Everyone Was Jazzed! by Greg Kristapovich
Krall, Koz and Culbertson Captivate at Ironstone!
Cool breezes blew through the amphitheatre and cool jazz filled the air. It was one absolutely incredible evening at Ironstone. On August 16th, three renowned musicians appeared – and helped launch Ironstone’s first foray into smooth jazz (within their summer concert series) – and with very satisfying results! Dave Koz and Brian Culbertson performed together, and amazed their audience with their energetic, vibrant sounds of cool jazz! Koz introduced his musical partner: “Brian Culbertson, single-handedly bringing back the trombone to cool jazz!” Both men – very talented multi-instrumentalists (Culbertson on trombone and keyboards/Koz, tenor and alto saxophones, piano) performed magic with their musical interplay and dialogue! “How many people brought somebody very special with them?” Dave asked the audience.
“There’s a song in every artist’s set that he or she would like to do for the special people in the house – which means all of you,) who came with somebody. So, even though the sun hasn’t completely set, I promise, for the next five minutes, while we play this very romantic song, I promise not to look at any of you. So feel free to do whatever you want to do! You’ve had some Ironstone wine; you’ve got to be feeling good! If you came alone, get to know your neighbor! But please remember, this IS a family show. Here’s a song called ‘Surrender’”! A bit later, Koz announced,“Alright, Muphys, it’s time to get funky right now! Let’s boogie together!” and the band broke into Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (For Lettin’ Me Be Myself, Again) – segueing into an awesome jazz arrangement with some pretty dynamic guitar and bass solos! Koz and Culbertson showed that they could rock and roll AND mix in some scorching jazz/blues (“Bada Bing”). They also played Culbertson’s super mellow “On My Mind”. K&C played lots of great jazz, (including Koz’s signature song, “You Make Me Smile”); ending their set with what turned into a sing-along: Bill Whither’s “Lean on Me”, performed in honor of their dear friend, fellow jazz musician (and Sacramento King), Wayman Tisdale, who passed away earlier this year. I wondered, ‘How can anyone follow this act?!’ But headliner Diana Krall pulled it off – and spectacularly! Krall, a multi-platinum recording artist, and Grammy-winning jazz vocalist/pianist put on a stunning performance! For classic Bossa Nova and jazz standards on piano, I can’t imagine anyone better than Ms. Krall (Make that Mrs. Krall: she’s married to rocker Elvis Costello). Born in Nanaimo, Canada, Diana’s had a stellar career over the last fifteen years, and she brought all of her magic to Ironstone! She captivated her audience with favorites like “Let’s Fall in Love”, and “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” from 1999’s breakthrough album, “When I Look in Your Eyes”. (Which won a Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal” and became the first jazz disc to be nominated for “Album of The Year” in twenty-five years!) Diana and her quartet (complete with cool electric guitar and bluesy bass fiddle) enchanted with “(That Would Be) So Nice” from 2009’s, “Quiet Nights” CD. Diana’s friendly banter brought her closer to her audience, too! “I know we’re in California,” she said, “because we feel the love!” The crowd went wild! Diana proved to be quite the humorist; describing her life as a jazz singer/pianist – from the perspective of a mother (She and Elvis have twin boys.) She told funny, family-friendly jokes and the audience ate it up! Then Diana broke into “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)” from her “Live in Paris” release. There was a very upbeat rendition of “Dancing Cheek to Cheek” with a lot of cool, improvisational jazz guitar! Then, when she sang “Peel Me Grape” (from her “Love Scenes” CD), the audience went ecstatic! Well, Murphys IS grape country, after all. Diana came back out for an encore: “The Boy from Ipanema”. From start to finish, the evening of jazz lasted about four hours; and there were just too many highlights to include them all. What an unforgettable night!
