Jazz is a big genre. So big, in fact, that many subgenres have emerged throughout its more than 100-year history. From the provocative connotations of its New Orleans origins to the ever-present smooth variety unobtrusively filling places such as the corridors of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, there’s no question that jazz has morphed into a safe music catch-all.
So while you can see a talented group of players huddled up in the window of Miller’s most Thursdays, you’ll have to fork over some American dollars to hear Canadian-born Diana Krall—one of the most highly regarded living jazz singers—deliver her easy-listening lilt in the flesh.
Originally noted for her piano fluency and impressive vocal chops, Krall’s career has understandably taken a well-trodden path: sounding more mainstream as popularity increased. Some insist her debut Stepping Out (1993) represents the best of her abilities, since she continued to lean further into the subtle seductive qualities of her voice, and arguably, delved deeper into schmaltzy arrangements that moved the spotlight away from her instrumental skill. Even still, there’s no question that whatever career choices she made were right as far as dollars-and-cents go.
Her hit record When I Look in Your Eyes (1999) decimated Billboard’s Jazz Album chart and was nominated for the “regular” Grammy Album of the Year. Krall pushed closer to pop’s edges as her style became more mellow and she demonstrated a willingness to step away from the genre’s past and became less tethered to the American standard songbook.
In 2014 she released Wallflowers, an album of covers that included tracks from the Eagles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, and Linda Ronstadt, as well as “Alone Again (Naturally)” from Gilbert O’Sullivan, and The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’,” the latter two amassing more than 72 and 43 million streams on Spotify respectively.
Though she hasn’t released a new record since 2020’s This Dream of You (also all covers), it’s not like she’s under pressure for fresh material. She’s won two Grammys, eight Canadian Junos, had eight Billboard Jazz Album chart toppers, and records in sales by giving the people what they want: her voice and her soothing interpretations of songs written by others.
