Krall, Diana (Jean)
Krall, Diana (Jean)
Krall, Diana (Jean), jazz-pop vocalist/pianist; b. Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, Nov. 16, 1964. Krall comes from a long line of singers and pianists; she began her own piano training at age four. She formed her first trio in her high school years, and also worked as an accompanist in local restaurants. She won a scholarship to the Berklee Coll. of Music, which she attended from 1982-83. She moved to L.A. to study with Ray Brown and Alan Broadbent, and continued her training with pianist Jimmy Rowles from 1985-87. Krall was back home in 1988, and then spent about a year touring Europe, playing piano but not singing. In 1990, she moved to N.Y., and began to gain attention as both a vocalist and pianist. Her third album, 1996’s All for You, a loving tribute to The Nat King Cole trio, jettisoned the young Canadian toward the top of the jazz charts. She has since toured with a Cole-styled trio of her own. Her bluesy, smoky contralto has developed into one of jazz’s most inviting, invigorating vehicles.
Discography
Steppin’ Out (1993); Only Trust Your Heart (1994); All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio (1995); Love Scenes (1997); Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (EP; 1998); When I Look in Your Eyes (1998).
—Lewis Porter