sangria’s eight tracks to power the city of […]

CD Reviews Sangria (Ancient Future, 2009) Delving into Indian musical culture and incorporating elements of the Middle East together with Latin and Brazilian influences, Parker and her collective leave a very good impression at the first listening. And like well known critics say, the first impression is what counts. Parker’s […]

MARIAH PARKER — “SANGRIA” This gifted, San Rafael-based multi-instrumentalist/composer earned a music degree at U.C. Santa Cruz. She makes a dazzling debut, joined by musicians who have played in such luminous ensembles as Ancient Future, Sun Ra’s Arkestra and Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. Parker’s subtle and sensuous sounds reflect exotic flavors […]

This debut as a leader by pianist/multi-instrumentalist/composer Mariah Parker (who performs regularly with the trendsetting world music collective Ancient Future) unveils a collection of eight original instrumental scores. Labeled as an Indo-Latin jazz musical experience, Parker and friends blend the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical […]

Sangria, Mariah Parker’s debut CD, is a lushly lyrical tapestry of Latin jazz and the enchanting rhythms of East India. Mariah is a stunning composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays piano with graceful abandon. Having worked with Mickey Hart (from the Grateful Dead) on his Planet Drum project as well as […]

Spicy tantalizing flamenco melodies cross pollinate with East Indian rhythms that beg to be imbibed in while a gentle warm breeze rustles your hair. Jazzy flirtations permeate the world music foray and are focused by Parker’s poignant piano (or santur) accentuations.

Featuring musicians from the bands Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters and Ancient Future, Mariah Parker’s debut blends rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz, hypnotic East Indian cadences and driving Brazilian and Afro-Cuban percussive beats. Although entirely instrumental, Sangria speaks. Maybe it’s the technical virtuosity abounding in the multiplicity of sounds — […]