Quiet Nights

Performer: Diana Krall
Engineer: Al Schmitt; Steve Genewick
Producer: Diana Krall; Tommy LiPuma
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Joel Pargman, Eun Mee Ahn, David Ewart, Amy Wickman, Gil Romero, Katia Popov, Tammy Hatwan, Razdan Kutumjain, Alan Grunfeld, Mari Tsumura, Yue Deng, Tiffiany Yi Hu, Darius Campo, Liane Mautner, Josephina Vergara, Caroline Campbell, Charlie Bisharat, Mario Diaz de Leon, Tereza Stanislav (violin); Matt Funes, Marlo Fisher, Dan Neufeld, Vickie Miskolczy, Kate Reddish, Todd Marda, Janet Lakatos, Evan Wilson, Thomas Dienner (viola); Trevor Handy, Rudy Stein, Timothy Landauer, Vanessa Freebairn-Smith, Anthony Cooke, Larry Corbett, Cecilia Tsan, Steve Richards (cello); Steve Kujala, Geri Rotella, David Shostac, Heather Clark (flute); Earl Dumler (oboe); Todd Miller, Bill Lane, Rick Todd, Brad Warnaar (French horn); Doug Tornquist (tuba); Jeff Hamilton (drums, cymbals). Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt. Photographer: Robert Maxwell. Arranger: Claus Ogerman. Diana Krall's first studio outing since she and husband Elvis Costello became the proud parents of twin boys, 2009's QUIET NIGHTS finds the jazz singer/pianist turning in a serene and pleasantly subdued set. Krall breezes through a few bossa nova standards, most notably "The Girl from Ipanema" (here gender-reversed to "The Boy...") and the title track (originally "Corcovado"), both penned by the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim. QUIET NIGHTS isn't solely a Brazilian-themed outing, however, as Krall also spends plenty of time in the comfortable realm of the Great American Songbook, offering up elegant orchestral renditions of "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face" and the Bacharach/David gem "Walk On By" that benefit from her supremely smoky vocals and graceful delivery. Bossa nova is not unfamiliar to Diana Krall, but 2009's Quiet Nights is her first record devoted to the gently swaying rhythm. Teaming up again with arranger Claus Ogerman, who last worked with Krall on 2001's The Look of Love and who also frequently collaborated with bossa nova godfather Antonio Carlos Jobim, Krall winds up with a mellow, lazy album that recalls the relaxed late-night sophistication of Jobim's duet album with Frank Sinatra, which Ogerman also happened to arrange and conduct. It's not just the sound, it's the songs: how '60s standards like Bacharach/David's "Walk on By" sit next to three Jobim tunes, a song by Marcos Valle ("So Nice"), and a few American Songbook standards placed at the beginning, the better to ease listeners into purer bossa nova at the end. Then again, they don't need much persuasion -- if any music could be called accessible it's this, with its warm intimacy and classic good taste. If anything, there may be a bit too much classic good taste on Quiet Nights -- there is no reinterpretation, only homage -- but that's not quite a problem because Krall knows enough to lay back, to never push, only to glide upon the gossamer surface. After all, some things are timeless for a reason; they need no updating, only replicating. [This version was released with a bonus DVD of live performances from Madrid, as well as a version of "Makin Whoopee" featuring Elvis Costello and Elton John.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Down Beat (p.73) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Her great rhythm section is stalwart throughout....Claus Ogerman has provided luxurious orchestral arrangements that never call attention to themselves..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The results are stunning, Krall's sultry voice evinces a deeper sensuality and soulfulness than ever before..."

With her pre-bop piano style, cool but sensual singing, and fortuitously photogenic looks, Diana Krall took the jazz world by storm in the late-'90s. By the turn of the century she was firmly established as one of the biggest sellers in jazz. Her 1996 album ALL FOR YOU was a Nat "King" Cole tribute that showed the singer-pianist's roots, and since then she has stayed fairly close to that tradition-minded mode, with wildly successful results.

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