Rating: 
Summary: WOW -- You've been waiting for this!
Review: An intimate look at Diana in a sold-out Paris concert, accompanied by a couple of her heroes, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton among others. Those of us musicians who love Diana do so for her inspired piano work as well as the way she caresses every word of those lyrics -- It's all here, for over two lush and generous hours. There's something about the way she gets precision, emotion, and improvisation all working seamlessly together that is really astounding. But you know that. Don't be put off by the Bacharach thing -- this concert is Diana at her best, and you get the added bonus of watching her interact with the other great jazz players -- they're obviously all having a grand time -- as well as hear her relatively brief but sincere and friendly comments and wit between numbers. I almost forgot I was looking forward to seeing and hearing her Joni Mitchell tribute one more time on this DVD, but sure enough she comes out for a second encore and does it solo on the Steinway much as she did for Ms. Mitchell on the Joni tribute TV show last season, note-perfect. She manages to re-imagine every number while at the same time tipping her hat to Nat King Cole along the way (and sneaking in a rock riff or two). Even THE LOOK OF LOVE arrangement is edgy on this recording. Fear not -- this is first rate Diana with great visuals and surround sound, and you will not only be glad you risked buying this live 2 hour and 10 minute concert but you will find yourself grinning all the way through it. Oh, and she looks great too, but she lets slip that her fantasy man is George Clooney, so I'm out of luck. My copy is anamorphic widescreen, by the by.
Rating:
Summary: I Wish I Was There
Review: I am a big Diana Krall fan and have all her cds. She came to Sacramento once, but I missed the concert and have been kicking myself since. Now I have her in concert for me to enjoy over and over. An advantage a live concert has over a studio recording is jazz is best when it's performed live. The musicians tend to be freer with their solos and are more creative and willing to take risks musically. Diana Krall's last two albums were a little lacking in the edginess of her earlier albums, but with this concert performance, she affirmed that she is truly a jazz musician. Her sidemen were excellent as well.The dvd didn't have that much in the way of features: two music videos and a look at some rehearsal sessions. The videos are not that interesting, but I liked watching the rehearsals. Overall, I highly recommend this dvd to any Diana Krall fan.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Perfect
Review: This DVD is so good, that I recommend that you purchase it even if you don't have a DVD player! The Orchestra is luscious, the JAZZ musicians play to near perfection! The song selections are very good! My only reservation is with the final song and that will probably grow on me.
Rating:
Summary: diana krall in Paris
Review: What a concert! The DTS recording puts you right in the audience at the world famous Olympia Theatre in Paris.
Most of the songs are well-known from her already released albums, but they are extended out into long jazz pieces with her consummate sidemen all getting extended solos. Each instrumentalist as well as the European Orchestra which backs some of the numbers are superb. No wonder the audience lap it up.
Well-photographed with multiple cameras and with an occasional, artistic Parisian scene edited in, the only fault I found was that the microphone picking up the persussionist's chimes wasn't always on.
Diana Krall has emerged onto the world stage as a genuine new talent in a current music scene which is much of a desert otherwise. She is a very generous performer. Not to be missed on DVD.
She is coming to Sydney in July - I have front row seats - I can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: Artistry supreme
Review: For many jazz afficionados it's hard to imagine a post Ella, Sarah, Billie, Betty Carter, and, yes, Frank, world. There's Diane Schuur, a great band singer, and Shirley Horn and Abby Lincoln span a lot of years. Tony Bennett is still going strong. But for a glimpse of the future, and a very hopeful one at that, grab this dvd, turn down the lights, find a favorite beverage and enjoy some truly fine singing and piano playing -- all accompanied by a combo that seems truly to be enjoying itself and the magic spun by this young performer. Great voice, no. Controlled phrasing, passion, yes indeed. Excellent video and audio quality.
