Diana Krall - Jazz Musician?

[JackD201]

I think you are being a little hard on the lady Rob. She crossed over. That's it. That doesn't mean that just because her releases have become commercial that she still or never could really play. She was an Impulse! artist and cut her teeth in Jazz fests all over the world before making it big. Here's a bit of what you don't hear in her studio albums.

 

[Joe Whip]

I couldn't disagree more that she is cold or cool. She is the most painfully shy musician I have ever met. Perhaps that is what you are sensing. I don't find her cold at all live. To each his own. I can tell you that live, she can swing with the best of them.

 

[GaryProtein]

I guess she's OK at what she does, but it's not my kind of music.

 

[MadFloyd]

Her DVD of her live at the Montreal Jazz Festival makes it clear she is a great jazz pianist. Spectacular concert.

 

[MadFloyd]

I think you are being a little hard on the lady Rob. She crossed over. That's it. That doesn't mean that just because her releases have become commercial that she still or never could really play. She was an Impulse! artist and cut her teeth in Jazz fests all over the world before making it big. Here's a bit of what you don't hear in her studio albums.

OK, this is pretty close to the DVD I mentioned and is a great example of the real Diana Krall.

 

[edorr]

I guess she's OK at what she does, but it's not my kind of music.

I would flip that. I like the kind of music she plays, but not the way she plays it.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I'm not a fan of her vocal delivery, but she makes the best of what she has and it works. I wouldn't call it Jazz, elevator music or pop, but perhaps Pop-Jazz is a good description. I do think the Lady can play very well and maybe we'll see more of that.

 

[Cascais]

nor should they, question is what will be DK's legacy? She has very big shoes to fill considering her repertoire is based on material sung many times before from those that managed better.

Somehow I don't think Diana Krall is concerned about her "legacy", being in mid-career or that she can be compared to Billie Holiday or those jazz musicians who flamed out as a result of social injustice, drug and alcohol abuse. You don't have to be a "tortured soul" to understand pain and disappointment. She shares her grief from her mother's death reflected in her music, very emotional and touching. Listen to "I'm Coming Through" and "Departure Bay" from The Girl in the Other Room. Few contemporary singers can show that kind of depth and sincerity in music with great personal significance.

 

[Cascais]

OK, this is pretty close to the DVD I mentioned and is a great example of the real Diana Krall.

Thanks for this A Train. I hadn't heard it before, reminds me of the Betty Roche version with Duke Ellington.

 

[Joe Whip]

I don't think she is either and I am sure that not many musicians are, at least in the prime of their careers. Those are frankly issues more important to the fans and the press and critics. I am also not sure why one has to waste portions of their life to alcohol or heroin to understand the blues. We all have enough grief in our lives to relate. I know some jazz musicians who are rather well adjusted folks who are as clean as one can be.

 

[Cascais]

You know, when my wife first heard DK singing (in the car but still) she thought it was a man singing. And that did remind me that her voice is well, not very feminine. Just an observation.

Her vocal range is contralto low, sexy and very feminine. It has been compared to smoky, scotch whiskey. My taste.

 

[Joe Whip]

Not feminine? All I can say is WOW.

 

[Mosin]

I must admit that I do not particularly care for her records, but I had the opportunity to see her live in a reasonably small venue. It was as if the artist on the record was an entirely different person. The concert was a really enjoyable one.

This Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde phenomenon isn't reserved just for Diana Krall, either. Quite a few artists are radically different in a live setting. Some are better, some are worse. Peter Noon of Herman's Hermits fame was bubblegum back in the day, but he is absolutely amazing live now. Nancy Griffith, on the other hand, gets the prize for the only concert where I skipped the ending...and so it goes.

 

[rockitman]

She's okay. Doesn't get a lot of air time on my system. I would grab a Pat Barber, Sarah McLaughlin record first.

 

[Cascais]

The Jekyll and Hyde analogy is a good one, on the one hand packaged as a pop diva wrapped in sumptuous arrangements, and on the other a talented jazz pianist and singer who can belt out "Take the A Train" à la Betty Roche. These roles coexist on many of her records to good effect but the jazz player dominates at the festivals and live concerts. When I want a break from Lutoslawski and to relax with beautiful sound, I reach for Diana Krall. This lady has class and integrity, rare qualities among today's celebrities.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

None of this is new to Krall. Female jazz singers are almost required to do an album or two of standards, accompanied by a lush orchestra doing their best Nelson Riddle impression. The tyranny of The Great American Songbook. The more popular ones discover that's where almost all the money is, and this is not a hobby for them, so they do more. But those slick albums bring the crowds to her shows where yes, Diana Krall is a jazz musician. If you have any doubts, listen to Live In Paris.

Tim

 

[edorr]

None of this is new to Krall. Female jazz singers are almost required to do an album or two of standards, accompanied by a lush orchestra doing their best Nelson Riddle impression. The tyranny of The Great American Songbook. The more popular ones discover that's where almost all the money is, and this is not a hobby for them, so they do more. But those slick albums bring the crowds to her shows where yes, Diana Krall is a jazz musician. If you have any doubts, listen to Live In Paris.

Tim

The songbook per se is not the problem. I immensely enjoy Eva Cassidy doing them (sans orchestra thank God), and she is not even considered a Jazz musician (I believe).

 

[Joe Whip]

I prefer my jazz without the strings as well.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

The songbook per se is not the problem. I immensely enjoy Eva Cassidy doing them (sans orchestra thank God), and she is not even considered a Jazz musician (I believe).

No, of course, the standards can be reinterpreted creatively. Instrumentalists have done it for decades. The problem, IMO, Is the expectation. Doing an album or two of standards -- smooth, lush, orchestral, not far from the classic recorded interpretations -- is a right of passage for jazz singers. And it is the most popular, the most accessible form of jazz. Making a career out of it must be very tempting. But I have the Sarah Vaughn records, the Ella records. I don't really need the same basic idea re-executed by every female singer that finds an audience. It lacks imagination. It is devoid of improvisation. And only when the orchestra is too expensive, and the form is taken on the road with a small ensemble of gifted musicians does it actually become jazz.

Exhibit A: Live in Paris.

Tim

 

[Cascais]

I prefer my jazz without the strings as well.

Don't be too hard on some strings since I got my introduction to jazz, and a start on classical music (listening to different combinations of instruments) from Nelson Riddle and a lady named Ella Fitzgerald singing Cole Porter and Gershwin songs. I don't think that anyone would deny that Ella was a jazz singer. I find Claus Ogerman's arrangements tasteful for the most part.