I was in Fort Lauderdale last Thursday and saw/heard Diana Krall. Second time, first was in Wilkes Barre PA after Wallflower cd, this one after her recent one. Two quite different concerts, both outstanding. This one was "jazzy", an upright bass, a drummer, guitarist, fiddle/violinist (and a pianist/vocalist). 5 great musicians on the stage, and a wonderful singer. She is wonderful live. Highly recommended, as equipment reviewers often say. Worth the price of admission.
I have admired Diana Krall for many years. As many have pointed out the "Live in Paris" album and video is good. I would also recommend the album, "Girl in the Other Room" as her finest album since she collaborated with her husband Elvis Costello and it is genuine and original. I have heard people talk about audiophiles and vendors playing her songs at audio shows far too much. As a result of this, and the fact some do not care for her music.... many are not fans at all. I think she is similar o Adele in that her style may not appeal to many, but her talent is still top notch. She is a sublime singer and piano player and her somewhat "easy on the eyes" appearance often works against her and not for her.
I should see her live as her studio albums somehow leave me cold at times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I posteda topic some time back about how some/mo0st studio recordigs are tinkered, adjusted, EQed, Doctored up, tweaked thus emblishing their natural vocals. In this topic , Krall was mentioned as foremost in my OP,, I have to now recant. That opinion was based on her cd, When I Look into Your Eyes, (tahts all i have of Diana Krall) and someone in the 1st post, *I knew upon reading the OP, that Diana Krall s name was going to be there..** and it was. It was this Diana Krall and perhaps also Sophie Milman's cds, that prompted this recation to studio **enhancements** Well lately, as of yesterday in fact,, there's a new twist to my impressions of Diana Krall's talents in the studio. I LOVE her poetic gifts. (Less one track, which I find Sophie Milman OWNs that song) This new experience of Diana's voice was all due to my new speaker experiements. See I am in the middle of creating a WBer + xover style speaker,,and listening to Diana after initial setup, made me more aware of her gifts,, But it was not until I addeda **sleeping* (sitting on shelf past 6 monthsA) DavidLouis 4 inch WBer , it was then Diana Krall's voice transformed into magic, poety just flowing like a gentle mountain stream. I now *GOT* Diana's natural gifts.
Speakers can make or break music. With a true high fidelity speaker,, our old music now transforms into something new, if not magical and stunning.
My sincere aplogogy to Diana Krall, as i made some innuendos that were not at all acurrate or courteous to a woman who has wonder-FULL gifts of poetic soulful vocals. Once you hear Dinana Krall's music via my speaker,, you will not want to stop the cd til the end,,,and then perhaps, press play yet again after the last track. The fault lies not with Diana Krall, she has the magic. Its our speakers that filter out and block this magic.
And I understand why this added DL4 opened up this fidelity in my system.
I listen to what pleases me. My CD collection is definitely not set up to mimic an encyclopedia of Jazz. Many "greats" are missing, simply because, there are other artists whose work I much prefer.
This may ruffle feathers, but Ella has always sounded bland and emotionally uninvolving to me, while B. Holiday occupies the opposite extreme. I can't listen to Sandy Denny's solo recordings for the same reason-- too depressing.
I guess the bottom line is that DK sounds more like a lounge singer than a Jazz singer to me and I simply prefer the latter. Helen Merrill, Sarah Vaughan, Sheila Jordan, Betty Carter and-- to mention one of DK's contemporaries, Jacki Ryan-- are some of my favorites.
DK remains one of my favorite artist, just picked up Limited run of ‘Live In Paris’ SACD. This concert is one of the best live recordings captured on any format and it sounds even better on the Japanese SACD…Wow!
tweak1, I saw you that night, I was on the deck overlooking the hill there, saw you fall over, the cop come up, all of it. I thought you were going to be arrested.
I live in Ft L. I was down the street at RokBrgr that night when I heard she was playing. I was on my motorcycle, when I got the top of the hill and found out it was sold out, I got back on my big ass (700#+ bike) and my foot slipped on the cobble stones and the bike fell over. One of the cops directing traffic down on the street ran up, and could smell the alcohol and would not let me ride it. I called a friend to come get me, which took 20 minutes, the cops were preoccupied down below, so I hopped on my bike and went home. I have 4-5 of her albums, both redbook and DVD-A. Back in 1998 she came out with a calendar (along with a CD) that it took me a half hour to locate.
