Article: Diana Krall plays Kingsbury Hall, September 24, 2013

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Piano and song work well for Krall; story-telling not so much
Review » Energetic set bogged down at times by spoken word.

By Jim Dalrymple II

 The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Sep 24 2013 11:24 pm • Last Updated Sep 25 2013 10:47 am

Two things were obvious from Diana Krall’s set Tuesday night at Kingsbury Hall: she’s an excellent musician but only a fair storyteller. Also, she really loves booze.

Krall’s set was part of a tour in support of her 2012 album "Glad Rag Doll," which is the award-winning jazz pianist’s 12th studio album.

 

The show began just before 8:30 p.m. with three silhouetted figures on a stage reminiscent of a Georges Mèliés film set: oversized moon, metal stars and a glowing piano.

And Steve Buscemi. Yes, he of "Boardwalk Empire" fame. Buscemi is a pleasure to watch nearly all of the time, though it was kind of an odd pairing that walked a precarious line between humor and sincerity. Was it a joke? Was it serious? It was hard to tell with Buscemi hamming it up in a video behind what seemed like a very earnest Krall and co.

Which isn’t to take away from the music, which was beyond reproach. Krall — whose breathy voice and playful piano toyed with the 1920s-themed material from "Glad Rag Doll" — was backed by a five-man band. Highlights included a surprisingly gritty cover of Tom Waits’ "Temptation" and "Let it Rain," which Krall described as the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" of its day.

As the show progressed, Krall drew laughs from the audience with anecdotes from her life. She described raising two sons and wanting to fill a bathtub with booze. Having a good drink was a recurring theme throughout the show. She described the gramophone player on the stage, revealing that it was actually her father’s. And she described growing up near her grandparents, her grandma making sandwiches and her grandfather "making books" in the back of the restaurant.

They were interesting, charming stories that painted Krall’s life as an adventurous, perpetually buzzed folk tale. But they also slowed the show down significantly, especially during the middle of the set. Long stories increasingly included long pauses and at one point she seemed almost bored as she invited shouted song requests before launching into "A Case of You" — a delightful song that was probably not well-served by the low-key chaos that preceded it.

It’s also unfortunately worth noting that when Krall switched from her grand piano to the glowing upright the sound suffered from what seemed like audio clipping or distortion. That’s not Krall’s fault of course, but really, someone should have fixed it.

Still, when Krall was playing the show was a pleasure. In addition to the Buscemi video, most songs were accompanied by vintage film clips that complemented well the silent-era-themed sets and pre-war songs. The emotion also varied considerably, jauntily rising on "Just You Just Me," for example, before tumbling back down again on the 1933 song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

The audience, apparently, loved it. Krall finished her set with "I’m a Little Mixed Up" but the audience compelled her back behind the piano with a standing ovation. She complied, playing an encore that included Bob Dylan’s "Wallflower" and The Band’s "Ophelia." Krall pounded them out powerfully and with pleasure, showing off exactly what she does best.

Fuente: www.sltrib.com

Article: Greek Theatre - Diana Krall’s performance Saturday night.

Fuente: Read More Here: www.ocregister.com

Article: Live Jazz: Diana Krall at the Greek Theatre

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles, CA. One of the great pleasures of reviewing music is the rare opportunity to observe the creative evolution of a gifted artist. It doesn’t happen often. But when it does, as it did at Diana Krall’s concert at the Greek Theatre Saturday night, it’s an experience to remember.

Diana’s Los Angeles concerts of the past few years have generally showcased her mastery of the classics in the Great American songbook, performed with backing ranging from the intimacy of her own quartets to the lush orchestral accompaniment of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Each of those events displayed her growing creative maturity. Always a natural musical story teller, she brought a heightening level of interpretive magic to every song she touched, adding new perspectives to music long familiar as part of the soundtrack of American life.

On Saturday night at the Greek Theatre, however, she revealed an even more compelling desire to expand the potential of her art. She did so while still retaining her deep connections with many of the songs her dedicated audiences love to hear her sing and play. While also adding intriguing, early ’20s selections from her latest album, Glad Rag Doll.

And that was just one aspect of this memorable performance.

Start with the fact that virtually all the music was illuminated by huge video projections of vintage film clips, all selected by Krall. Among the many highlights in the non-stop images: Groucho Marx romancing Margaret Dumont; George Raft dancing elegantly with Carole Lombard; and dozens of others, embracing everything from classic cartoons to black and white masterpieces.

Diana has often referred to a Canadian childhood in which she was introduced by her parents to the music and films of the ’20s, `30s and ’40s. And her long program – delivered without a break, and with a four-song encore — honored that influence by her choices of music and film clips, while positioning one of her father’s old gramophones on the front of stage left, and including a segment in which she sang while playing an old upright piano.

