Diana Krall Odyssey

Before the magic fades, I need to describe the experience of seeing and hearing jazz pianist Diana Krall live in concert Sunday evening in Brussels. I have been listening to her recordings for several years, and I have always enjoyed her sultry, breathy voice and romantic interpretations of old standards that I grew up listening to with my dad, a huge jazz and big band enthusiast with a fantastic singing voice which he never put to good use, due mostly to his alcohol addiction.

It all started with Vladi asking me if I wanted to travel to Paris to see Diana Krall perform at the Olympia. Did I ever! Unfortunately, by the time we had heard about the concert, the tickets were already sold out. Oh well, I thought. We will always find another excuse to go to Paris, and I can always have Diana all to myself in her recordings...On our previously-mentioned trip to Lille, I spotted posters advertising Krall's upcoming concert in that city. Maybe she'll come to Brussels too...Sure enough, I checked her Quiet Nights world tour schedule, and her extensive tour of Europe included a concert in Brussels on Sunday, September 27 at 8:00 pm at the Palais des Beaux-Arts. Vladi is not a big jazz fan, but was willing to go to please me...however, the date coincided with his planned trip to go to Bulgaria for a week where he is trying to conclude the sale of his mother's apartment. Of all times to plan your trip, Vladi!

I thought of my friend and former apartment mate, Lynn Vial Buendgen, and our Chicago days in the mid 1980's, checking out southside blues clubs...It would be great to see her and show her our house...maybe she would be willing to make the three-hour trip from her home in Koblenz, Germany to see an old friend and take in Diana Krall...Lynn arrived on Sunday morning, and after an afternoon of catching up, we gussied up and took the metro into central Brussels. Afraid that we had timed our arrival a bit too close, we found ourselves hoofing it in high heels for the two blocks to the theater, only to find that Belgian time is a bit more relaxed, and we arrived with a moment to catch our collective breath and find our balcony seats, which were quite good despite the last-minute ticket purchase.

Diana and her trio accompaniment (electric guitarist, drummer, and bass player) breezed out onto the stage and launched directly into their first set with gusto. When she finally spoke to the audience, Diana was humorous: (applause) "I only speak French while you are applauding in case I make any mistakes," she quipped (in English). She proceeded to get intimate with the crowd by admitting that she was really looking forward to seeing her twin sons (soon to turn three in December) and her husband (singer Elvis Costello) who were preparing to board a plane in two hours to join her after three weeks of being apart. She then introduced I've Grown Accustomed to His Face by saying that it reminded her of her husband, "but I don't want you to think about that while you are listening to this song," she cautioned. "You don't need to get all pumped up about it," she added with a dry sense of humor. "I'm Canadian, can you tell?" she asked the audience.

What amazed me about her concert performance was how exciting it was to be there listening and watching Krall on the piano, which is her obvious first musical love. Her singing is a real bonus, but she really loses herself in jazz improvisations at the keyboard. At one point, while rambling a bit in her banter with the audience, she confessed that she was stalling while trying to decide what to play next, and finally settling on I Love Being Here With You. Later on, she mentioned her friendship with her mentor, the late, great Rosemary Clooney, and started playing around on the piano with the tune Sisters famously sung by Clooney and Vera Ellen in the classic film White Christmas. As she tickled the keys, elaborating on the melody, Krall smiled over at her musicians and said, "I'll be with you in a moment!" She then deftly wrapped Sisters into So Nice. Clooney had no clear connection to what she was about to play, but she transitioned seamlessly, and it all worked!

"Tomorrow, I'll be playing 'The Wheels on the Bus' and singing about little spiders..." she mused in an aside to the audience (one I'm not certain the international crowd completely comprehended). "That's just for me - my kids actually prefer Sheryl Crow," she joked. "Listen to me! I'm insufferable, going on about my kids," she reproached herself a moment later between songs. "But you have children, don't you? Or grandchildren? Or maybe you are children yourselves? I can't see you, but I know that you are out there." It was clear that her family was on her mind, and she was probably anxious for their impending reunion, yet she gave herself musically 100% to us, and it was a fantastic evening for as long as it lasted.

Like all wonderful moments, it seemed over all too soon, and she thanked us for being a great audience, saying that she had really enjoyed herself in Brussels, but...this was going to have to be the last song. The musicians then took their bows and departed the stage, leaving the audience clapping loudly in unison for more. They then returned without too much urging for an obviously planned encore of The Boy from Ipanema from Krall's recent bossa-nova-inspired release Quiet Nights, and a rendition of Every Time We Say Goodbye with a clear, this-is-it-guys message. Diana Krall was stunning in her aqua, full-skirted, v-necked gown and sparkling heels, but more than her appearance, it was her easy attitude of improvisation at the piano that enthralled us and made us crave more. The venue was intimate enough to leave you with the feeling that it was just (to borrow a song title) you, (+Diana Krall), the night, and the music!