STLtoday: DK takes Fox crowd in a new direction

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Source: http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entert ... +direction

Diana Krall takes Fox crowd in a new direction
By TERRY PERKINS
Special to the Post-Dispatch
Sunday, Aug. 15 2004

JAZZ

Diana Krall fans turned out in force at the Fox Theatre on Saturday, eagerly
anticipating the return to St. Louis of the jazz singer/pianist who crossed
over to huge success on the pop charts over the past few years.

But the Diana Krall who performed before a packed house at the Fox clearly
crossed up plenty of expectations among her fan base, especially among those
anticipating a full evening of tunes from the great American songbook - a
reasonable expectation, given that Krall built her mainstream success through
million-selling albums like "When I Look In Your Eyes" and sultry, slickly
produced, string-laden versions of classic tunes by the likes of Gershwin, Cole
Porter and Irving Berlin.

But Krall's primary focus at the Fox was on material from her latest recording,
"The Girl In the Other Room." In addition to performing the title cut and
"Abandoned Masquerade" - both co-written with husband Elvis Costello - Krall
covered Mose Allison's "Stop This World," Tom Waits' "Temptation" and
Costello's "Almost Blue," from that recording.

Backed by a stellar trio of jazz musicians, guitarist Anthony Wilson (son of
big band leader Gerald Wilson), bassist Robert Hurst (a mainstay in Wynton
Marsalis' bands for decades) and drummer Peter Erskine (ex-member of Weather
Report), Krall put a strong emphasis on spare, muscular arrangements. And she
was more than happy to showcase her underrated piano playing as well, turning
in energetic solos throughout the evening.

Dressed down from her usual sophisticated look, Krall performed in jeans. But
accents like a long, flowing black jacket, heels and, of course, her loose
blond hair, added plenty of glamour to her stage presence. (Evidently the Krall
fan club didn't get the memo on concert dress code - the little black dress was
a ubiquitous presence in the Fox lobby that night.)

Although Krall seemed focused exclusively on the music at the beginning of the
concert, she eventually engaged the crowd in considerable between-songs
commentary. She made a point of mentioning the late Barbara Rose, who arranged
Krall's St. Louis debut at Just Jazz in 1993 and brought her back to perform
several times at Jazz at the Bistro. Krall also attempted a little jazz
education lesson, talking about legendary pianist Jimmy Rowles, whom she
studied with early in her career.

Ollabelle, a New York City sextet hand-picked by Krall as her opening act,
turned in an entertaining set that added an interesting twist to gospel, blues
and country music traditions. Featuring vocalist Amy Helm (daughter of Levon
Helm of the Band), the band's eclectic approach seemed to reinforce the new
direction Krall is finding in her own music.