She's a creator now, not just an interpreter - June 26

[johnfoyle]

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/ ... l#continue

She's now a creator, not just an interpreter
Monday, June 28, 2004

Carlo Wolff

Special to The Plain Dealer

Diana Krall delivered a complex, authoritative concert Saturday, captivating about 3,500 fans at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls.

The tall, stylish Canadian stressed material from "The Girl in the Other Room," her collaboration with husband, Elvis Costello, showcasing a newly supple vocal style, imposing pianistics and patter spanning the arch and the loopy.

Her hour-and-45-minute set also affirmed her band: guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst, and the remarkable drummer, Weather Report alumnus Peter Erskine.

The concert, launched by a dense, gear-shifting instrumental with the working title of "Sometimes I Just Freak Out," sparked from the start, sagging only in a perfunctory "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." A little less patter would have been nice, but it was charming to hear how happy Krall is with her marriage.

After that aggressive instrumental, Krall swung into "All or Nothing at All," her approach as vengeful as it was playful. Her voice flexed with the lyrics' demands and her piano filled in all the right spaces.

The acoustics were crystalline, warming the evening. But Krall also provided heat, even passion. No longer the snow queen of jazz, and comfortable with her increasingly eclectic repertoire, Krall has become a creator, not merely an interpreter.

She performed six tunes from "Girl," her ambitious new album. Among the most striking: "Narrow Daylight," a gorgeous ballad and the first of two encores; the ambiguous, noirish title track; Costello's languid, romantic "Almost Blue"; and "Temptation," a slinky, sexy tune by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, another, similarly uncategorizable musical couple.

Krall no longer seems constrained by the standards that once made her reputation. Her rangy interpretation of Joni Mitchell's eerie, unmoored "Black Crow" was another liberating highlight.

Opening act Ollabelle was impressive, too, blending bluegrass, blues, gospel and rock. Sparked by the vocals of Fiona McBain and Amy Helm, fortified by Glenn Patscha's baritone and Wurlitzer, the New York City sextet shone on "John the Revelator" and soared on "Get Back Temptation."

Wolff is a free-lance writer in South Euclid.





© 2004 The Plain Dealer.

[TheViolinSkirt]

A little less patter would have been nice, but it was charming to hear how happy Krall is with her marriage.

Frankly, I'd like to hear a little MORE banter. If I wanted to hear the same old songs, in the same old boring way, I'd listen to the cds. I go to a live show to get a better feel for the artist. When they communicate with the audience, it's such an enjoyable experience. You actually get a personality behind the music. (novel idea, isn't it?) Hell, I'd listen to her tell knock-knock jokes all night if it meant I got a glimpse of the real Diana.

One time, I went to a Dave Matthews concert when he was on an acoustic tour with Tim Reynolds... He told us stories (none of them really made sense, but it was typical Dave) and when one 'frat guy' in the audience yelled out "Shut up and play!" Dave told him to "Bite my d*ck, motherf*cker." Hillarity ensued. What was really amazing to me, is that this guy wasn't there for the right reasons...at least not in MY mind.

Bottom line is this: if you want to hear the music, listen to the cd. If you'd like to experience the music, go see a live show.

[dasher]

Lindsay -

While I agree with you to a point, I certainly don't want to pay money to hear things I can read in Downbeat or JazzTimes.

I agree, small talk and banter give an insight of the performer that the written word just cannot convey. I remember her show in 2000 in Atlanta when "The Look of Love" was the album, she waxed about Burt Bacharach and how she loved his "wavy lovely hair" and that she "wanted to run her hands all through it". The crowd missed it completely! She sort of reproached them all (not me, I got it) and went on to the next song.

Then again, by this show in 2000, she was getting quite popular and I think many in the audience were people not familiar with Jazz, Diana, or even her latest album she was supporting on the tour. It was merely something they were told to go see, and did.

But I digress.

I agree, small talk and banter can be a wonderful thing, provided the audience is up to the task! Oh how I do enjoy the smaller venues.