Diana Krall: Live in Paris is one of my favorite music DVDs, not just because of an incredible musical performance by Diana and her fellow musicians, but because of a fantastic DTS audio track which was among the best DVD musical tracks I have had the pleasure to listen to. While the video on Live in Paris was problematic, the audio and musical performances were so good that I could easily ignore the flaws with the video. When I learned that a new concert performances featuring the same backing band was being issued and on Blu-ray with a DTS HD Master Audio track, I was excited to get my hands on one to see if it could best the Live in Paris release.
Concert
While this is a great live performance by Diana and her stellar band, the material is not as consistently exceptional as was the case with the Live in Paris release. As was the case with Live in Paris, Diana is accompanied by some of the world’s finest musicians consisting of Anthony Wilson on guitar, Jeff Hamilton on drums, John Clayton on Bass and Paulinho DaCosta on percussion as well as an orchestra consisting of local musicians form Rio De Jeneiro. These men are at the top of their fields and it really shows on this release.
The musicianship on this release is as good as it gets and every bit the equal of that on the Live in Paris release. The guitar work and solos by Anthony Wilson are as creative as always they always are. Seeing him play live is always a real treat. Are there any better drummers or bass players than Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton playing today? If there are, I haven’t heard them. Both play with a passion and elegance which can’t be matched. Diana Krall is at the top of her game here as well, with beautiful vocals and some very tasty and hard driving piano playing.
The only issue I had here with the music is that Diana seemed a little unsure of herself on a couple of the tunes which seemed to drag a bit, lacking the smoothness and cohesion of the rest of the set. Those tunes are on the new Quiet Nights CD release which make up a significant portion of the tunes on this set. In fact, of the 18 concert tracks, 10 are from the Quiet Nights release. Other than this rather minor quibble, this is a great overall performance.
The highlights include two beautiful performances of The Boy from Ipanema and Este Seu Olhar, the latter of which Diana sung in Portuguese. These two tracks are made even more special by the reaction of the audience, which sings along with Diana in a manner which clearly moved Diana and her band. Another highlight for me was a hard driving version of Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek, which Diana claimed that they had only played a couple of times. It is hard to tell from this performance which is as tight as can be. I have never heard Cheek to Cheek played with this intensity and drive before. Great stuff.
Some of her more popular live favorites are missing from the set, such as East of the Sun and All or Nothing at All. Personally, I would have preferred a few more of of her old standbys and a few less of the Quiet Nights material. However, on balance, this is a great set and a worthy addition to the collection of anyone who is a fan of her music, including me. Highly recommended.
Video
While I was thrilled with the performance, I was less than thrilled with the video presentation here. The main issue I had was with the presence of video noise throughout the entire set. Any area on screen that was dark was just filled with it. While some of it was not noticeable from from my seated position, this was not the case with shots of the audience which looked terrible. Video noise was noticeable during all of the concert footage from close range and was quite disappointing.
Another issue I had with the video here was a general softness of the image, especially distant and semi distant shots were were soft and lacking in detail. It also appeared to me that there was a bit of digital noise reduction applied selectively, as I thought that the close-ups of Diana Krall’s face lacked the degree of detail that was visible on the other performers, even in the same frame. All in all, I was expecting a better looking release, given that the concert was shot in high definition. I know that using high definition video cameras in low lighting conditions such as a concert performance can be problematic and is probably the source of the video noise. However, the video noise here is much worse than that visible on the recently reviewed Chris Botti: Live in Boston which looks much better than the video on this release.
There is another issue that I with this release and that involves how the stage and the performers were lit. I am sure that the lighting contributed to the presence of video noise. However, my real complaint with the lighting involved the spot lighting which reflected off the sheet music on top of the piano and the drums and had a bright glow that was really tough to look at, especially as against a dark background. I would have also preferred that the lights above the music stands of the individual orchestra members as well as the conductor were angled down so that the lights don’t shine right in your eyes as you watch this release. There also appears to have been a spotlight aimed right at Diana’s face from the side of the stage that made her have a rather unnatural looking glow, looking much different than anyone else on stage. A more natural looking lighting scheme would have looked much better. All in all, I was disappointed with the video presentation here as I expected more. Much more.
Audio
While I was disappointed with the video presentation here, the audio is fantastic, among the best concert footage I have heard. While there are three audio tracks presented here, I found the best by far to be the DTS HD Master Audio track which boasts incredible fidelity. This release has it all, a smooth, open and rich sound, with excellent transparency and imaging. Bass response is excellent as well, as you can hear John Clayton’s fingers on the body of the bass as he plays. The treble is fantastic, with an openness and sparkle on the drum kit which is better than I have ever head on a concert video.
Diana’s voice is also captured beautifully with incredible fidelity, conveying the sensuality of her singing wonderfully. You can hear clearly each time she parts her lips to sing. Her voice is also perfectly placed in the mix hanging out in front of the music. I also felt that the acoustics of the actual concert hall to be well captured, giving one the sense of real music being played in a real space, with hall ambiance, decay and reverb captured faithfully. The surround speakers were used aggressively throughout the concert which provided that room acoustic and ambiance.
My only quibble with the audio here is that too much of the music came through the surround speakers, with Anthony Wilson’s guitar in both the left front and left surround speaker and Diana Krall’s piano in the right front and surround. An error was also made on one occasion with Paulinho DaCosta’s percussion appearing in the right surround speaker even though he was on the left side of the stage. Call me crazy, but I prefer that the music come from the front speakers only and the surrounds used exclusively for hall ambiance. However, the fidelity on this mix is so good that I didn’t see the need to drop my score for this one issue which many of you may actually prefer. This is a great sounding concert disc and is one that will thrill her fans.
Special Features
Diana Krall: Live in Rio includes several extras, all of which are in HD. The best of the bunch is The Rooftop Sessions which seems to take place on the rooftop of Diana’s hotel and has Diana, Anthony Wilson and Jeff Hamilton playing and singing 4 of the tunes featured in the concert, with Anthony Wilson on acoustic guitar and Jeff Hamilton playing a metal plate with a set of brushes. This is a very intimate set and great stuff and presented in stereo at 48 kHz. Also included is a featurette Conversations which features Diana, Anthony Wilson, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton and her producer, Tommy LiPluma discussing Diana’s career, her music, the concert and her new record. The third and final extra is a video for The Boy From Ipanema as featured on the CD Quiet Nights.
Final Thoughts
While I was less than thrilled with the video. Diana Krall: Live in Rio features reference level audio and a tremendous concert performance by Diana Krall and her entire band. If you love jazz and bossa nova, this is a release for you. Recommended.
