Krall plays her voice and piano in the right key ( Aug 15)

[johnfoyle]

http://www.louisvillescene.com/2004/08/ ... krall.html

Jazz artist Krall plays her voice and piano in the right key

By Rick Mattingly • August 17, 2004

Special to The Courier-Journal

Among jazz musicians, the rule is that if you are going to "double" — play more than one instrument — you have to play each one so well that no one can determine your "main" instrument. At the Louisville Palace Sunday night, Diana Krall followed that rule to the letter with her two instruments: her voice and her piano.

As a vocalist, Krall has an intimate, personal style. She delivered her lyrics with a soft, subtle and sensual voice that has been compared to that of Shirley Horn and also recalls Peggy Lee.

But even though the roots show, Krall has her own sound, and her distinctive phrasing infused her lyrics with meaning. Likewise, Krall's piano playing was the perfect complement to her vocals.

Whether accompanying her own vocals or the instrumental solos of her backup group, she offered support as well as leadership. Her own solos were melodically inventive and displayed her personal style of phrasing.

She played more than she sang, and her interaction with guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Peter Erskine made for a consummate jazz experience. Although the group has been touring most of the summer, the way the four musicians often looked at one another with smiles of surprise and delight indicated that arrangements were being reconsidered and explored.

Krall's repertoire included jazz standards as well as modern pieces written by Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello (Krall's husband) and Krall herself. Her moving rendition of Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance" drew some of the most sustained applause of the evening, as did her final encore tune, the bluesy "Love Me Like a Man."

Looking more like a 1970s folk singer than a jazz diva, Krall established a relaxed, friendly rapport with the near-capacity crowd, poking fun at herself at one point by recalling her days hanging out in New York jazz clubs and trying to look "hip" in a Laura Ashley dress.

The fact that Krall pleased the audience to a high degree was fairly predictable. The biggest surprise for many audience members, no doubt, was the opening act, a New York band called Ollabelle.

The group fits solidly into the "American roots music" category with its blend of gospel, blues, folk and bluegrass. Everyone in the two-woman, four-man group contributed vocals, producing rich harmonies accompanied by a mix of electric and acoustic instruments that was powerful without being overpowering.

Highlights of the group's set included Amy Helm's gospel-drenched vocal on "Soul of a Man," Fiona McBain's jazzy singing on "Elijah Rock," and "Before This Time," which featured lush gospel harmonies from the entire band.