Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the U.S. On December 11, 2009, Billboard magazine named her the second-greatest jazz artist of the decade (2000–2009), establishing her as one of the best-selling artists of her time.
Krall is the only jazz singer to have had eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. She has won two Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards. She has also earned nine gold, three platinum, and seven multi-platinum albums.
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Early years
Krall was born on November 16, 1964, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, the daughter of Adella A. (née Wende), an elementary school teacher, and Stephen James "Jim" Krall, an accountant. Krall's only sibling, Michelle, is a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Krall's father played piano at home, and her mother sang in a community choir. Krall began studying piano herself at the age of four and took exams through The Royal Conservatory of Music.
In high school, she was a member of a student jazz group; at 15, she began playing professionally in local restaurants. Krall won a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she studied from 1981 to 1983, before spending time in Los Angeles to play jazz. She returned to Canada to record her first album in 1992.
She met veteran bassist Ray Brown in the early 1980s. Impressed by her piano playing, he introduced Krall to other musicians and was an important mentor.
Career
Krall recorded her first album, Stepping Out, for Justin Time Records in 1992; the album was released in 1993. She was accompanied by bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton. It caught the attention of producer Tommy LiPuma, who produced her second album, Only Trust Your Heart (1995).
Her third album, All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio (1996), was nominated for a Grammy and continued for 70 weeks in the Billboard jazz charts. Love Scenes (1997) quickly became a hit record with the trio of Krall, Russell Malone (guitar), and Christian McBride (bass).
In August 2000, Krall partnered with Tony Bennett for a 20-city tour, and in 2008–09 they worked together again for a song on the TV series Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...
Orchestral arrangements by Johnny Mandel provided the background for her fifth studio album When I Look in Your Eyes (1999), her first released through Verve Records. The band mix was kept, following arrangements on The Look of Love (2001) created by Claus Ogerman; this record achieved platinum status and reached the top 10 of the Billboard 200. The title track from the album, a cover of the Casino Royale standard popularized in the late 1960s by Dusty Springfield and Sérgio Mendes, reached number 22 on the adult contemporary chart.
In September 2001, Krall began a world tour. Her concert at the Paris Olympia was recorded and released in 2002 as her first live record, Live in Paris (issued with a different European title, A Night In Paris). The album included covers of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" (a hit on U.S. smooth jazz radio) and Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You", and was also released as a video album.
The 2001 movie The Score (US and Germany), starring Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando, featured a recording of Krall's titled "I'll Make It Up As I Go." This song accompanied the film's ending credits and was composed by fellow Canadian David Foster.
After marrying English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello in 2003, Krall worked with him as a lyricist and began to compose her own songs, resulting in the album The Girl in the Other Room. Released in April 2004, it quickly rose to the top five in the United Kingdom and peaked at 21st in Australia's albums chart . She also joined Ray Charles on his Genius Loves Company album in 2004 for the song "You Don't Know Me", and her 2004 performance at Bell Centre, Montreal on June 29 was released as her second live CD and DVD, Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival, released on November 23, 2004.
Personal life
Krall and British musician Elvis Costello were married on December 6, 2003, at Elton John's estate outside London. Their twin sons, Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James, were born December 6, 2006, in New York City. Krall's father-in-law was the singer Ross MacManus.
Krall's mother died of multiple myeloma in 2002, within months of the deaths of Krall's mentors Ray Brown and Rosemary Clooney.
Honours
Canadian honours
Officer of the Order of Canada – 2005
Member of the Order of British Columbia – 2000
Honorary doctorates
Honorary Ph.D. (Fine Arts) from the University of Victoria
Other awards and recognitions
Induction into Canada's Walk of Fame – 2004
Nanaimo Harbourfront Plaza was renamed Diana Krall Plaza – 2008
Honorary Board Member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Steinway & Sons Artist, performing exclusively with Steinway pianos in recording sessions, concerts, and public appearances
Discography
Stepping Out (1993)
Only Trust Your Heart (1995)
All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio (1996)
Love Scenes (1997)
When I Look in Your Eyes (1999)
The Look of Love (2001)
Live in Paris (2002) (aka A Night in Paris)
The Girl in the Other Room (2004)
Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival (2004)
Christmas Songs (2005)
From This Moment On (2006)
Quiet Nights (2009)
Glad Rag Doll (2012)
Wallflower (2015)
Turn Up the Quiet (2017)
Love Is Here to Stay with Tony Bennett (2018)
This Dream of You (2020)
