Diana Krall (Singer)
Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist
and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million
albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide. On December 11, 2009, Billboard
magazine named her the second Jazz artist of the 2000–09 decade, establishing
her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.
Krall is the only
jazz singer to have eight albums debuting at the top of the Billboard Jazz
Albums. To date, she has won fiveGrammy Awards and eight Juno Awards. She has
also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum
albums.
In 1993, Krall released her first album, Stepping Out, which she
recorded with John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton. It caught the attention of
producer Tommy LiPuma, who produced her second album, Only Trust Your Heart
(1995). Her third album, All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio
(1996), was nominated for a Grammy and continued for 70 weeks in the Billboard
jazz charts. Love Scenes(1997) quickly became a hit record with the trio of
Krall, Russell Malone (guitar) and Christian McBride (bass).
In August
2000, Krall was paired on a 20-city tour with Tony Bennett. They were paired
again for a song on the TV series Spectacle: Elvis Costello
with... Orchestral arrangements by Johnny Mandel provided the background on
When I Look In Your Eyes (1999). The band mix was kept, following arrangements
on The Look of Love(2001) created by Claus Ogerman; this record achieved
platinum status and reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The title track
from the album, a cover of the Casino Royalestandard popularized in the late
1960s by Dusty Springfield and Sérgio Mendes, reached number 22 on the adult
contemporary chart.
In September 2001, Krall began a world tour. Her
concert at the Paris Olympia was recorded and released as her first live record,
Diana Krall - Live in Paris. The album included covers of Billy Joel's "Just The
Way You Are" (a hit on U.S. smooth jazz radio) and Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of
You".
The 2001 movie The Score (U.S.A. and Germany) starring Robert De
Niro and Marlon Brando, features a recording of Krall entitled: "I'll Make It Up
As I Go". This song accompanies the film's ending Credits (Chapter 12) and was
composed by a fellow Canadian, David Foster.
After marrying Costello, she
worked with him as a lyricist and started to compose her own songs, resulting in
the album The Girl in the Other Room. The album, released in April 2004, quickly
rose to the top five in the United Kingdom and made the Australian top 40 album
charts.
She joined Ray Charles on his Genius Loves Company album in 2004
on the song, "You Don't Know Me". In late May 2007, Krall was featured in a
Lexus ad campaign. She also sang "Dream a Little Dream of Me" with piano
accompaniment by pianist Hank Jones. Quiet Nights was released on March 31,
2009.
Krall also produced Barbra Streisand's album Love Is the Answer,
released on September 29, 2009. 2011 saw Krall retreat to Sri Lanka; however, no
publicity was given and the visit remained entirely private. In September 2012,
she accompanied Paul McCartney atCapitol Studios in a live performance of his
Album "Kisses on the Bottom", which was shown live on the internet. On September
13, 2012, Krall performed "Fly Me to the Moon" at astronaut Neil Armstrong's
memorial service in Washington, D.C.
Glad Rag Doll was released on
October 2, 2012. Wallflower is the 12th studio album by Krall, released on
February 3, 2015 by Verve Records. The album was produced by David Foster. Among
the composers Krall and Foster tackled are the Eagles (two songs),Elton John and
Bernie Taupin ("Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word") 10cc ("I'm Not in Love"),
Neil Finn ("Don't Dream It's Over") andGilbert O'Sullivan (a gorgeous read on
"Alone Again (Naturally)"). The title track is from Bob Dylan's "Bootleg
Series," and she rang upPaul McCartney to see if he would mind her covering a
previously unreleased original he'd written for his own jazz-flavored "Kisses on
the Bottom."
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