There are some unspoken rules in the jazz world. Rules that say acoustic-oriented jazz musicians are not supposed to have platinum and gold albums or sell out large auditoriums night after night. Rules that straight-ahead jazz releases are not supposed to reach the top of Billboard's pop charts. Rules that jazz artists shouldn't expect to receive standing ovations at Lilith Fair or compete with Santana, TLC, the Backstreet Boys, and the Dixie Chicks in a GRAMMY® category.
For the past ten years, someone has been breaking these rules and demonstrating that a jazz musician can, in fact, enjoy mass appeal without sacrificing her jazz foundation. Her name is Diana Krall. Not only has the Canadian singer/acoustic pianist become the top-selling artist on the Verve roster-she has become jazz's top selling vocalist, period. She is a crossover phenomenon who has remained faithful to her bop and swing roots.
After making a name for herself with studio recordings, Krall takes another step forward with Live in Paris, her first concert album. Produced by the GRAMMY®-winning team of Verve Music Group Chairman Tommy LiPuma with engineer and long-time collaborator Al Schmitt, Live in Paris contains highlights of Krall's concerts at the Paris Olympia in late November and early December 2001.
Krall leads a cohesive, intuitive group that includes bassist John Clayton, drummer Jeff Hamilton, and guitarist Anthony Wilson. On some of the selections, she is also joined by John Pisano (who is heard on acoustic guitar) and Brazilian percussionist Paulinho Da Costa (who has played on literally hundreds of albums, backing everyone from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Gato Barbieri). Alan Broadbent serves as music director/conductor for The Orchestra Symphonies European performances, and though Broadbent is an expressive bop/post bop pianist, all of the piano playing is handled by Krall herself. Krall explains: "My favorite singers have all played piano: Dinah Washington, Roberta Flack, Shirley Horn, Andy Bey, Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughan, and especially Carmen McRae. She has really been important to me and is one of my biggest influences. And Nat 'King' Cole was the ultimate."
Live in Paris illustrates the diversity of Krall's repertoire. Krall not only has an extensive knowledge of the great Tin Pan Alley standards of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s-she is also well versed in songs from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Krall shows her love of Tin Pan Alley on swinging performances of Harold Arlen's "Let's Fall in Love," Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin," and George and Ira Gershwin's "'S'Wonderful," but she also brings her interpretive powers to singer Bob D...
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