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Last night, we had to privilege of seeing jazz singer-pianist Diana Krall play a selection of her favorite songs at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix. Backed by guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, she played “I Love Being Here With You”, “From This Moment On”, “Exactly Like You”, and about 9 other great songs.

Being a fan of her music since The Look of Love (2001), I unfortunately had never seen her live. We were ready to be wowed and dazzled. But after the amazing opening performance by Chris Botti and band, my first impression was that she really didn’t want to be onstage. As the night went on, however, it wasn’t that she was shying away from the spotlight, it was clear that the venue was too large. This was a four-person performance that would have benefited from being in a small jazz club and Krall did her best to make it seem like one.

And, to some degree, she was successful. The music was tight, entertaining, and just plain classic. Krall has a very quick wit and a curt stage manner that didn’t turn fans off but seemed to bring us up on stage with her. I wanted to go up there and just sit in the imaginary circle formed by the performers. Some have described her wit and manners as being cold and remote. I think her self-assurance gets confused with a lack of feelings.

After one or two songs in, a male audience member yelled out “I love you!” Krall immediately answered, “I love you too, but I’m difficult.” Brilliant. She acknowledge the outburst and made it seem like she was listening to us and wanted us involved.

Much has been publicized about her marriage to Declan MacManus (a.k.a. rock icon Elvis Costello) and the birth of their twin sons. She didn’t shy away from talking about them and, in fact, she talked about how her sleep deprivation was worth the joy of having babies. And, she made a humorous dig at her friends in high school (early 1980’s) who were listening to “artists like … Elvis Costello” instead of her influences, Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole, Rosemary Clooney and Joni Mitchell.

Once you start to learn about Krall and her music, you realize that she is well studied in the greats of jazz music. Her sultry voice and diva persona have brought her mainstream success. But, in all honesty, it was probably her mainstream success that introduced me to jazz music and culture. Like many others, I’m sure, I’ve been guided to the great jazz piano work of Oscar Peterson, one of her heroes and mentors, by her music.

But all of this background information is not what Krall is about. She is about the music. And since my knowledge of jazz music is limited, I’ll simply reference some quotes from reviewers who say it much better than I could.

Terry Perkins, of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, says that Diana Krall is performing the ‘best of’ her life. Paul de Barros, the Seattle Times jazz critic, says that Diana Krall has finally come into her own:

But Krall has always had more emotional range than she’s been given credit for. With deceptively simple mastery, her quicksilver changes of timbre, midphrase, can turn on a dime from a whispering nuzzle to a nakedly plain staccato to a smooth swoop up to meet the band. … Krall’s initially nostalgic vision of jazz played a part in critics’ underestimation of her.

John Wenzel, of the Denver Post, says that Krall has come through much to finally bounce back better than before:

Diana Krall’s oozes from speakers and headphones like caramel - thick and chewy, almost masculine in tone. Her striking profile - a strong jaw, steely eyes, flowing hair, long arms - only enhances her stage presence, and her even stronger personality ensures she’s getting exactly what she wants out of her career.

The Grammy-winner’s current tour is garnering the best reviews of her career, with critics from the Boston Globe to the San Francisco Chronicle praising her nuanced piano work, relaxed attitude and diverse set lists …

After the performance last night, I looked back at some of Krall’s album covers and I though how different they look to me now. The woman who performed last night was not the sultry blonde that lives on her albums. The makeup artist and photographer may have been able to cover up the nerdy girl who grew up on Vancouver Island in Canada but it was refreshing to see that that girl isn’t completely lost.

[tags]Jazz, Diana Krall, Dodge Theater, Ocar Peterson, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee[/tags]