Diana Krall
This talented Canadian musician just recently added motherhood to her list of accomplishments.
Diana Krall, born November 16, 1964, in Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, is now a mom to twin boys—Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James, born December 6, 2006—in addition to being a world-renowned jazz singer and pianist.
Krall, got an early start to music, being born into a very musical family who encouraged her greatly. She started learning piano when she was four, and eventually played in a jazz group and as a solo artist at local restaurants during her high school years.
Then, when she was just seventeen, Krall won a scholarship from the Vancouver International Jazz Festival to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music.
Krall’s performances attracted the attention of many, and in particular, drummer Jeff Hamilton and renowned bassist and Grammy-winning composer Ray Brown. Brown is also the late Ella Fitzgerald’s ex-husband, as well as a noted member of the famous Oscar Peterson Trio.
Hamilton and Brown convinced Krall to take her music with her to Los Angeles, where she studied with, played with, and sang with pianist Jimmy Rowles. Her move to LA and her work with Rowles led her to work closely with other teachers as well as several notable music producers.
Krall then moved to New York in 1990. Three years later, she released her debut album, Stepping Out, having collaborated with Hamilton and John Clayton. In 1995 she released Only Trust Your Heart with producer Tommy LiPuma.
Her third album,1996’s All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio, was a huge hit and was
nominated for a Grammy. Her 1997 album, Love Scenes, featured a trio with famous musicians Russell Malone and Christian McBride.
Krall went on to record, produce, and release another seven albums between 1998 and 2006, with the collaboration of musicians, arrangers, and producers such as Johnny Mandel, Claus Ogerman, and many others.
After a string of Grammy nominations, Krall was finally rewarded with Best Jazz Musician of Year in 1999, and again with the Best Vocal Jazz Record award for 2002’s Live in Paris, which also garnered her a Juno Award.
Krall also became known for her tours. In 2000, she embarked on a twenty city tour with Tony Bennett, one of the best jazz singers of all times. A year later, she began her world tour, which produced her hit Live in Paris album.
Krall married British musician Elvis Costello on December 6, 2003, exactly three years prior to the birth of their twin sons, at Elton John’s London estate. Krall and Costello also worked together professionally after their marriage.
Besides her Grammy wins and Juno Award, Krall was also awarded the Order of British Columbia in 2000; she was given an honorary PhD in fine arts in 2003; she was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2004; and a year later, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
YUDDY
