Even, Even, Even More Jazz Fest

I'm a glutton for Pink Martini. China Forbes, four months after giving birth, was in great form and voice. Wow. There was barely enough room for all 51 musicians to squeeze onto the stage. The Montreal Jazz Fest Orchestra and Pink Martini gave us the best show of the Festival which is saying so much. Martini's Thomas Lauderdale was front and centre at the grand piano making it sing almost as prettily as vocalist China Forbes. Having a child becomes her and how. She was stunning in a pale aqua chiffon gown that flowed around her as she did high kicks in silver stilettos. Now that's impressive! Her crystal clear voice rose above the swell of the orchestra as though sweeping us up in a warm salty wave filled with violins and French horns. Is it lounge or is it swing? Is it world music or is it classical music? Is it jazz or is it samba? The band's three albums — Sympathique, Hang on Little Tomato and Hey Eugene! — show mastery of all kinds of music It is what fun and music is all about. Pink Martini is like a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or 50s. They Bring melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together to create something which beautiful and fun. Call it Jazz or World Music or whatever you want, but they are brilliant musicians with brilliant tastes in material. The whole concert was conceived and based upon their as of yet unreleased album. Thankfully, yet again, I can give you actual video from the concert that we attended. John, Claire, Kathleen and I went and had a riot.

The Portland, Oregon-based ‘little orchestra’ was founded in 1994 by Lauderdale, a Harvard graduate and classically trained pianist, to play fundraisers for causes such as civil rights, the environment, affordable housing and public broadcasting. In the years following Pink Martini grew from four musicians to its current twelve, and has gone on to perform its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada and the United States.

Lauderdale met China Forbes, Pink Martini’s “diva next door” lead vocalist, when the pair was at Harvard. He was studying history and literature while she was studying painting, English literature and theatre. Late into the night in their college dormitory on the Harvard campus, Forbes would sing Verdi and Puccini arias while Lauderdale accompanied her on piano, and their creative collaboration blossomed. Three years later, Lauderdale called Forbes who was living in New York City, where she’d been writing songs and playing guitar in her own folk-rock project, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write music and lyrics together for the band, and their first song “Sympathique,” or “Je ne veux pas travailler” (I don’t want to work) became a huge hit in France.

If you have the time, here's a link to an hour long concert that is well worth the time.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14951432

There were some great moments at the concert. One song, "Splendor in the Grass" hit Kathleen and I right between the eyes. Another moment was when China Forbes started conversing with a woman holding a newborn in a genuine display of the love of motherhood, China Forbes having a four month old child.