New Glosas on Early Music

For most period-instrument bands, improvisation means judiciously adding ornaments. But in works by Strozzi, Cabezon, Attaingnant, Monteverdi and others, the recorder player Vicente Parrilla and his superb Seville-based ensemble More Hispano elaborate freely and inventively on the composers' melodies and classic dance rhythms, much as a virtuoso jazz band would do with standards. Alvaro Garrido's vigorous percussion underpinnings have a world-music quality that suits these works, and Raquel Andueza, a soprano, sings with an earthy, almost vibrato-free tone. -New York Times, 2011 Music Gift Guide, Allan Kozinn.