When she first stepped out in the early 90s, Diana Krall shifted the paradigm by bringing a younger audience back to the Great American Songbook and has influenced countless female vocalists in her wake. At this stage in her career, with nothing to prove, Ms. Krall has gone forward by looking back to the era before Swing, to music of the Golden Age just before and at the early part of the Depression. Supported by a 5 piece band that included long time guitarist Anthony Wilson, the pianist/vocalist mixed songs from the early to late 20th Century but having them pureed into a sound as if they were recorded on 78 rpms but with a 21st Century mentality.
The evening mood was set early on with a continuous backdrop of vintage films showing images ranging from and including Betty Boop , Dance Marathons, Dust Bowl Days, a suavely dancing George Raft and vintage Georges Melies while Krall and the band stomped off wondrously two steppers such as “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye” and “ Ain’t No Sweet Man.” Krall’s voice was earnest and earthy, and she strode just right on the piano during “Let it Rain” which felt right at home next to a honky tonking take of Tom Waits’”Temptation” as the band made the theatre feel like a vaudevillian stage.
On her own at the upright Player, Krall delivered cozy readings of material ranging from Fats Waller’s “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down” of the 30s to Baby Boomer material such as Neil Young’s “A Man Needs a Maid/Heart of Gold” with both sounding like they were written by the same kindred spirits.
Back with the band, violins, ukuleles, Hammond B3s, bass and drums created moods both joyous as on “Sunny Side of the Street” as well as stark and melodramatic with “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” with Krall’s patented inflections accenting just the right word and nuance. Her encores of Tom Waits’ “Heart of the Saturday Night,” The Band’s “Ophelia” and her own “Departure Bay” displayed that music, mood and messages are not limited by time and generation. This latest Pre-Swing band is a 100 year step in the right direction.
Coming April 26 is John Pizzarelli with Ramsey Lewis. Tickets are on sale for the 2014-15 season which includes Brad Mehldau, The Bad Plus, Bill Frisell and Jane Monheit. Info at www.vallperformingartscenter.org.
