Diana Krall


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.  
rpeluso
@rpeluso, thanks for the info on the current show/tour.  Will be seeing her next Sunday in Charlotte and really looking forward to the line up you cited.  Saw her three times in San Diego back in the 90s at an outdoor venue named Humphrey's by the Bay--very intimate with 1400 seats (and we were typically in the first 7-8 rows) and of course, awesome acoustics.  The first time, it was just a trio of her, Christian McBride and Russell Malone which was IMO the perfect showcase for her voice and piano chops (each of those guys are pretty remarkable in their own right).  In each of the next two shows, a quartet/quintet set up.  The last time was in 2000 in Ft. Lauderdale in a much larger, indoor venue--decent show, but not a great venue (as compared Humphrey's). Her popularity had grown by that time so she was playing larger houses and more broader appeal (IOW, less "purist") jazz and standards.  Looking forward to seeing her next week and hopefully getting a bit of that throwback vibe!
Thanx to the discussion, I just found out she will be in my area on Friday, going to get tickets now. I have several cd's but always like to hear artist live before I form any opinions
A couple years ago, I bought a couple of Krall LPs to see what the fuss was about.

She felt like Lite Jazz to me. To measured. Too restrained. She left me cold. I sold the LPs.

For someone who blends jazz with gospel, r&b, blues, Broadway, soul, pop and Brill School, and does it with passion and originality, a style uniquely her own, see Laura Nyro. Especially New York Tendaberry, an LP with vocals (from a 20 decibel whisper to a 120 decibel scream) that will test the limits of your system’s performance.

She passed away decades ago from cancer, in her early 50s. There is one live performance recorded at The Bottom Line (sadly closed, I saw Miles Davis, among dozens of others there) in the late 80s that does not quite capture the magic of her live performance, but comes close.

Many of her compositions became pop hits for Three Dog Night, Barbara Streisand, the Association, Blood Sweat & Tears, etc. (Brill School incl Carol King, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, Niel Diamond, Geffen, Boyce & Hart, etc).

She was inducted into the rock ‘n roll hall of fame about a decade ago. Bette Midler did the introduction, burst into tears.

Every time I listen to her and I think she's great pop singer, but somewhat too far away from jazz.