Diana Krall

I’ll be experiencing my 80th year this coming summer. And ... I’m still blessed with excellent hearing.

I’ve been a jazz fan since the middle 50’s when I was still in high school and frequenting the local jazz clubs as a teenager here in Southern California.

I’m a Diana Krall fan. While she doesn’t have the "voice" of Dinah Washington ( Blue Gardenia), June Christy (Something Cool), the phrasing of Billy Holiday, or dare I say, an equal to the late, great, Sarah Vaughn, she still has that sultriness that good female jazz singers should have.

IMO, DK is a much better pianist than a singer. Over the years, I’ve learned to listen between the notes and have discovered that what a musician doesn’t play is just as important, if not more important, than what they do play. Miles is a good case in point. DK does a fine job with silence between the notes as well.

Singers like DK are a matter of taste. There is no right or wrong here. I really like DK and have plenty of her recordings including some bootlegs. How about a private New Years Eve party where she sang for friends? I have it. Or another recording where she is overcoming the flu, sneezing and coughing throughout the performance? I have that one too.Her "Live in Paris" CD is really, really good to my ears ... I think its her best album.

But then, I have just about everything Julie London recorded as well. Not all of Julie London’s work was great ... the best IMO was the album on which she sang "Cry Me a River." That album made her name. She was heavily promoted by her husband Bobby Troup.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JULIE-LONDON-Julie-is-her-name-great-cover-and-Play-Tested-LP/401498614784?...

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=bobby+troup&_osacat=11233&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l...

Want to hear an obscure jazz singer who showed a lot of promise before she dropped out of the scene? Try Joanie Sommers:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=joannie+sommers&_sacat...

Joanie was two years behind me in high school where she used to sing at our assemblies. Jazz muscians loved to play as her accompaniment because her jazz phrasings were so good. A real cutie too.

Again, music is a matter of taste. No rights and no wrongs.

Frank

One thing for sure about Diana Krall ...she exudes controversy among music lovers. My friend and fellow music lover - audiophile, Robert hates DK as much as I like her. I can’t play any of DK’s albums when Robert is over lest he has a conniption fit.

I listened to the entire "Live in Paris" CD this morning. You know what it is about DK? Its her phrasing and the sultry nuances in her voice. Sexy as all get out, in my opinion. She does the same thing with her piano playing.

I can see why DK isn’t everyone’s cup of tea though. She certainly doesn’t have the perfect pitch and size of instrument that Sarah Vaughn enjoys, or the soul of Nina Simone ... but she DOES swing.

It doesn’t get much better than Nina Simone singing "Porgy," or Sarah Vaughn singing "A Foggy Day" and "I've Got A Crush On You."   Zowie!

Frank

1extreme ...

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There are singers who outclass DK in every respect, no doubt. But, she can be quite enjoyable to listen to in her own right. She has her own style that brings out the best of what she has.

One thing I’ve learned over the years ... there is no right or wrong when it comes to music. Human taste differs dramatically.

I subscribe to both Stereophile and TAS and read the music reviews each month. I always check the recommended recordings out on Spotify. More often than not, I’m left wondering how in the world reviewers review equipment listening to crap that is drenched in artificial digital reverb.

Even a lot of music that is recommended in this forum is truly crap ... more digital reverb. I’ll tell you ... the master tapes don’t sound like that. The recordings are either drenched in artificial reverb in an attempt to cover up a untalented "artist," or in an effort to get the tape hiss off of digitally remastered analog recordings, they’ve erased the highs as well. Then, there are the screamers who try to pass themselves off as singers and their fans who turn their noses up at anything musically sophisticated.

Guess how many Bruce Springsteen albums I have? None.

Guess how many DK albums I have? A lot. :-)

Frank

^^^  Correcto Mundo (as they say in So. Cal).

I have a collection of Charlie Parker albums that have pretty awful sound ... but Parker's ideas are preserved for our enjoyment. 

I don't collect 78 rpm records, but I have some friends that do. They are really into the performances. 

Frank

I have audiophile friends who put down Harry Connick Jr.  I have some of his recordings ... the guy has chops. He can sing and play the piano really well to my ears. 

Frank