Reviews from down under

[scielle]

Chanteuse keeps her cool
Polly Coufos
April 14, 2005
Sandalford Winery, Perth, April 8. Palais Theatre, Melbourne, today (sold out) and tomorrow.

THE persistent rain would have deterred any walk-up business and Diana Krall thanked the crowd for coming to see her rather than REM, who were also playing in Perth last Friday. On a miserable night, it was her humour that helped make this show memorable.

The picturesque Sandalford Winery is a magical place where the rolling lawn leads to a natural amphitheatre. But it does have one problem: it is directly under a flight path to Perth's domestic and international airports. Near the end of the extended opening number, I Love Being Here With You, a Qantas jet flew directly overhead. Krall laughed and thanked her sponsor. It was close enough to see the logo, loud enough to drown out the band.

Stop This World was next. The sound was perfect and Krall, rugged up against the chill in a knee-length coat, pumped Mose Allison's blues for all it was worth. Before the band - guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst and new drummer Kareem Riggins - joined in, Krall's voice and fingers were accompanied by the steady stomp of her high-heeled foot. For a woman whose multi-platinum career has been characterised by her ice-cool approach to jazz and blues, this song gave an inkling of what she might be like at home, playing for pleasure.

Then came a pair of songs Krall wrote with husband Elvis Costello, The Girl in the Other Room and Abandoned Masquerade. They were beautifully played - there can be no denying the lady's talent - yet there is something distant about the Canadian's approach that makes it hard to wholeheartedly embrace her.

She won over the non-converts as much with her witty asides and improvisation in song choice as with her set pieces, which included visits to the works of Nat "King" Cole, Irving Berlin and Joni Mitchell. This improvisation made light of the aircraft interference and Krall used the distractions to her advantage. Each time she was interrupted, she stopped and played an appropriate piece from her seemingly encyclopedic memory. Come Fly With Me, Rocket Man, Benny and the Jets and Fly Me to the Moon all made an appearance, the last turning into a crowd singalong.

The overhead distractions could have ruined the night; instead, they enhanced it. Thanks, Qantas.

[Coda]

Talk about Diana making a virtue of necessity!

[scielle]

Yet another brilliant title...

Krall's jazz enthrals
Nui Te Koha
15 April 2005
Herald-Sun

JAZZ singer Diana Krall enchanted with a sultry set at the Palais last night.

The Canadian and her band -- Anthony Wilson (guitar), Karriem Riggins (drums) and Robert Hurst (bass) -- pulled out all the stops, and solo chops, from the opener, Mose Allison's I Love the Life I Live.

"It's nice to be by the seaside, it's nice to be playing here," pianist-vocalist Krall told the full house.

She then stumbled for words when introducing a song co-written by her husband, celebrated singer-songwriter, Elvis Costello.

"We've been married a year and I still get all choked up and can't talk," Krall said.

For the main, Krall kept it lush.

She covered the standard Boulevard of Broken Dreams before an adept solo from Hurst on East of the Sun (And West of the Moon).

Wilson accompanied Krall on the stark and romantic Body and Soul.

Krall's voice and interpretive skills are in fine seductive form.

And her hair toss -- knowing, measured, shiny -- may be the best in the business. Watch out Cameron Diaz.

Krall married Costello in 2003 after meeting him at the Grammys.

They co-wrote six of the 12 tunes on her new album The Girl in the Other Room.

She said her new husband had had a "big influence" on her work.

At the 2000 Grammys Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes was nominated for Album of the Year.

Krall performs at the Palais again tonight.

[Coda]

Yes, the "Krall enthralls" headlines do get a little tiresome! How about: "Krall does famous hair toss, also plays music"?

[wush]

Title: Krall does famous hair toss, also plays music
First published: Jazzprincess.net forum

It's been 3 years since I've last seen DK live.

Tonight, I was fortunate enough to see Diana in the Royal Theatre in Canberra, the capital of Australia. The city is much like Ottawa but without the glamour.

The night started off very well. DK all the way on the CD player during the 3 hour drive from Sydney. Then the restaurant I went for dinner played DK, getting me completely in the mood. Praises to the management at Mezzalina. For anyone visiting Canberra, I highly recommend this Italian restaurant.

