The Artistry of… Diana Krall
This Dream of You is the latest recording by the multi-disciplined jazz artist Diana Krall. She is a commanding piano player, a storytelling vocalist and an inspiring bandleader. The Great American Songbook is in nurturing hands when its grand songs are embraced and performed by her.
Krall brings an honesty and dedication to the music. It’s diverse, made from a healthy mix of genres and eras spiced by her originality that teases the blend.
This Dream of You is the name of a Bob Dylan song that, in its way, reflects on the way things used to be, with a sense of timelessness and the eternal. Reflection and respect for the integrity of art, as it came about before, is a creative play with the spirits and the sentiments of other times. Krall plays deftly with the spirits, and she leaves the listener in a beautiful state of comfort.
A New York Times article by Elysa Gardner from 2017 says this: “Discussing the artists she has admired, or has been lucky to work with or would like to work with more often — all three lists are endless — she’s less a name-dropper than a breathless music nerd, quietly geeking out over Joe Lovano and Wynton Marsalis, or Julie London and Ms. McPartland.” To play off those words, I will say she is a sophisticated jazz geek who’s glowing with an honesty in her admiration of the giants that is as evident as the sweetness of her music-making.
The Artistry of… is a weekly series that reflects on the passion and essence of an artist. It airs Wednesday evenings on Dinner Jazz with John Devenish.