Add to that a selection of repertoire that included such Songbook classics as “We Just Couldn’t say Goodbye,” “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” “The Sunny Side of the Street,” “Just You, Just Me,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” and more. While including tunes associated with Nat “King” Cole and Bing Crosby, and adding songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, and Tom Waits. All of it delivered by Krall with convincing understanding of each of the song’s musical stories.

Krall was backed in her artistically ambitious endeavors by a superb group – guitarist Aram Bajakian, bassist Dennis Crouch, ukulele player Stuart Duncan, drummer Karriem Riggins and keyboardist Patrick Warren. Well-tuned to the eclectic styles her program demanded – hard swinging jazz, simmering rock and intimate balladry – they were the perfect choice to support her musical goals.

But the most fascinating subtext of the evening was the emergence of Diana Krall as a mature, evolved performer whose growing artistry has become balanced by equally magnetic skills as a communicator and an entertainer. It’s a rare combination, and Krall now expresses those skills with a convincing believability that firmly places her in the rarified group of Olympian artists she honored in her mesmerizing evening of music and visuals.

Photos by Faith Frenz

Fuente: irom.wordpress.com

Article: DIANA KRALL VESZPREMBEN - 2013

Diana Krall Veszprémben – VeszprémFest 1. nap

2013. július 21., Angyal Laura

Mától kezdve 4 napon át zúdulnak Önökre Kedves Olvasóink Veszprémbe leküldött tudósítóink élménybeszámolói. A július 16-i Diana Krall koncertről a New Yorkban ösztöndíjjal tanuló fiatal jazzénekesnő, Angyal Laura, a másnapi Marcus Miller buliról Hetessy Csaba, a 18-i flamenco estről Szász Gabriella, míg a 19-i Nigel Kennedy őrületről Deseő Csaba számol be. Alább már is olvashatják Laura írását az első napról! – A szerk.

Hűsítő olaszrizlinggel indítunk az Óváros téren. Forró diós kenyérrel folytatjuk, (egyenesen a kemencéből) kacsamáj- és aszalt paradicsom pástétom kíséretében. Desszertként Diana Krall koncertjét választjuk. Az utóbbi élmény- hőfokát tekintve- langymeleg.

Pár hónappal ezelőtt részt vettem Krall "Glad Rag Doll" show-ján a New York-i Beacon Theatre-ben. (A beszámolót gondolom olvasták…) Különbség csak a színpadi díszletben és a repertoirban rejlik, az alapkoncepció megegyezik: az 1920-30-as évek zenéje nosztalgikus, mondhatni, családiasnak tetsző hangulatban, olyan elsőrangú kísérőzenészek közreműködésével, mint Stuart Duncan gitáron és hegedűn, Aram Bajakijan gitáron, Dennis Crouch bőgőn, Patrick Warren billentyűs hangszereken és Karriem Riggins dobon.

A "Glad Rag Doll" Krall 11. albuma. A koncert során elhangzó dalok, így például a "Shakin' like a Leaf", a " You Know-I Know Ev'rything Is Made for Love" vagy a " Let It Rain" a stílusukból fakadóan egyszerű szerkezetűek. Mégis mintha a zenekar többet akarna "kicsiholni" ezekből a blues, gospel, folk világában gyökerező számokból, mint amennyit az adott stílus megkívánna.

Megszólal Tom Waits "Temptation"-je, mely a közönséget hallhatóan lázba hozza: a hangulat magasan ível felfelé Aram Bajakian energikus blues gitárszólója közben, Stuart Duncan hegedű játéka alatt, pedig már a tetőfokára hág.

Krall ezek után a közönségre bízza a számválasztást, de végül mégis őmaga választ… az "As Time Goes By -t. A következőkben elhangzik pár standard majd egy Joni Mitchell szerzemény, a "Case of You".

Zongorajátékában stílusok palettáját vonultatja fel a stride-tól a boogie woogie-ig. Az éneket a megszokott terjedelmen belül halljuk: érzékien, lustán, duruzsolva, dorombolva...

A "macska-effektus" az" On the Sunny Side of the Street" -ben is megjelenik, igaz másképpen: Krall éneke olyan könnyedséggel suhan az uptempo swing fölött, ahogy egy macska az erkély korlátján...

 
A szóló produkciót hallgatva arra jutok, hogy egy ilyen projektnek semmiképpen sem egy arénában, (sem egy színházteremben) a helye. Becsukom a szememet és képzeletben egy alagsori jazz klub kör-asztalkájánál hallgatom a koncertet…

A fotókat Melczer Zsolt és Végh Attila készítette.

Fuente: www.jazzma.hu

DIANA KRALL IN LOS ANGELES - SEPTEMBER 21, 2013

Diana Krall - Glad Rag Doll Tour at the Greek Theater

Los Angeles, CA Sept 21, 2013 

Performs Just Like A Butterfly Caught In The Rain.

