Diana Krall

By Volvoboye

Over a lifetime in our book of memories some concerts just tend to stand out. Whether it’s a performer on that must-see-list, the theater, the lengths you resorted to in getting the tickets or the people seated surrounding you; a select few shows just stand above the rest.

Diana Krall's July 3rd performance at Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion just made my list. I have been a fan of the Canadian-born singer for a long time, but Friday's show brought a whole new appreciation for her maturity as a sophisticated pianist who knows how to swing, and her ability as jazz vocalist to turn a romantic phrase. After warming up with a few tunes from earlier CD's she broke into songs from the recently released "Quiet Nights" to a packed house at the covered venue in Gilford, NH. Krall had the benefit of playing at the start of the three-day July 4th holiday arriving in the state during a short break in a relentless cool, wet summer that gave few of us much to cheer about. Through out the evening the stately Krall demonstrated her talent and versatility at the keyboard, as well as her playful side taking a cue from the chirping crickets, and bullfrogs in a nearby pond and crying baby she launched into an enchanting lullaby that included a rift of Disney’s “When You Wish Upon A Star”. A true Jiminy Cricket moment!

The venue was filled with adoring fans with whom she flirted between numbers giving the feeling that it they were in the company of a close friend seated across the room playing the family piano. Wearing a shoulder-less black dress Krall clearly connected with her audience, despite the arenas sprawling size, coyly playing with her long blonde tresses between tunes. She won over largely middle-aged crowd talking about life on the road with 2 ½ year old twin boys, the challenges of coordinating schedules with their father, musician Elvis Costello to whom she is married, busy on his own summer road tour. During an aside she played a portion of her audition piece for the part of a torch singer in the summer gangster movie, Public Enemies, teasing the ladies about the rigors of working with the film’s bad-boy Johnny Depp.

Her 12th CD was heavily influenced by a series of trips she made to Brazil, and the songs bear the sensuous influence of that South American country. This is clearly an adult recording, songs from the heart by a strong torch singer who delivers deep heartfelt emotion to the works of Bararch, Lerner and Lowe, Mercer, Rogers and Hart and the man who helped bring Bossa Nova to America during the 1960’s Antonio Carlos Jobim. Veteran composer/conductor Claus German stepped out of retirement for the project, putting together lush arrangements of old familiar tunes giving them a warm modern feeling. In their second pairing since 2001’s award winning The Look of Love, Quiet Nights is backed by a lush orchestra, with warm strings and horns stepping aside on cue allowing the singer to share tales of love in that smooth as silk tone that her fans have come to expect. This is definitely one of those CD’s that needs to be listened to closely, not merely played as the background music to a hectic life, but savored over a glass of fine shiraz with a companion. The musical phrasing is at once both confident and romantically subtle; the intonation tugs at the heart and mind, and that familiar breathlessness leaves you craving more. Make no mistake the lady meant this to be on steamy album. As she said in an interview “Its not coy, its not ‘peel me a grape’ little girl stuff its very womanly-like you’re lying next to your lover in bed, whispering this in his ear “.

As on the CD, the Diana Krall was backed by an equally talented trio featuring longtime sidemen, bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton and guitarist Anthony Wilson, and their obvious enjoyment in playing together was clear through the set. The four treated the audience to an intimate evening of tight jazz, playful solo rifts off one another, and crisp arrangements that had heads swaying and feet tapping in the normally reserved Granite State. In the soft bluish glow of the stage lights it was not hard to spot adoring fans in this mutual admiration society mouthing the words from the CD released a scant three months ago. In a little over an hour Krall her fellow musicians warmly served up tracks including The Boy from Ipanema, I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face, the title track Quiet Nights, So, Nice, Walk on By and When or Where. Time after time taking cues from the piano the trio brought the music to a sharp crescendo, pausing to let the audience savor the moment, before taking it to a whole new high. But it was the little asides, like a spontaneous version of Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek leading into a featured number where Krall proved she is more than just a pretty face, she a jazz singer and pianist who can play with the best in the business

After band returned to the stage for an encore, Krall released her fans into a warm starry night just in time to see a silver moon emerge from satin like clouds the fans left satisfied if not a bit seduced by Krall’s presence. I have a feeling that she inspired more than a few hushed whispers last Friday night…