The venue, the Royal Theatre is a part of the National Convention Centre. It's not a proper concert venue and the acoustics suffered.

I had an isle seat in the second row, centre right. The theatre wasn't full. 2 sections with pillars blocking views to the stage was empty.

DK came out wearing jeans, a black velvet coat and black stillettos.

The set list was quite different from Perth and Melbourne. Here it is:

I Love Being Here With You
Stop This World
The Girl in the Other Room
Abandoned Masquerade
'Deed I Do
You Call it Madness
Temptations
(song title escapes me at the moment - it's new)
I should Care
I Was Doing Alright (Louis Armstrong/Ella Flitzgerald favorite)
Devil May Care
Departure Bay (Encore)

The band did a lot more solos than any of the DVDs and my pervious experiences with the DK quartet.

Anthony Wilson was playing the guitar so hard that the amplifier broke towards the end of Stop This World. A technician had to come out and swap the amps. DK joked, "Ignore the man behind the amplifier".

Karriem Riggins went beserk with the drums and had quite a few amazing solos.

Robert Hurst put in his share, too.

Overall, I felt DK has improved significantly since her last down under tour (hard to imagine she could improve on perfection but she did). She is much more comfortable on stage (but still not completely so) and obviously has full command of her voice and the keyboard at all times.

It's great to see that the band enjoyed the show as much as the audience did.

I wonder if the new tunes will find themselves into the next DK album. It'd be wonderful if it happens.

Tickets to 3 more gigs in Sydney next week.. I'll have an excellent week!

If DK or Michelle is reading this - can DK do "East of the Sun" in Sydney? It's my favorite tune.

[TheViolinSkirt]

In scielle's article she played Body and Soul.... GOD I would KILL to hear that live.

[scielle]

I wonder if the new tunes will find themselves into the next DK album. It'd be wonderful if it happens.

Ooooo, tell us more! Do they swing nicely? Did EC co-write the lyrics? That is so v. exciting that you got to hear new material
(I for one am still hoping Fake Tin Star will see the light of day beyond b-sides and such...)

.....

I heard DK do Body and Soul at Radio City Music Hall in NYC last August. It was absolutely magical, definitely my favourite as far as the live versions go. Sadly, it seems there is no bootleg available...

[Coda]

Thanks for the report, Wush. Sounds as if you had a great time!

[wush]

Oh yeah, I'm having a great time alright!

The song I forgot about was called "My Shining Hour". It's a classic Sinatra piece.

DK really did swing hard during that and intrepreted it much like "Sunny Side of the Street" in Stepping Out. All that energy and optimism.. Amazing.

[wush]

Title: Diana Krall tosses hair, says "I need a hair cut", then plays music.

This time, DK is in Sydney after a 2 year absence. The magnificant Sydney Opera House waited patiently for her to re-visit.



Diana did not disappoint. In the 90 minutes set, she kept the audience under a spell with a mix of old favorites and her own material.

Coming out on stage with her trademark black dress, the one that makes it extra hard to focus on the music , and stillettos.

The band remained the same and the set list didn't change much. Here it is:

I Love Being Here With You
Stop This World
The Girl in the Other Room
Abandoned Masquerade
'Deed I Do
Boulevard of Broken Dreams
My Shining Hour
You Call It Madness
Temptations
I should Care
I Was Doing Alright
Devil May Care
Departure Bay (Encore)

Overall, the band was not as playful as the Canberra performance. The crowd was much more formal, too. At least no one did any flash photography, unlike Canberra (Diana is probably the closest thing to a rock star Canberrans has seen).

There weren't as many out of control solos but each member of the band had their time in the spotlight.

I've noticed that during the solos, Diana started to sit on the piano stool facing the audience. That's sort of a new thing which was a great gesture and is a form of non-verbal communications to the audience.

Diana started mixing in excerts of "I Get Along Without You Very Well" in the intro to "I Should Care" while she mixed in "Someone to Watch Over Me" during "Devil May Care".

Just after DK came out for the encore (on her own, without the band), she did her famous hair toss and tells the audience "I need a haircut. I've been on the road so long but I shouldn't complain. I love doing this.".

Two more shows to go. I do hope DK (and perhaps Michelle as well, if she is on tour with Diana) is absorbing the sights of wonderful Sydney during the day. The fall weather is wonderful right now.