I have seen Patricia Barber live twice, once at the Broward Center of Performing Arts (same place as DKrall). I have 4 of her albums
I like Dianna Krall. She has her own style and doesn't copy anyone else. She does her own interpretations of songs. I have about six of her cds. The Girl in the Other Room and Live in Paris are my favorites. She shows enough emotion on Black Crow with excellent arrangements and a great band.
Diana's big influence was Nat King Cole. She can't play like Cole, nor sing as well, but she's a decent jazz piano player. Not the greatest, but not bad.
The late-great bassist Ray Brown may have been the first to get her signed.
Can she sing? She's no Dee Dee Bridgewater, or Shirley Horn, who btw is a lifetime talent, but DK created a niche for her music when music executives wrapped themselves into her and what do you know, her career took off.
DK's best album, isn't an album...it's a DVD - Live In Paris. The LIP cd isn't the same music. Now you know all there is to know about DK. What makes the DVD so good? If you like jazz, and Paris, you're in for a treat. You can order the blu ray version on Amazon.
DK just knows how to market her best. Even her's is well below many other's 'best', its kinda make some people happy thru music. Nothing wrong with that.
If you're sold on her performance style, all her CDs are awesome. Otherwise, Live in Paris CD is likely the only one for repeated listening.
It's all a matter of personal taste. I have two Nina Simone CD's but prefer DK by a wide margin. There is no wrong or right when it comes to personal preferences. My Dad loved Perry Como and the Lawrence Welk show, whereas I like DK and The Daily Show.
I have audiophile friends who put down Harry Connick Jr. I have some of his recordings ... the guy has chops. He can sing and play the piano really well to my ears.
That was not my point so I hope you’re commentary is not aimed at me. I happen to love DK music as a matter of fact I own mostly ever album she has ever made. However I do agree with some of the comments that vocally she is not in the same class as other female vocalist. Does that mean she is not a good singer, not at all... Again she is a very talented singer and pianist.
I don't think anyone is trying to prove that DK is a better vocalist than the jazz legends like Sarah Vaugh, Nina Simone, etc. But the level of disrespect on display here (comparing her to someone's toenail, a lowly bar singer, cheap wine) is rather unbecoming. It's one thing to argue that Nina Simone is a better singer (she is), but to denigrate another popular singer like DK to make a crude point is more a reflection on those making the comments rather than DK or her fans. Jeez, get over yourselves fellas!
No one is an idiot and we can all read between the lines... basically, what they are saying is that anyone who likes DK doesn't know how to appreciate 'real' music. That is exactly what's rubbing folks the wrong way.
We have to be careful not to conflate "music" with "recording quality". I'm sure we all have various examples of fine music in less than satisfying sound...albums we would never be without.🧐
If you like inexpensive wine, try the "California Roots" brand being sold at Target stores. The "Red Blend" is amazing at only 5 bucks a bottle.
There are singers who outclass DK in every respect, no doubt. But, she can be quite enjoyable to listen to in her own right. She has her own style that brings out the best of what she has.
One thing I’ve learned over the years ... there is no right or wrong when it comes to music. Human taste differs dramatically.
I subscribe to both Stereophile and TAS and read the music reviews each month. I always check the recommended recordings out on Spotify. More often than not, I’m left wondering how in the world reviewers review equipment listening to crap that is drenched in artificial digital reverb.
Even a lot of music that is recommended in this forum is truly crap ... more digital reverb. I’ll tell you ... the master tapes don’t sound like that. The recordings are either drenched in artificial reverb in an attempt to cover up a untalented "artist," or in an effort to get the tape hiss off of digitally remastered analog recordings, they’ve erased the highs as well. Then, there are the screamers who try to pass themselves off as singers and their fans who turn their noses up at anything musically sophisticated.
Guess how many Bruce Springsteen albums I have? None.
Please! The etiquette protocols of an online forum are NOT the same as being invited into one’s home. If I was a guest in the OP's home and he was playing DK I would listen politely and grin and bare it.
As far as keeping to the original OP’s intent of his post, FREQUENTLY an OP will raise a subject that then morphs into to a more deep and interesting topic but still related to the original post. Happens all the time and nothing wrong with that. That has happened here. And I don’t see anyone being disrespectful of the OP’s original message. Great, he likes DK.
