New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

I don't get excited too much lately by new music. But I make an exception for anything by Diana Krall. She's the best thing to come down the jazz pike (or ANY pike) in a looooong time.



The album is available for pre-order for only $9.99 at amazon. But I plan on hanging tight as I have been burned many times in the past with retailer exclusives at places like Best Buy and Target having bonus tracks of one sort or another. I guess I don't need to worry about either a DVD-A or Dual Disc of this one.

The track list is:

1. Where or When
2. Too Marvelous For Words
3. I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face
4. The Boy From Ipanema
5. Walk On By
6. You're My Thrill
7. Este Seu Olhar
8. So Nice
9. Quiet Nights
10. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
11. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
12. Every Time We Say Goodbye

From musicremedy.com:

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

Oh no! Do I need to add iTunes to my list of places to watch for retailer exclusives?!?

I can't keep up...

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

She used to be good for the occasional DVD-A, too.

Heck, I'd even take a Dual Disc from her.

Lee: Her talent is high-rez enough for me!

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

Oh my.

I could have told you I would give this a 5-star review anyway...but I've been listening to this all morning and it is all anyone could want. I'll report back later when I've got more time.

One thing: I'm always concerned about the eventuality of retailer exclusives. I got especially concerned when I saw "Two Bonus Tracks" printed on the back cover of the CD I purchased at Best Buy (for just $9.99 this week). But copies I also saw at FYE and Target had the same two "bonus" tracks.

The bonus tracks, BTW, are listed in the OP as tracks 11 & 12.

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

For those interested, Krall will be the musical guest on Late Night with David Letterman tonight (Friday 4-3-09). Just saw the promo during the Ferguson show.

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

I wonder, Mike, if maybe you are reacting to the laid-back nature of the bossa nova influence in the music. I was expecting a more upbeat collection, personally, but find that whenever Claus Ogerman is involved with Diane's work things start to drag--not necessarily in a completely negative way, mind you. I just happen to prefer Krall in a more intimate trio-like setting giving her the ability to let loose and interact in an improvised fashion with the very talented supporting cast she always surrounds herself with.

I cannot help but compare this with the Nat Cole/Capitol Records experience where they hooked Nat up with Ralph Carmichael, Nelson Riddle, etc. and took Nat away from the sound that initially garnered him success. I always find this parallel rather ironic since my favorite Krall collection is All For You (her tribute to Cole's work).

I find that I have put most of her lush recordings at the bottom of my "Krall rotation"...but that I still return to them more than many other recordings sitting on my shelf.

On the Quiet Nights collection I really like her renditions of the standards: Where or When, Too Marvelous for Words, Boy from Impanema. And I liked the way she approached the more recent stuff Walk on By, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and Every Time We Say Goodbye.

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

I really like the Greatest Hits CD too! (although I'm not sure why). I usually create my own "greatest hits" compilations on my own. But it's one that I go back to over and over.

We'll have to see how the album translates on that live recording (BD) from Rio. Something tell me I'll love it. I'm a sucker for most anything she does.

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

And it should. If you watch the EPK posted by Cameron up in Post #12 (I think it was) Krall's bassist John Clayton talks about Krall's sense of rhythm fitting perfectly into the bossa nova structure.

And that's my complaint about Ogerman's influence. His orchestrations--to me--dilute her ability to swing out (not that you want to on every piece). But I guess I think those overly lush arrangements overwhelm her already terrific sense of style.

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

Well...I picked this up last night and had the intention of just giving it a test-drive by listening to a few tracks and found myself mesmerized and listening to nearly half of it's content. Just beautiful.

Briefly, this disc comes with thee audio options: stereo PCM, DD 5.1 and DTS HD-MA. Beware, it defaults to the LPCM stereo track. They all sound good. The DD 5.1 sounds good but the DTS HD-MA sounds even better. (I'm only getting the core of the MA track using analog connections from my Panny BD-10 to my older Sony HT receiver). The PCM stereo track sounds really crisp if that's the way you want to listen.

