Kat Parra is one vocalist who doesn’t limit her repertoire to the standards known as the American Songbook. In fact, she reaches beyond normal boundaries with interesting arrangements of the songs she does cover.

Las Aventuras de Pasion! (JazzMa Records, 2012) features Parra with a variable assembly of players, including pianist Murray Low and trombonist/arranger Wayne Wallace.

A Puerto Rican bomba groove sets the tone for the delightful take on “Iko Iko,” with lyrics by Zap Mama. The horn trio adds some nice fills, but this is mainly about the lively arrangement matched with Parra’s voice. John Worley’s trumpet solo gives it an extra kick.

Parra penned the charming ballad, “Call Your Name.” Mads Tolling and Lila Sklar bring a nice touch with violins, complemented by Emily Onderdonk on violas. The piece is dedicated to drummer Paul van Wanginingen who contributed to the recording despite health issues.

This isn’t your typical Latin jazz album, signified by driving beats, horns and loads of percussion. While some of those elements are present, they’re broken down into small units, focusing mainly on the lyrics and Parra’s voice. That approach means several tracks lack the punch one might expect from Latin jazz, but other elements come through vividly, like traditional African styles and perhaps a little Gypsy music.