Diana Krall.
My introduction to the Canadian singer was sometime in the mid-1990s in Montreal. It was that classic one-sided introduction, which only one of the people knows about, while the other has no idea. That autumn I spent two weeks at a sports camp in the promised land of curling, Canada, and outside of the sports I went to museums, exhibitions and shops with my team. Among other things, to HMV (His Masters Voice). I think it was on Rue Sainte Catherine where we entered the sales area, and suddenly we were all embraced by a pleasant jazz atmosphere, heightened by the charismatic contralto of a presumably mature, dark-skinned singer. I asked at the checkout what we were listening to and was directed to a stand with a CD cover on display and the subtitle: "Today you listen to: ...". It was the second studio album (Only Trust Your Heart, 1995) by the then thirty-year-old Canadian jazz musician with a slightly Czech surname, Diana Krall. The idea created by the voice didn't work for me. I didn't hesitate to invest twenty Canadian dollars. And never regretted it.
So, with the confidence of a good investment, I purchased a ticket in advance for Diana Krall's Prague performance on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at the Congress Center. Shortly before the start of the concert, the tuner has a five-string bass guitar in his hand and checks that everything is perfectly prepared. However, there will be no need for it, as Robert Hurst makes do with a double bass throughout the performance. An open Steinway & Sons piano and sheets of score spread out on it await the protagonist. A packed house, a subtle murmur and a pleasant tense anticipation in the air.
Diana Krall (piano and vocals), Anthony Wilson (guitar), Robert Hurst (bass) and Karriem Riggins (drums) enter the stage, which is still in semi-shade. Then a haunting vocal is heard and the 100 minutes of jazz gets underway. From the very first notes it is obvious that this is not going to be "easy listening" jazz. The solo parts, in which all the instrumentalists take turns, are expressive and full of improvisation. The third track, All or Nothing At All (Love Scenes, 1997), begins with a bass overture, into which a husky alto weaves into the long black dress of the dressed singer. Insider listeners - connoisseurs - respond enthusiastically to the various instrumental displays with applause, and the same applause greets the first notes of Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's Let's Fall in Love (When I Look in Your Eyes, 1999), a familiar, even famous film tune. The song is ninety years old, but the foursome on stage give it new life with their rendition. The frequency connection between performer and audience is evidenced by the singer/pianist's remark that she may have cut her finger and has to take off the band-aid, but if she makes a mistake it doesn't matter. Diana and Anthony's unison is highlighted by the following Devil May Care (When I Look in Your Eyes, 1999), in which Diana claims to be as happy as she can be. Of particular interest is Cheek to Cheek, also a vintage item, originally written for 1930s dance star Fred Astaire, popularised by a duet between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in 1956. The song's breakneck pace lends itself to improvisation and allows room for an equilibristic show, but the original theme fades a little with the use of a double beat.
Diana Krall is one of the best-selling jazz stars today. But not only that. She has numerous accolades, including a Canadian National Honours, an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria, and a slew of successful nominations for various music awards. Ordinary listeners, who know her more from recordings or possibly from radio, were particularly taken with the encore of I've Got You Under My Skin (by Cole Porter, 1936), which was the closest in interpretation to her studio recordings. The whole evening was a wonderful and powerful jazz experience that thrilled especially those lovers of the genre who knew what they were in for.