As I stated above, I prefer Krall in her trio setting. John Clayton's fantastic basslines were really present in my subwoofer and Jeff Hamilton and Anthony Wilson were their usual terrific selves. The tracks which included the orchestra also seemed to be mixed in a way that really kept the trio front and center (as it should be).

There was a nice assortment of tracks mixed in with the Quiet Nights material including some of my favorites from her Nat Cole tribute CD. There was an especially nice moment during The Boy from Impanema when she asked the audience to sing along--to which they readily complied in their native tongue. It's a really tender interaction between musician and audience. There is also a version of Irving Berlin's Cheek to Cheek here that she has never recorded. Just a great set in which the musicians are all in fine form.

To me, with a small HD CRT set, the video looks fantastic. Besides usual concert lighting, there are a number of strategically placed mini-spots to highlight parts of the stage...including one to really define Ms. Krall's face at the piano. These bright bursts of light tend to cause a glowing affect at times (especially in the wide shots) but they provide a fair amount of details in the close-ups that make them worthwhile. The audience shots, which are shot in EXTREME low light--are very grainy...making me think the placement of the mini-spotlights was done with that particular purpose in mind.

There is also a four-track bonus rooftop practice session (of sorts) on the BD which features Krall, Hamilton and Wilson with some friends and admirers as they run through some of their numbers. I only watched one of these tracks but it basically amounts to Krall singing with only the guitar accompaniment in a casual setting. This really puts a spotlight on her vocals that can sometimes get lost in the instrumental inter-play of the trio. Very revealing.

149 minutes (plus) of terrifically-performed live jazz, beautifully shot and recorded! Who can ask for more?!?

Go HERE and watch the bonus video for a taste of what you'll see/hear in beautiful high-definition!

What a treat. Two big thumbs-up from an unabashed fan!

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

I have since watched the rest of this disc and have to say..."it's all good." But what else would you expect from me?

I continue to be amazed at the rooftop session as to how her vocalization skills are thrust front and center and, in some ways, come off even better than in concert. Absolutely amazing. Not a knock against her performance in the concert footage...just a revelation that her voice can truly stand on its own.

There's another bonus feature called something like "quiet conversations" which features soundbites from Krall and her bandmates about the Quiet Nights recording and the Rio concert and other stuff about her music which is very cool and insightful.

I've also listened to some more of the PCM 2.0 soundtrack. Again, I describe it as "clean and bright" but I still prefer the DTS HD-MA soundtrack which allows me to be immersed in the music. What a treat.

I had been wondering who this "older gentlemen" was singing along with her, at times, during the rooftop sessions footage. Turns out he is Carlos Lyra, the legendary Brazilian bossa nova artist.

Here's the tracklist for the concert footage on the BD:

1 I Love Being Here With You
2 Let's Fall In Love
3 Where Or When
4 Too Marvellous For Words
5 I've Grown Accustomed To His Face
6 Walk On By
7 Frim Fram Sauce
8 Cheek To Cheek
9 You're My Thrill
10 Let's Face The Music And Dance
11 Every Time We Say Goodbye
12 So Nice
13 Quiet Nights
14 Este Seu Olhar
15 Boy From Ipanema
16 I Don't Know Enough About You
17 'S Wonderful
18 Exactly Like You

Here's the footage of The Boy from Impanema in which the audience joins in on the performance:

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

Alfonso:

I don't see how anyone could buy this title and not be satisfied.

I've seen the DVD on sale for $12.99 at FYE (TransWorld) and other places. So I wouldn't be surprised if Costco (and probably Fry's) has it cheaper.

Wait no longer and then move it to the front of your queue!

Re: New Diana Krall CD 3-31-2009

You know, Jonas, I actually hesitated to post that clip because the video quality is so bad. While it is "okay" in that you can make everything out all right, the Blu-ray image is terrific (with the caveat that I am watching on just a 28" HD CRT set). I could see where some of those low-light shots of the audience may be problematic on larger screens...but everything looks good to me.