"Discovered" by bassist Ray Brown when he heard her perform in British Columbia, singer/pianist Diana Krall was introduced to singer/pianist Jimmy Rowles in Low Angeles, where she developed a unique, pleasant sound of her own. But even before that significant change, she had already formed specific preferences through her father’s piano playing influence, his jazz record collection, and her education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Krall, whose singing combines the crisp articulate phrasing of Carmen McRae with the easy flow of Nat King Cole, splits her session time on When I Look In Your Eyes equally between snappy tunes that emphasize her spirited sense of rhythm, and lush ballads that bask in her velvety moonlit vocal aura.
Bob Dorough’s "Devil May Care" is performed by a drummerless trio. Guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Ben Wolfe complement the singer’s playful lyric delivery and her solid piano interludes. "East of the Sun" is the place to find one of Krall’s better piano performances, as she works out at the keyboard with a rhythmic zeal to match her seamless lyric phrasing. From Dr. Dolittle, Leslie Bricusse’s "When I Look in Your Eyes" adds a full orchestra behind vocal and guitar; the balance is just right. Sung as a slow bossa nova, "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" extends the intimate orchestra-surrounded pattern and reveals a minimalist vocal/piano style destined to extend Krall’s emergence as a unique interpreter of popular song.
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Jim Santella has been contributing CD reviews, concert reviews and DVD reviews to AAJ since 1997. His work has also appeared in Southland Blues,The L.A. Jazz Scene, and Cadence Magazine.