“Every male crooner, female crooner, you know, quote unquote, wants to be Frank Sinatra. The missing link is that they try to emulate all the snappy, ‘hey, I’m the hip rat pack’ qualities, but nobody can floor them like [he can]. Nobody can just destroy you with a rendition of Only the Lonely or In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” she said.
Once Krall finds a song she likes, she says it may take years before the right inspiration comes to perform or record it.
And some tunes seem to never leave her repertoire. “I’ve been singing Case of You [by Joni Mitchell] every night for the last six years, and I’m never tired of it … I still find it interesting to interpret and challenging all at the same time.”
“So I think I look for the things that are interesting harmonically and lyrically and also that are fun to play on, like Frim Fram Sauce [by Nat King Cole] or something like that, that sort of satisfies the swingin’ jazz side.”
In offering advice to aspiring musicians, Krall acknowledges that it can be tough. “I think it’s really difficult for young artists now, whatever kind of music they choose, because there’s such a wealth of history now … There’s so much to check out now … you could spend your whole life listening to Bob Dylan … With jazz, it has to be a combination of: you have to do your homework, and then you have to be able to feel it.”
Then she pauses. “I don’t know … just go into it with honesty, and you’ll be ok,” she said.
Krall says she’s looking forward to returning to Taipei, given that she and Costello “had a ball” on their last visit, despite the rain. After her Taipei show, she heads back home for a brief rest, and then to South America, where she will record a live DVD in Rio de Janeiro.
Supporting Krall tomorrow night are Anthony Wilson on guitar, Robert Hurst on bass and Karriem Riggins on drums.
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