PALMA ARENA IS GETTING READY TO SWING INTO ACTION FOR A NIGHT WITH SINGER AND PIANIST DIANA KRALL

The audience is sure to be in for a treat with a mix of classic songs from the golden age of jazz when Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra ruled the airwaves to Diana Krall´s own lyrics, which pay tribute to her heroes and mentors.

Timeless musical wonders such as ´S Wonderful, Let´s Fall In Love and Fly Me To The Moon have been giving a loving makeover by the Canadian sensation whose cool vocals and sensitive piano-playing has helped her to carve a permanent position at the top of the jazz charts. In the 15 years since she released her debut album on a small Canadian independent label, Diana has enjoyed tremendous success. Nine years ago, when she signed to Verve, her career really took off. When I Look In Your Eyes won a Grammy for best jazz vocal and became the first jazz disc to be nominated for Album of the Year in 25 years. In 2002, The Look of Love was a No 1 bestseller in the US and a seven-time platinum album in Canada. Two years later The Girl in the Other Room was Diana´s first to focus on her own songwriting ­ featuring six tunes co-written with her husband and fellow musician, Elvis Costello. The equally-talented singer-songwriter topped the charts in the 1970s and 1980s with his rapid-fire lyrics telling tales of love and despair from Shipbuilding to My Aim Is True.

The seeds of Diana´s success are firmly rooted in her upbringing. Born in Nanaimo, Canada, to a musical family -­ her father is a stride-style pianist and serious record collector -- she grew up absorbing music that laid the foundation for her future growth. She attended Berklee College of Music in the early1980s. Then she moved to Los Angeles where she continued her studies with the likes of bassist Ray Brown and pianist Jimmy Rowles, who convinced the young pianist to focus on her singing as well. By 1990 Diana relocated to New York City where she began performing on a regular basis with her trio. Three years later she cut her first record but it was only when she signed to Verve in 1999 that her career took off.

In her 2006 album, From This Moment On, Diana moves closer than ever to her musical aspirations.

“It reflects how I’m feeling now, the joy that I have in my marriage and family, and hopefully in the future,” she explains on her website. The album coincided with Diana expecting her first baby, incidentally twins, with Elvis Costello. 

Diana´s 10^th album, From This Moment On, is an 11-song collection which captures the singing sensation in full swing, with a marked upbeat feel.

“I didn’t really sit down with anybody prior to recording it and say, ‘I think I want to do this’. A lot of these tunes I’ve had in my back pocket for years.”

Before putting the songs on tape, Diana had been working on How Insensitive for about 10 years and started working on Day In, Day Out when she was about 24.

Now the mother of 20-month-old boy twins Dexter and Frank is touring extensively.

Diana Krall is playing at the Palma Arena on Tuesday August 5 as part of the Jazz Voyeur festival.

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