Diana Krall At The Hollywood Bowl

Entertainment — By on August 27, 2012 at 7:27 am

Diana Krall displayed her incredible piano chops at the Hollywood Bowl.

A Display of Musical Virtuosity

By Buddy Sampson

Diana Krall, widely known as a sensational singer and songwriter, demonstrated her true calling at the Hollywood Bowl-outstanding musician.

Although she sang beautifully, on display on a chilly night in Hollywood was Krall’s sensational prowess on piano, backed by an impeccable backdrop provided by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor Alan Broadbent, who also served as Krall’s former piano teacher, was masterful and helped paint a musical masterpiece.

Before Krall took the stage, the LA Philharmonic performed brilliantly, doing songs such as Miles Davis’s “Milestones” and Charlie Parker’s “My Little Suede Shoes,” all arranged with a complexity that displayed why the LA Philharmonic is one of the best orchestras in the world. After a break, Diana Krall took the stage and started her set with a monster piano solo piece that immediately informed the audience that they were in for a very special night.

Krall was magnificent and her voice was pure, sweet and bluesy. Her vocal purity shined on cover songs like “I’m Accustomed To Your Face,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” and “Love Letters,” which was easily her most beautiful piece of the evening. But her piano playing took precedent this night. Krall’s solo pieces were out of this world. She adeptly touched on many musical influences in her solos, rock, blues, and jazz and added an excellent version of a classic Antonio Carlos Jobim piece.

Additionally, the musicians on stage with her were well up to the task. Drummer Karriem Riggins kept a solid backbeat and performed an incredible solo. Bassist Robert Hurst performed an scintillating solo on the upright bass, ending with the bassline to The Beatles “Come Together,” which led into a full version of the classic song. But the clear standout of the ensemble, besides Diana, was guitarist Anthony Wilson, whose fluid lines seemed effortless and bought color and range to the quartet. The quartet traded fours (traded solos) and Krall, although she missed a part of one of the solos, managed to make the audience laugh, who didn’t even realize it was an error. She was that good. Each time she played her solo pieces, you could hear a pin drop in the audience. She was captivating.

Diana Krall wowed many in the audience, many that weren’t aware of her musical genius on the piano. She is truly one of the best jazz musicians of our time.  Her musical virtuosity was clearly on display at the Hollywood Bowl.

Diana Krall.

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