The broader subject that this thread has morphed into beyond DK is about mediocracy in music and whether “audiophiles” should have the ability to recognize it and tell the difference between it and truly exceptional artists. And if you can then why would one choose the former and not the latter?
I keep reading posters that seem to believe that there really is no difference or that the difference doesn't matter because it is all about taste and anyone who attempts to recognize the difference is a snob. I like to drink low cost red wine, rarely buying a Cabernet above $12 a bottle. When someone tells me I don't have refined tastes in wine I tell them they are right but I don't deny that there is a difference between a $50 bottle of Cabernet and a $9 bottle. I just say I can't appreciate it.
@tubegroover It's not a matter of liking or not liking Diana Krall. Up until this thread, I'd never considered it with too much aesthetic thought. However, what raised MY hackles and tugged on my jowls was
1. The hijacking of the OP's original intent and purpose into a rant and demeaning of an artist the OP plainly admires and enjoys. It's like being invited into someone's house and then openly and without shame excoriating his artwork and cuisine.
2. How smug some of the responders come across as. I mean, everyone's an armchair quarterback, but only 32 real quarterbacks suit up every Sunday. That's not to suggest we're not entitled to a learned opinion, but to take someone as respected as DK and claim she's nothing more than a piano bar singer is to suggest you're somehow more learned and musically astute than everyone else. But hey - if you think you are, then feel free to create your own reality (that's "you" as in the responders, not "you" as in tubegroover).
It's like the person who posted several years ago that Steely Dan was nothing more than studio musicians who got lucky. I mean, fascinating.
All said and done Simao, i am about as influenced by others opinion as I am of their taste. I actually had someone in my home say they didn't want to listen to Tony Bennett after i suggested a recent purchase of a great vinyl recording of an early Carnegie Hall performance, "i can't stand to listen to that guy" was his response. Who cares what he thinks, not I and we moved on. You like Diana, good for you and be comfortable with it, you are far from alone. I do sometimes wonder why some go beyond their opinion with insulting remarks. It can and does come across as unnecessarily arrogant, that is when my hackles raise and opinion crosses over to rudeness.
Gawd - the snobbery here is hilarious. And to think that in my decades of ignorance I had just assumed Krall was a fine jazz artist and performer in her own right.
But now I know she is just a mediocre "entertainer" in a world where only Music - not sports or poetry or drama or visual art - can elevate the human soul to its goal of achieving Platonic form.
It must be lonely being so perfect in your messianic omniscience.
I too love Diana Krall she is an excellent jazz singer. However vocally she is not in the class of Cassandra Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Rachelle Ferrell, Billie Holiday or even a Norah Jones. But again very few are. When I listen to DK she conveys her style and she engages you as few can. I again truly enjoy her music. However she vocally are not in the class of the female vocalist mentioned above. If you need reference material please listen to the following and let your ears decide.
Nina Simone - Pastel Blues - Strange Fruit
Nina Simone - Four Women
Sarah Vaughan - George Gershwin Song Book - Misty
Cassandra Wilson - New Moon Daughter - Strange Fruit
Rachelle Ferrell - Individuality (Can I Be Me?) - I can Explain
My first time seeing Diana Krall was live at Tanglewood on PBS many years back. Dressed in a black chiffon dress sitting behind the keyboard of I suppose was a Steinway concert grand with her beautiful blond locks blowing in the wind, quite a vision. The fact she was pretty good, no Nina or Sarah for sure, really is beside the point to me. I like her ok, some covers better than others (I’ve got you under my skin) but I’ll always remember seeing her the first time and enjoying every minute of her performance.
One thing for sure about Diana Krall ...she exudes controversy among music lovers. My friend and fellow music lover - audiophile, Robert hates DK as much as I like her. I can’t play any of DK’s albums when Robert is over lest he has a conniption fit.
I listened to the entire "Live in Paris" CD this morning. You know what it is about DK? Its her phrasing and the sultry nuances in her voice. Sexy as all get out, in my opinion. She does the same thing with her piano playing.
I can see why DK isn’t everyone’s cup of tea though. She certainly doesn’t have the perfect pitch and size of instrument that Sarah Vaughn enjoys, or the soul of Nina Simone ... but she DOES swing.
It doesn’t get much better than Nina Simone singing "Porgy," or Sarah Vaughn singing "A Foggy Day" and "I've Got A Crush On You." Zowie!
