by Doug MacGunnigle, WPRO
Jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall brought her tour promoting her new album “Turn Up the Quiet” to the Providence Performing Arts Center Sunday night.
Krall and her crack band consisting of bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Karriem Riggins, guitarist Anthony Wilson, and Stuart Duncan on fiddle all took numerous impressive solos throughout the evening. This mixture of musicians gave an interesting twist to the jazz combo; with Duncan’s fiddle fitting into the mix where horns may have otherwise been used. It was a subtle but welcome change of texture.
Krall’s rapport with the audience was evident from the beginning, where she started with a quick humorous ode to Father’s Day before launching into “’Deed I Do,” where each band member took the first of many solos thoughout the evening.
Krall also dedicated “Isn’t it Romantic” to a couple she witnessed being married in the park earlier in the day, while noting “I doubt they’re here, but this one’s for them anyway.” She also took the time to wish Paul McCartney a happy birthday; Krall and her band appeared on McCartney’s 2012 standards album “Kisses on the Bottom.”
In between classics made famous by legendary artists like Peggy Lee and Nat King Cole, A mid-concert highlight was a stretched out version of Tom Waits’ “Temptation,” during which Anthony Wilson showed off his blues rock chops. Duncan’s fiddle playing and Hurst’s upright bass solos also propelled the tune into one of the standouts of the night.
Another highlight of the evening was Krall’s quiet solo version of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” which immediately followed the busy “Temptation” to great effect.
Rhode Island favorite “On the Sunny Side of the Street” was performed in a different arrangement than the one Steve Tyrell made famous (and was used by the late Buddy Cianci daily on his radio show,) but was well received by the crowd and again featured stunning solos from the band.
Krall closed the show with Bob Dylan’s “Wallflower,” which featured some sweet slide guitar from Wilson and pretty harmony vocals from Duncan. Fittingly, Dylan appears at PPAC this coming Wednesday night with a show that features his take on some standards as well as his own classic material.