[verena]

Oh my, how utterly interesting ! Thank you so many times Wush. I cannot believe we are getting 2 more reviews this week (because we are, are we not ?).


Here is another brilliant title (just in case) :
"Diana Krall does famous hairtoss and starts talking to the audience; Forgets to play music".

Verena

PS : How is the song "I should care" (is it in a CD) ?

[smooth_jazz_]

I Should Care is the song with Claus Ogerman orchestra, you can buy it with Japaneese special edition of The Look of Love (http://dkrall.zeto.czest.pl/eng/discspec.htm), it was available with The Look of Love sampler (http://dkrall.zeto.czest.pl/eng/discpromo.htm) and Claus Ogerman's CD Box The Man Behind the Music (2001) & The Man and His Music (2004) (http://dkrall.zeto.czest.pl/eng/discduet.htm). You can also download it from http://dkrall.zeto.czest.pl/eng/audiosolo.htm

[scielle]

Charm and beauty, in fine company
Reviewed by John Shand
April 20, 2005



At ease ... Diana Krall was at her evocative best.


Diana Krall, Concert Hall, April 18

This was a much more involving concert than Diana Krall offered three years ago. She seemed more at ease, both in her own skin and on the stage. She has improved as a singer, has some fine new songs and a band of the highest calibre.

Most of Krall's fans probably went to hear her sing. What they were presented with was a jazz quartet: her voice and piano, the guitar of Anthony Wilson, the bass of Robert Hurst and the drums of Karriem Riggins being all featured more or less equally.

This was smart on Krall's part. She may be the main attraction, but her collaborators are musical stars in their own right. Crucially, however, while her own work may sometimes be flattered by their brilliance, it is never out of place in their company. As a pianist she can draw out the drama of a song and help to propel it, or she can distil a fragile beauty with her solo accompaniment.

Her singing glows more than it used to. Krall can now nail a song such as Boulevard of Broken Dreams so much more convincingly than when she recorded it a decade ago, aided by an evocative arrangement in which the guitar curled around sparse bass and drums with a slight aura of echo.

She tore across Devil May Care at a dangerous tempo (against fiery lighting on the curtains framing the mountainous landscape backdrop), and slumped into tenderness for You Call It Madness.

Much of her best singing came on the songs written with her husband, Elvis Costello, where her emotional commitment seemed intrinsically heightened. The Girl in the Other Room, Abandoned Masquerade and the solo encore, Departure Bay, are beautifully crafted pieces replete with musical surprise, and they all pulsed with intensity.

If being tied to the piano - even when not playing - was still Krall's security blanket, she was chattier, more charming and more relaxed than before, swivelling her endless legs around to face Riggins whenever he took one of his startling solos. Hurst, too, was routinely extraordinary, although his sound was not quite as warm in the Concert Hall as it may be elsewhere (just as the piano was a little shrill on occasion).

Wilson produced many telling solos, including biting deep into Tom Waits's Temptation, another song that Krall made her own.

[wush]

Title: Diana didn't do hair toss, messed around with the band and almost forgot to play music.

First off the rank, the set list. It's a little different from pervious nights.

I Love Being Here With You
Stop This World
The Girl In The Other Room
I'm Coming Through
I Was Doing Alright
Boulvard of Broken Dreams
'Deed I Do
(new song, title unknown)
Let's Face the Music And Dance
Almost Blue
Frim Fram Sauce
Devil May Care
It's Wonderful (encore)
Departure Bay (encore)

Tonight, the band was clearly relaxed and having way too much fun. Extended solos, espeically Karrim Higgins. He played one of the longest, most intriging drums solo I have ever heard during Devil May Care.

In a more business like black suit and pants, DK glowed on stage with a new found command of her voice. I have never seen her more totally at ease with the surrounds, the band and the audience.

"I Love Being Here With You" was supposed to be warm up but it was already real swinging. I knew I was in for a great night.

DK messed with the band during the intro of "Stop This World" by missing a few bars and beats here and there while Robert Hurst returned favor. It was all in light hearted, good humour.

Again, endless optimism during "I'm Coming Through" and "I Was Doing Alright". You'd think given how well things are going, Mrs. Costello would have trouble with the soulful tunes.