I think Diana Krall is best when she is playing the piano. She an outstanding bar singer. I still love Joni Mitchell's A Case of You, but Diana Krall's is equal but different. I have an album of Diana where she just sings. I seldom listen to it. I think like Peggy Lee, record companies tried to change her. I think Diana can get away with telling them to jump in a lake!
Dianna has a very interesting talent and likes to explore it and use it. She IS married to Elvis Costello and I wonder what they talk about? . Her T Bone Burnett album (Glad Rag Doll) is completely different from her Live in Paris and I have heard some criticize this difference as though her exploration of her own talent is overshadowed by an obligation to "be true to her previous records". I think if you are musician, you try things. You make a record, it sells a little or it doesn't sell at all. Oh well.
The biggest issue with quality I have is many of her earlier records (Live in Paris for example) have tremendous sibilance in her voice that drives me crazy.
What an interesting discussion! It's always refreshing to see those with less than mediocre talent in music become self-proclaimed defenders of musical excellence or whatever that is supposed to mean.
Anyways, I am hoping that DK releases another album very soon. I'll be the first to place my order.
All jokes aside, Frank Zappa may be considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse rock musicians of his era...but he is not my cup of tea. I guess I am bit young to appreciate his unconventional style of singing.
Does she need to compete for any popularity vote in X-factor, probably only in your imagination...LOL!!!
She is a accomplished jazz pianist and talented singer, who has already sold 15 million albums worldwide.
Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debuting at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums. To date, she has won three Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards. She has also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum albums....imagine that.
But I do agree with you, laughing is much healthier and easier. And I am laughing my rear off listening to Frank Zappa.
When I was devoted to Beatles in my youth, my older friend offered me to listen to Frank Zappa. After that I realized how tasteless and plain Beatles are. I was super happy to learn that and more of less popular and interesting bands, artists and orchestras. Facebook? Anxiety? Anger? Depression? It's trivial stand-up material! Trust me, laughing is much easier and healthier LOL! Hopefully I took this A-A-D off the direction regardless of evaluation abilities... Now imagine her in X-Factor: 1. How many Yes-es she would get if any? 2.Who would Yes and who would No if any? 3.Will she win an X-factor?
I could offer some comments in rebuttal and further explanation, but I wouldn’t want to cause anxiety, anger and depression; sincerely. What I find intriguing is why discussion of this subject and expression of different points of view is felt to be “humanity being ugly”. Why the hypersensitivity to disagreement?
“I do care if they elevate a mediocre artist to a level they do not deserve”
And why do you care so much if few folks out of the millions chose to put DK on a pedestal. As it’s been said repeatedly in this thread, music or artist is a personal choice or preference.
Although Nina Simone is a fine artist, do you think everyone out there should appreciate her true feminine art as much you do?
AMERICA is built on diversity my friend, you should learn to embrace and appreciate the freedom of choice we all have been afforded (and often taken for granted).
Minor detail ,lalitk . Classical and Jazz and much of true folk music are Fine Arts not Sports . Take decades to learn to play and listen to . I’ll really do care who or what people want to listen to, I do care if they elevate a mediocre artist to a level they do not deserve . Not for me, I am nothing , I run my mouth for others who might believe that and never get into the best . And and at its best Music can do what no sport can do or for that matter no other Fine Art can do, raise the human mind , body and soul to the highest level . The other Arts are representational, music is the thing itself .
If you want to hear true feminine Fine Art , listen to Nina Simone singing "Porgy" and listen close .
Sad that we are at a point where if one makes the point that in all human endeavors there exists superior levels of excellence that are far above the "merely good" one is labelled as a bourgeoisie snob.
@rpeluso Just give everyone a "participation" award and rate them all as equals because after all "it is a matter of taste and there is no right or wrong." Oh the glory of relativism. No one gets their feelings hurt....except for the truly exceptional.
Of course there are standards of excellence in the arts and this comment is not about DK. Why should the arts be any different than any other endeavor in that regard. Is the relatively casual observer/fan of figure skating just as qualified to discern the level of excellence (or lack of) in a skater as someone who has devoted a lifetime to studying the sport or is a skater himself? I don’t think so. Relativism in order to justify personal taste (subjectivity) is a sure way to stop learning and growing as a listener; and there is so much to learn.
Any person with average smarts who listens to live acoustic music unamplified over a few decades will develop a sense of what is excellent , good, fair or poor in music .
It is a matter of taste , good taste or bad taste . It takes considerable effort to own the first.
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