Rating:
Summary: A night in Paris
Review: Diana Krall - Live in Paris
In 1996 this artist broke into the scene in a big way with her debut album and Nat Cole tribute CD entitled "All for You". By 1999 she had been thrice nominated for Grammys, and had won one for Best Jazz Vocal-counting among her achievements a best Album nomination - the first time a Jazz album featured in this category in 25 years ! Diana has a Platinum album and her latest "Look Of Love", just went quintuple Platinum (4/10/02) in Canada. Recently, Diana toured and was dual billed with Tony Bennett. As a Canadian Jazz influence in the tradition of Oscar Peterson, Diana was a piano prodigy "discovered" by her mentor (and Peterson sideman of long standing) bassist Ray Brown. Diana has discussed her piano influences, and has mentioned and exhibits "touches" from the likes of: Jimmy Rowles (who encouraged her to add singing to her piano work), Nat Cole, Bill Evans, Monty Alexander and at her recent (Easter weekend) Radio City Music Hall appearance, she admitted to and recommended listening daily to that "towering" virtuoso of Jazz piano- Art Tatum. It's the height of understatement to say she's got a fine way to treat a Steinway. This "dynamo from Nanaimo" - British Columbia, was blessed with an embarrassment of riches by her creator: piano chops to beat the band- to say nothing of making it swing like hell; a voice that has been called a smoky blend of honey and scotch-alternately sweet, raspy, bluesy, lyrical and scatting lying perhaps somewhere between Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae. Last, but not least, Diana has a face that seems to be without a flaw that the camera loves from any distance or angle and at all times. The statuesque Ms. Krall might easily have used her lesser talents to become a successful fashion model, as it is Dianas' looks make her a natural for a visual medium like DVD. I was fortunate enough to have attended 2 live performances by Ms. Krall and to have met the gracious performer on one of those occasions. Armed with this knowledge, I recently got the Diana Krall DVD, it is simply put FAN TAS-TIC, superbly filmed, with great audio (use your Stereo Receiver preferably with Dolby 5.1 or if necessary the DVD players' Headphone jack) and extremely representative of what seeing a live show of hers (with a very tight group of sidemen) is like. Camera placement is always right - following soloists and big band accents perfectly. This effort was very well thought out and edited. Visually artful- the opening scenes of Paris evoke the concert feel - an anticipation of opening night- from the Eiffel Towers rotating beacon to the chiaroscuro Notre Dame cathedral. Later, scenes of Parisian parks in the fall are used to great effect, and other night scenes with Diana traveling on a rainy Paris night. In the Audio department- Dianas' sextet includes a quintet of skillful sidemen: Jeff Hamilton on the drums (of "LA Four" - also played with Monty Alexander, among many others) Paulinho DaCosta on percussion, (who played with Ella, Joe Pass and others), John Clayton is on Bass- and he solos superbly once even bowing his bass ala Slam Stewart on East of the Sun. Anthony Wilson is great on Electric Guitar- creating delicious dialogs with Diana on a number of the 15 tunes and 2 encores on the DVD. Wilson, cultivates a sound that is sometimes reminiscent of Joe Pass esp. on the standard "Pick Yourself Up" which has a very up tempo, 1-2, swing feel. John Pisano on acoustic Guitar does great work throughout but is a standout on a Jobim flavored version of Gershwin's "S'Wonderful"- and several others. Alan Broadbent a Bill Evans piano "disciple", conducts many of the orchestra backed numbers and the session succeeds admirably at combining an orchestra subtly w/o overpowering the smaller Jazz group, which often ventures out on its' own. Guest conductor Claus Ogerman is a force in Kralls latest album and he's legendary for work done with Tom Jobim, Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand. The Parisian audience knows how to turn up the quiet - it gets quieter than a mute church mouse - and stays that way for the whole show. I think I may have heard 1 cough about 80% of the way into the disc. The Parisians never fail to applaud with gusto when the time is right and they don't miss anyone's solos. These 130 very well spent minutes include the "unexpected" ( if you haven't seen her on tour) tunes "Cry Me A River" and the poignantly lyriced Joni Mitchell tune "A Case of You", complete with that tunes reference to her native Canada. I leave it to you to find the many musical quotes that Diana weaves into her music like: "Love Me or Leave Me", "Cocktails for Two" or "Mona Lisa". Also included: rehearsal footage, and 2 "music videos" not the first Jazz music videos (remember Dave Brubecks flying piano ? or Tony Bennetts recent MTV video ?) but probably the only recent ones since. To sum it up (literally) $[money] plus a few bucks shipping from Amazon and that totals about a third of a live show ticket- a bargain indeed.
Great stuff if you are a Jazz listener, non-jazz listener or even a musical fence sitter. Not to be missed. If you see the DVD and want more Diana without the band - see her on the road and or look for her other CD's. If you are still disappointed- check your pulse. Enjoy !
-Bruce
Rating:
Summary: What you've been waiting for
Review: If you were a bit disappointed at Diana's last CD (or if you kept falling asleep listening to it), take heart -- this DVD is what you were missing. Her keyboard talents shine on this release, and her band (of special members) has never sounded better. The orchestra only adds to the vocal performance instead of masking Diana's talents (as on "The Look of Love" CD). And in addition, this is one of the BEST FILMED concert videos I've ever seen. Camera angles are creative without being distracting. A definite treasure for the DK fan.
Rating:
Summary: Don't buy this DVD...
Review: ...because those of us who know about Diana Krall and her amazing talents prefer to think of ourselves as a privileged elite! We know a great secret that most of you don't, and we are giddy about it! I've been listening to her for 6 years, but this DVD concert packs the same overwhelming punch I felt when I heard her for the first time. She is a fabulous jazz singer, and can play piano even better. All of the material in this concert is strong, but I am particularly taken by the final encore, "A Case Of You", a song I'd not heard her do before.
So let us Krall fans enjoy the special feeling we get by being "in the know" about this wonderful artist. We are members of a very exclusive and privileged club, and we like it like that. It makes us feel special and smarter than the rest of you, which of course we are.
Rating:
Summary: It shoud be 50 stars... no wait! 500 stars!
Review: I received it yesterday, and since it was my birthday, it was one of the best presents I got in my whole life. Looking and listening to it was like being in heaven. Do you a favor and buy this DVD right now!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible any way you look at it!
Review: All I can say is Wow! I've only recently become a fan of Diana Krall. Within that time, I've started buying all the cds, etc that I can find. When I saw this in the store, I just had to buy it. To be honest, its my first music/concert dvd. The quality is the best I think I've ever seen on dvd, on all of those I've seen.. and I've seen quite a few. Sound is superb also! If you are even remotely a fan, you will not regret this!
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