*****

 

Photo: DIANA KRALL, Berlin, November 2012

Photo . Diana Krall

November 2012 . Berlin

Diana Krall had a concert at Tempodrom in Berlin. I've made one single picture and immediately a security woman stood in front of me: "You'd better stop taking pictures or I'm gonna delete all your photos"... oh yes of course, it is asked so friendly!

Amélie Losier Photographie
© Amélie Losier, www.amelielosier.com, all rights reserved.

Fuente: www.amelielosier.com

*****

MUCHAS GRACIAS A AMÉLIE LOSIER

POR PERMITIR LA PUBLICACION DE ESTA HERMOSA FOTO!

Article: DIANA KRALL - MARIAN McPARTLAND

Marian McPartland, 'Piano Jazz' Host, Has Died

Posted: August 21, 2013

Diana Krall appeared on Piano Jazz in 1994.

She had just released her debut album the previous year. R.J. Capak

Marian McPartland, who gave the world an intimate, insider's perspective on one of the most elusive topics in music — jazz improvisation — died of natural causes Tuesday night at her home in Long Island, N.Y. She was 95.

For more than 40 years, she hosted Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, an NPR program pairing conversation and duet performances that reached an audience of millions, connecting with jazz fans and the curious alike. She interviewed practically every major jazz musician of the post-WWII era.

McPartland's soft English accent wasn't the only thing that made her a good radio personality. She was an accomplished jazz pianist herself, which was readily evident on her program.


McPartland The Pianist

Marian McPartland, radio host, was at one time Margaret Marian Turner, piano student. She told NPR in 2005 that her interest in music started when she was a young girl, after she heard her mother play piano.

"From that moment on, I don't remember ever not playing piano, day and night, wherever I was," she said. "At my aunt's house, at kindergarten — wherever they had a piano, I played it. Of course, on the BBC they played all the hits from over here [in the U.S.]. They played them, I heard them and I learned them."

Young Marian Turner studied classical music, then went on to perform in vaudeville theaters across England. During WWII, she entertained troops, often jamming with American soldiers.

She married one of them: cornetist Jimmy McPartland. After the war, the couple made their way to the U.S. — first to Chicago, then to New York.

There, she tracked down one of her early idols, one of the few women in the bebop revolution, pianist Mary Lou Williams.

"A man might come into New York in 1951 and be kind of gunning for his competition," says Paul de Barros, McPartland's biographer. "Marian McPartland came to New York City and befriended Mary Lou Williams. She immediately tried to establish a kind of camaraderie with her, a kind of female strategy of 'we're in this together.' "

That "we're in this together" attitude was central to the success of her radio program and her career — not that she had an easy time of it at first. As McPartland struggled to make a name for herself in New York, one critic caustically suggested that she had three things going against her: She was British, she was white and she was a woman.

"I guess it wasn't that usual to see a woman musician playing in a group, although there were many, actually," McPartland told NPR. "But everybody seemed to think that this was pretty strange, maybe because I was British also. And someone would say, 'Oh, you play good for a girl,' or 'You sound just like a man.' At the time, I just took all those things as encouragement."

McPartland landed a gig in 1952 at The Hickory House, a noisy steakhouse on 52nd Street, the center of the city's jazz scene.

"Everybody came by," de Barros says. "I mean, she had the opportunity to meet everyone from Duke Ellington to Pee Wee Russell to Thelonious Monk. Jazz was really an underground community, and everybody hung out."


Conversations Like Jazz

McPartland continued to record and perform throughout the 1950s and into the '60s, but as rock 'n' roll took over, she began to lecture on college campuses. In the late '60s, she started spinning jazz records on a New York radio station where other pianists would drop by the studio unannounced, just to chat.

A casual hello became a regular program in April 1979, when McPartland and South Carolina ETV Radio launched Piano Jazz. Her first on-air guest was the late Billy Taylor, also a pianist and NPR jazz host.

"It seemed as if every opportunity that came her way in the past prepared her for being a radio host," de Barros says. "She had researched other people's styles, so she had questions that she wanted to ask. All of those skills were in place, and she was ready for the opportunity that came to her."

McPartland said the conversations themselves were very much like jazz, spontaneous and free-flowing.

"It's so easy to make it a conversation, and you don't know where it's going to lead," McPartland said. "The whole thing is so improvised, you really don't know where it's going to go."

Along the way, McPartland also became a mentor to many young pianists. Geri Allen, one of those pianists, says she hears something familiar to musicians when she listens to Piano Jazz.

"It's a very personal exchange that only happens to musicians on the bandstand," Allen says. "But to have it opened up to the fans, I think it helps to create even more of an understanding [of] what that whole experience of improvising is about."

McPartland was once asked how she did this. Her answer was simple: "You have to love what you do," she said.

That was perhaps Marian McPartland's greatest talent: She made Piano Jazz not about her, but about the musicians, the fans and our collective exploration of jazz. For more than 40 years, she reminded listeners every week that we're all in it together.
Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Fuente: www.ideastream.org

*****

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Fuente: www.npr.org