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Home , Claus Ogerman, David Foster, Diana Krall, Kisses on the Bottom, Tommy LiPuma

ISSUE #41 MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN

DIANA KRALL On her latest , the pianist picks pop and plays favorites By Jeff Tamarkin

DIANA KRALL IS A WORLD-CLASS JAZZ PLAYER AND a writer—I sing and play music and make people feel. That which —and the bulk of her catalog falls squarely into the jazz realm. cannot be said has to be sung.” But her latest album Wallfl ower consists almost entirely of pop and With fi ve Grammys and eight Juno Awards, as well as nine rock favorites from the 1960s to the ’80s—classics like the Eagles’ gold, three platinum and seven multiplatinum records, Krall boasts “Desperado” and “I Can’t Tell You Why,” the Mamas and the Papas’ a career that could stand as the defi nition of jazz success. She’s “California Dreamin’,” the Carpenters’ “Superstar,” and 10cc’s “I’m Not also the only jazz singer to have eight debut at the top of in Love,” along with the -penned title track and a previously the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. The Canadian native began playing unreleased Paul McCartney composition, “If I Take You Home Tonight.” piano when she was just 4, and went on to study at Boston’s Berklee Produced and arranged by , the tracks, most of College of Music on scholarship before heading to L.A. Since her them richly orchestrated, place the focus on Krall’s keen interpretive 1993 debut album Stepping Out went gold, she’s played with sense and emotive vocals. Her goal was to showcase her vocal everyone from to to Paul McCartney. Krall chops on these songs she’s loved for so long—and the musical also produced ’s Love Is the Answer in 2009, change-up proved to be a success: The album placed Top 10 in and her marriage to in 2003 has further elevated her more than 20 countries. “Though I’ve won jazz vocalist awards, I profi le. Krall discusses the creative process behind the new record, still consider myself a jazz pianist who sings,” says Krall, 50. “I’m not what she hoped to achieve—and what she didn’t.

‘Sometimes if you take pop tunes and put them in a jazz setting, you overthink them a bit.’

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You grew up with these songs. James Brown or Anthony Wilson playing with ESSENTIAL KRALL Right, it’s not like I discovered them in Jesse Harris. We’re to explore. On somebody’s basement. These are from this album I got a chance to work with Bryan albums I got when they came out, like Adams and Michael Bublé, who I run into in Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” the frozen food section in my neighborhood ALL FOR YOU: A I’ve always been connected with that song all the time. All these things mean something DEDICATION TO THE and always wondered how I would do it to me—I didn’t just pull them out of a hat. I TRIO some day. I fi nally got the chance. When wanted to sing “Desperado” because I know (1996) I recorded it, I said to David [Foster], “Just all the words, I don’t need the music, and I This tribute to a prime let [drummer Jim] Keltner go—I want a big just love the song. influence of Krall’s rock ballad.” David said, “I don’t know, this works because she knows better than to may be pushing it too far,” but I said, “Nope. How were guest artists selected? attempt imitation, and while her technique is Just go for it.” I just gave it over to David and he made impressive, she doesn’t fl aunt it. Whether on really good choices for me. He suggested the jumping boogie “Hit That Jive, Jack” or Blow your allowance on records? using [former Eagle] Timothy Schmit on the mellow “I’m Thru With Love,” Krall owns Yes, I did. It was all about the radio. When “I Can’t Tell You Why.” I was blown away by the material. [Paul McCartney and Wings’] Wings Over that. Then when we did the Jim Croce tune America came out, I would play along. It was [“Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)”] THE LOOK OF LOVE the time of Supertramp and . My we had Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. (2001) mother and father were young people at These were all songs I loved for so long. This orchestrated set that time, and they were listening to Linda features Ronstadt, so some of their records got Why record “California Dreamin’”? by and moved upstairs to my room. I was hoping to do that for my Look of marks something of Love album and couldn’t fi gure out how. a departure as Krall steps out of the jazz Sometimes if you take pop tunes and put waters. In another time this would have been them in a jazz setting, you overthink them called Adult Contemporary—but what matters ‘I still consider a bit because you think, “I’ve got to make most is how thoroughly she nails it. it into jazz” or “I’ve got to re-harmonize it.” myself a If you just keep the integrity of the melody LIVE IN PARIS (2002) and harmonies of the piece but do it the No special formula jazz pianist way we think about it, that maintains the at work here, just freedom of the whole thing. So I couldn’t a rivetingly tight who sings.’ fi gure out how to do it, and then when we performance by a were kicking around tunes, I played this gifted vocalist and a Did you avoid jazz on the album? Shuggie Otis tune, “Aht Uh Mi Hed.” And I band of jazz all-stars (, No. I just wear a lot of different hats. The just said, “What about putting that kind of Christian McBride). Album-ending covers of band I have now is not a hardcore jazz band. beat on ‘California Dreamin’”? You muse and offer a welcome I like to have that free-mind thinking. But I things around in your head for years before deviation from Krall’s Great American did tell David, “I don’t want to make a jazz they come out in some way. Songbook repertoire. record. I just want to stick with the original chord changes and harmonies and melodies Tell us about the Paul McCartney song. THE VERY BEST OF because they’re all great. If you want to take He wrote some beautiful songs for his record DIANA KRALL (2007) liberties with a few things, cool, but I don’t [, on which Krall plays Krall’s compilation spans want to make it like suddenly I’m doing my piano] and fortunately for me that song didn’t 1996-2006, focusing jazz interpretations of Radiohead.” I didn’t make his record. I told him I loved the song on the Songbook-era want to make new standards of favorite pop and he said thank you. Then last summer I standards on which her songs. Nor did I want to make it “Diana Krall found the music to it on my piano and started career was built (with a Tom Waits cover Sings the Hits of the ’80s.” It’s like what playing it, and [drummer] Karriem [Riggins] tossed in). Still redefi ning herself, Krall proves Dylan said about his new album [Shadows said, “You should do that, D.” So I asked Paul a master within the orchestral settings, as in the Night]—he’s not doing covers, he’s if I could do this song and he said sure. That with the velvety “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” uncovering those songs. was the big story behind that. It could be my favorite track. GLAD RAG DOLL Elaborate on what you mean by not (2012) wanting to make new standards. Why choose Dylan’s “Wallfl ower”? A career crowning I wanted to do pop songs and keep the I played “Wallfl ower” on the Glad Rag Doll achievement, this integrity of the way they were originally tour for a couple of years. I think it has so - written with a couple of changes. I sound much truth to it. It’s on his Another Self produced album is Krall’s like Humphrey Bogart, but I’ve played a lot Portrait from the “Bootleg Series.” I just sang love letter to the primal jazz of the ’20s and of gin joints where I played music outside it at concerts, and my kids’ teacher said, ’30s. Avoiding retro clichés, Krall and Burnett of jazz. We all just play music we like, “Oh, I love that song so much. It so speaks instead delight in shaking things up, inserting whether it’s Christian McBride playing with to me.” Then we ended up having the fi rst fuzzed-out guitar and rocking piano licks.

