Curve Magazine

curve_review_2017_900px_optGet your body moving to the delightful uptempo rhythms of this excellent compilation of live performances at Yoshi’s Oakland, Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, and Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley and TRI Studios, San Rafael. Composer/band leader Mariah Parker on piano and santur and 8 exceptional band members keep the groove coming with Latin, Spanish, Afro-Cuban, Indian, global percussion and trad jazz elements. Parker’s original compositions have various inspirations and her organic, improvisational melodies signify conservation (“For the Waters” was inspired by the threat caused by oil spills), culture, and the pure pleasure of rhythm, such as in “Jaguar Dance.” “Torredembarra” is a vibrant tribute to a Catalonian town, and a new, extended version of Parker’s excellent “Sangria” makes you want to mix a glass, kick back. It’s refreshing to hear Global Fusion and World Jazz delivering a message of unity through the body.