Krall's concert 'eclectic' - Denver , July 13
Posted: 14 Jul 2004, 13:30http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/m ... 14,00.html
Krall's concert 'eclectic'
Fusion of styles, depth of music marred by mismatched venue
By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
July 14, 2004
After performing songs by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Mose Allison in the first few minutes of her concert, jazz singer/pianist Diana Krall pulled out an old Irving Berlin tune.
"Let's just go schizophrenic," she said with a shrug, but noted she preferred the word "eclectic."
It's her willingness to fuse almost any style that strikes her fancy - and do it well - that endears Krall to her fans and makes jazz purists tear out their hair.
Like her contemporary Patricia Barber, when you hear Krall perform it's tough to decide what's best. Do you want to hear her golden voice drawing the nuances out of some of the best songs in modern and classic songwriting? Or do you want her to concentrate on her explosive piano improvisations?
Krall provided plenty of both with her crack backing trio. Drummer Peter Erskine was a particular treat, delivering that rarest element in modern music - the enjoyable drum solo.
Krall's show was entirely different from her last performance at the Paramount Theatre, mostly because she dove straight into her latest CD, The Girl in the Other Room, which features her songwriting debut.
Much of the new album was co- written with husband Elvis Costello, who also performed Tuesday night, albeit a half-continent away.
"We're doing dueling concerts. Right now, he's onstage at Lincoln Center," Krall noted.
In an era where fans are trained to expect nothing more complex than rapid costume changes from female performers, Krall is a reminder of the depth that music is supposed to have. The Aaron Copeland influences in her piano playing on Costello's classic Almost Blue makes the song entirely her own, despite keeping the melody faithful to Costello's 1982 original.
The same happens with Wait's Temptation and Joni Mitchell's Black Crow, retaining the flavor of the originals while making them crackling fresh.
The biggest drawback was the mismatch of venue and performer. Coors Amphitheatre (formerly Fiddler's Green) is perfect for loud rock and was fine when Krall and band were steaming through Peggy Lee material or Allison's Stop the World.
But during the softer passages - and mind you, the show was 75 percent softer passages - the wind pushed the sound around, the drone of airplanes at Centennial Airport and the not-so-distant roar of Interstate 25 marred what should have been a sublime experience.
There were calls from the upper seats early on to turn up the sound, and the wind calmed enough by midshow to minimize most distractions.
Krall's concert 'eclectic'
Fusion of styles, depth of music marred by mismatched venue
By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
July 14, 2004
After performing songs by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Mose Allison in the first few minutes of her concert, jazz singer/pianist Diana Krall pulled out an old Irving Berlin tune.
"Let's just go schizophrenic," she said with a shrug, but noted she preferred the word "eclectic."
It's her willingness to fuse almost any style that strikes her fancy - and do it well - that endears Krall to her fans and makes jazz purists tear out their hair.
Like her contemporary Patricia Barber, when you hear Krall perform it's tough to decide what's best. Do you want to hear her golden voice drawing the nuances out of some of the best songs in modern and classic songwriting? Or do you want her to concentrate on her explosive piano improvisations?
Krall provided plenty of both with her crack backing trio. Drummer Peter Erskine was a particular treat, delivering that rarest element in modern music - the enjoyable drum solo.
Krall's show was entirely different from her last performance at the Paramount Theatre, mostly because she dove straight into her latest CD, The Girl in the Other Room, which features her songwriting debut.
Much of the new album was co- written with husband Elvis Costello, who also performed Tuesday night, albeit a half-continent away.
"We're doing dueling concerts. Right now, he's onstage at Lincoln Center," Krall noted.
In an era where fans are trained to expect nothing more complex than rapid costume changes from female performers, Krall is a reminder of the depth that music is supposed to have. The Aaron Copeland influences in her piano playing on Costello's classic Almost Blue makes the song entirely her own, despite keeping the melody faithful to Costello's 1982 original.
The same happens with Wait's Temptation and Joni Mitchell's Black Crow, retaining the flavor of the originals while making them crackling fresh.
The biggest drawback was the mismatch of venue and performer. Coors Amphitheatre (formerly Fiddler's Green) is perfect for loud rock and was fine when Krall and band were steaming through Peggy Lee material or Allison's Stop the World.
But during the softer passages - and mind you, the show was 75 percent softer passages - the wind pushed the sound around, the drone of airplanes at Centennial Airport and the not-so-distant roar of Interstate 25 marred what should have been a sublime experience.
There were calls from the upper seats early on to turn up the sound, and the wind calmed enough by midshow to minimize most distractions.