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Onstage in Moscow, 2009

‘My band has got my back so hard, and BEHIND THE GLASS whatever I want to do, fortunately To produce her latest album, Wallfl ower, Diana Krall tapped fellow Canadian native they’ll go with me.’ David Foster, whose mile-long resume includes Céline Dion, Barbra Streisand, and . For Krall, grade class it at an assembly. It takes You produced Barbra Streisand—ready working with Foster—who is also chairman you from a child’s feeling of truth to being for more? of Verve, her —had long been an adult at the dance. I just love the song. No, thanks! (laughs) Nope. Barbra did the high on her wish list. “David has always been I don’t know what else to say about it. I’m kindest thing, putting up a picture of the extremely supportive, and he’s always said, such a huge Dylan fan. two of us on her Facebook page and saying ‘Someday we’re going to work together,’” she what a good time we had and that I was says. “So I told him, ‘Now is the time.’” She Ever meet him? a good gin rummy player. I was so happy! then asked him to come up with some songs. When I fi rst met Bob Dylan I was so geeked I remember [co-producer] Tommy LiPuma “He told me, ‘Sorry, you’re the artist—pick out. He was playing this keyboard at the time. saying to me, “Hey, now you know what it’s tunes that are comfortable for you,’” she says. I said, “I really like the way you play piano,” like to be behind the glass.” But I did enjoy “I really thank him for that. I have such a new and he goes, “You should know because every minute of it. appreciation for him now.” Foster, who is also you’re a piano player.” I walked away! Of all an accomplished pianist, contributed much of the things I could say to Bob Dylan, I just told What’s next for you? the piano on the album. Krall didn’t mind at all. him I really liked the way he played piano! I’m so living in the right now. I just enjoy my “He’s such a sensitive accompanist and one Conan O’Brien says that when you meet life. I’m glad to have my outlet to sing and of the greatest pianists I’ve ever worked with,” your heroes all you can say is, “I like cheese.” play music again. I’m grateful to my fans for she says. “So I didn’t want to say to myself, But I really do like the way Bob Dylan plays supporting me. My band has got my back so ‘You’d better play piano or people will think piano. It was coming from an honest place, hard, and whatever I want to do, fortunately you’re not playing piano anymore.’ I know I but that’s not the fi rst thing you say to him. they’ll go with me. play jazz piano.”

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