Jubilation (2007)

Guitarist Christopher Parkening and baritone Jubilant Sykes sometimes perform together at the church they attend in Southern California, and their collaboration on this CD grew out of that connection. (Subtitled "A Musical Journey Through Brazil, Spain and the Americas," the album does traverse that territory, but also includes a Turkish-influenced piece by an Italian composer.) The repertoire is perplexingly eclectic, ranging from a straightforward arrangement of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," to spirituals, to guitar solos ... Read More

Guitarist Christopher Parkening and baritone Jubilant Sykes sometimes perform together at the church they attend in Southern California, and their collaboration on this CD grew out of that connection. (Subtitled "A Musical Journey Through Brazil, Spain and the Americas," the album does traverse that territory, but also includes a Turkish-influenced piece by an Italian composer.) The repertoire is perplexingly eclectic, ranging from a straightforward arrangement of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," to spirituals, to guitar solos by Villa-Lobos, Rodrigo, and Castelnuevo-Tedesco. The CD gives the performers equal billing, but Sykes performs on just more than half of the tracks. For the most part, these are not virtuoso pieces, but Parkening's subtle and expressive playing is masterful, and Andrew York's "Jubilation," Rodrigo's "Cançoneta," Castelnuevo-Tedesco's "La Arrulladora," and especially Carlo Domeniconi's "Koyumbaba" are standouts. For Sykes, who has sung at the Met and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, this is... Read Less