Not the case. Boulvard of Broken Dreams was just as good as last night.

Again another new song I have not heard before. According to Diana, the band has not recorded the tune. I assume it will go on the new album after it gets recorded. Sounds pretty good already. Lyrics include bits like "sit and count my fingers" "blue girls at ease" etc. Perhaps it's an obscure title from the American songbook?

"Let's Face the Music and Dance" from album "When I Look In Your Eyes" is seen by some as the classic DK sound and interpretation. What a nice treat - completely flawless. Not sure if it was the sound engineer or anything but DK seemed to have more volume in her voice without compromising the vocal nuances she is so good at showing.

The relaxed playfulness continued with Frim Fram Sauce. DK carried the entire tune herself on vocal and piano without backup from the band. The band deserved a break from all those solos.

The tease that is Frim Fram Sauce led to Devil May Care which is as good as any to finish.

The encore was rather interesting. DK did maybe half of "It's Wonderful" then burst into laughter, saying "I love my job. Playing music while travelling". Then settled back into "Departure Bay".

It was sad to see her depart the stage. That's for sure! Best DK live performance so far.

Oh, and no hair toss this time. Don't think she got a haircut.

There should be a law against flash photography in a concert hall! :X Can't believe how rude some people can be....

Another one tomorrow.

[verena]

Holy Spirit ! Our Girl is getting it.

But no hairtoss ? that is a disappointment (we never objected did we ? we like). Perhaps tomorrow.

Thank you so much. Elating review.

Verena

PS : Thanks for the response on "should I care"

Anybody can tell what is frim fram sauce ? I mean the sauce.

[Rémi]

Anybody can tell what is frim fram sauce ? I mean the sauce.

If I remember well, it's a sauce with ostrich and salsify.
If you're still wondering how I know that, know that's how I got my PhD in Krallalogy!

[Coda]

If I remember correctly, I think there was a long thread about this on the old board (remembering ghosts again....). Anyway, when William Safire asked Diana what "Frim Fram Sauce" meant, I believe she said: "It's about sex."

[scielle]

I believe this may be what you're referring to:
http://yubanet.com/artman/publish/printer_333.shtml

[wush]

Everyone should be sick of my reviews by now. So this is the last one, I promise (for now). I'll keep it short, too.

DK tosses hair, pushes microphone away, and plays music.

April 20th, DK's last performance in Sydney.

It was clear from the onset that it is the third show. The band is well grooved and comfortable with the surroundings. Quite a different set from the previous nights, too.

I Love Being Here With You
Stop This World
The Girl In The Other Room
Abandoned Masquerade
I'm coming Through
My Shining Hour
I Was Doing Alright
Temptations
You Call It Madness
Straighten Up And Fly Right
Deed I Do
Almost Blue (encore)
title unknown (encore)

DK conversed with the audience a fair bit more. Made comments about a member of the audience sneezing and made reference to primary school where one person throws up and everyone else starts doing so. Then explained her relationship with Jimmy Rowles and how the late Mr. Rowles is a very underrated artist. Not to mention how Rowles used to always tell Diana off.

"Straighten Up and Fly Right" was the absolute highlight. Compare that to "Stepping Out" and you can see how much DK has grown artistically. So much more depth and much better delivered.

The finish was rather abrupt with 'Deed I Do. Didn't do the "thanks to everyone" till the encore.

The last song was clearly a work in progress. Again, given my limited knowledge of music, I do not know the title. Still, quite a treat to see DK & band attempt something new on stage.

The outfit DK wore seems quite exqusite from afar. A pink or off white coloured one piece gown (not low cut) with either beads or embriodary all over.

All in all, I found the second night in Sydney the best gig. The runaway solos and the general mood of the band.. I'll remember it for a long long time.

And I'm done. Thanks for reading my long posts.


It goes without saying that I am a little sad. The sense of anitcipation before each gig, the sense of euphoria after... Don't think any other musician can provide that. Guess I'll have to keep on discovering great artists or wait for the next DK gig.

[Coda]

Thanks, wush, for all your reports. How could we get tired hearing about Diana tossing her hair?

I think many of us have felt that come-down feeling after an anticipated concert or special event. I think you're lucky to have attended three great concerts.