Glowing reviews from Regina, Saskatoon

[scielle]

Krall in tune with music and audience; Diana Krall Conexus Arts Centre
Rob Vanstone
20 April 2009
Regina Leader Post

Diana Krall has been criticized for permitting style to supersede substance. Detractors also point out that she can be detached from her audiences.
Neither label was even remotely accurate Saturday night at the Conexus Arts Centre.
Krall (piano, vocals), Jeff Hamilton (drums), Anthony Wilson (guitar) and Robert Hurst (bass) were in fantastic form during a sensational 103-minute show that accentuated the quartet's musicianship, along with the leader's congeniality and her engaging side.
Krall's jazz chops were on display throughout the concert. Except for one slip-up on a solo, she was magnificent on the piano. It didn't hurt that she was in terrific company.
There is not a finer jazz drummer than Hamilton -- who has played alongside the likes of Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Barbra Streisand, Lionel Hampton, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, Woody Herman and Ella Fitzgerald.
Wilson, a long-time member of Krall's ensemble, has a telepathic musical rapport with the leader. When they play the melody line in unison, as is often the case, it is difficult to distinguish the piano from the guitar. Hurst, whose list of credits includes an association with The Tonight Show Orchestra, was also stellar.
Unlike Krall's previous trip to Regina in 2004, she did not perform any original compositions. She relied on standards that are commonly associated with Lee, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Cole Porter, producing beautiful ballads and dazzling up-tempo numbers. Among the latter selections, the best were "Deed I Do'' and a Krall staple, "Devil May Care.'' Both numbers included awe-inspiring solos by Hamilton, who makes the most intricate percussive exercises look rudimentary.
Krall opened, as is her habit, with an upbeat "I Love Being Here With You,'' on which all four musicians were given the opportunity to showcase their abundant talents. The tone was set as the group breezed through its Regina stop on the Quiet Nights tour, in support of Krall's latest CD.
Unlike many artists would, she did not give the recently issued disc a single plug -- despite plenty of opportunities, given how chatty she was on this night.
Krall leaned on her sense of humour while yakking with the audience, and even in performance
While soloing on "Exactly Like You,'' she incorporated the former theme song of Hockey Night In Canada theme -- to considerable amusement.
She also elicited laughter while mentioning her sister, Michelle.
"My sister went to school here ... Royal Canadian Mountain Police,'' the Nanaimo-born Krall said. "My parents used to say, 'We have two daughters. One's a cop and the other has a record.' ''
Krall was in excellent voice despite encountering a case of the sniffles, which she also used as a vehicle for humour.
"I beg your pardon,'' she said after taking a sip of water. "I do have a cold. Everybody says, 'Scotch-refined, honeyed voice,' but it's just because I have kids and I have a cold.
"You, too, can have that sultry, sexy voice. Just get a cold.''
Krall also shared a humorous story about a recent visit to the White House, where she met Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle.
"President Obama paused and looked at me and said, 'Your husband's Elvis Costello? Have you been keeping this under wraps?' '' she said.
Although Costello was mentioned twice on Saturday, Krall spent more time talking about touring with her two-year-old twin sons, Dexter and Frank, while referring to herself as "a working mom.''
The only lament on Saturday was that the working mom didn't work longer than 103 minutes.

Krall concert magical
Bill Robertson
20 April 2009
Saskatoon Star Phoenix
About a third of the way into her performance Sunday evening at TCU Place, Diana Krall looked up from a story she was telling and, gazing blankly into the dark, asked her audience: Do you have kids?
This was during her second of a number of stories, all of them funny and self-deprecating. She'd told us she has her kids with her -- a pair of two-year-olds -- that she had a cold and hence the husky voice, and about some of the things her children like before asking that wonderful, mindless, sleep-deprived question. Then it was back to business, taking a swing at 'Deed I Do and letting her brilliant band go through some more solos.
Krall is on a cross-Canada tour, supposedly in support of her new album, Quiet Nights, but not much about Sunday night's performance was quiet, and not much of it came from the new album. But no one appeared to be complaining.
She got things off to a swinging start with East of the Sun (And West of the Moon), giving the trio behind her -- Anthony Wilson on guitar, Robert Hurst on stand-up bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums -- plenty of time to stretch out with some luxurious solos. Once we knew they could play, the radiant Krall turned to her audience and brought us all in for a lively performance of Let's Fall in Love.
On her recent albums, Krall tends to honour the song and save her playing for small solos that only tease the listener. On Sunday night, she allowed herself the great pleasure of joining her band in extended romps showing us all that jazz piano was where she got started.
The magic of a great group playing was in bold evidence as Krall and her band did Frank Sinatra's Where or When, as well as through the slow waltz of Nat King Cole's I'll String You Along, on the beautiful, sultry title track of the new album, Antonio Carlos Jobim's Quiet Nights, and on Krall's homage to Joni Mitchell in the solo piano of A Case of You. We could see that not only were these musicians creating magic, they were having a ball doing it.
And just to add to the fun, Krall told another story, this one about the time she wrote Oscar Peterson a 12-page letter when she was 16 years old to ask him if she should become a jazz pianist and singer. She never sent the letter, but she told us she did play at Peterson's 80th birthday party and her nerves were so bad she was nearly sick.
That story led right into the wild, bluesy swing of I Was Doing Alright, and then she toned things down for Cole Porter's Every Time We Say Goodnight.
By press time, she'd returned to the stage following a wild standing ovation to do Frim Fram Sauce, another bit of fun from an artist at the top of her game, even when she wasn't in tip-top health.

[shadesmcgee]

I had the pleasure of going to one of these concerts on a quick trip out to Saskatchewan. It really was fantastic.

[jazzygal karla]

Thanks for posting these, scielle!

Brilliant reviews. I wholeheartedly agree with what's been written about her current attitude during her performances. What's also amazing me here is that she's not confining herself to one set list. On one night, one might hear 'A Case of You', on another it'll be 'East of the Sun', instead.

The first reviewer mentioned that she didn't plug her latest album. I had to think really hard about this, and it seems to me Diana didn't mention 'Quiet Nights' as such during the concert I attended, either.

All I can say is if Diana's swinging by anywhere remotely close to where you live on her 'Quiet Nights' tour, GO SEE HER! She may be a working mother, but she's clearly loving her work, and now more than any other tour I've attended, she communicates that love of the music to the audience.

[Bud]

These are great reviews, thanks scielle!

The tour sure is getting off to a fine start. Really looking forward to seeing her again - can't believe its less than two months away!

I wonder when they'll drop this "detached" (or, of course, aloof) business? I bet its been over a decade since she's had an appearance that might even be remotely described this way...

[Coda]

Yes, great reads. I'm so glad Diana is tapping songs from her entire repertoire.

[paul formerly pauls]

Sounds like a terrific show, just the 4 of them. Perfect. I'm looking forward to the same show on the 28th in Hamilton. Will post a review.

if you want me I'll be in the bar.....