Diana Krall: Live In Rio, Special Edition

Audio: Diana Krall has made some of the best sounding recordings in the business, and this Blu-Ray is no exception.* Not only is the sound captured with perfect accuracy, the musicians themselves are simply wonderful. Among masters of her craft, Diana (may I call you Diana?) still manages to upstage her bandmates with one riveting piano solo after another. Her singing is literally and in all other ways pitch-perfect. Note that as with most primarily audio blu-rays, to hear the highest presented audio quality, the HD surround audio track must be selected in the setup screen of the disc menu. The default audio track is... not worth listening to if your receiver supports something better. Not bad, but not nearly as good.Visual: The 500-pound gorilla in the lounge is the grainy video. Look people, it was a dark room; the light just wasn't there. I briefly considered removing a star for this, but I respect the (hopefully intentional) choice to present the live audience and the at-home viewer with a real life dark-ass room. Additionally, I kind of dug it, but in all honesty, if that kind of thing would ever stop you from buying this disc, it wasn't made for you.In other ways, the visuals were nice. Each "track" starts with some video of Diana and/or Rio. It's nice, nothing special.I'm not a jazz fan. This is just not my thing. I like what amounts to indy rock with synthesizers. I gave it 5 stars. I would give it 6. It's that good. If you let yourself get into it, you probably will.*Please also note that you're going to want a good sound system to listen to this on. Whatever good means to you is good enough; it'll be the best sounding thing you ever play on it. In the event of underwhelming or nonexistent system, simply remedy this by purchasing one from a reputable dealer of same.

My favorite Diana Krall song is whichever one I'm listening to at the moment. The Internet radio stations I listen to originate in France; they play Diana two or three times every hour. Also Louis Armstrong; and Miles; Coltrane; Ella; Billie; Nina Simone. All the best. Now and again (every day) they play Otis Redding and Sinatra. It's not an eclectic mix, it's simply the best music the world knows as Jazz.I won't compare the great Live In Rio DVD with the great Live In Paris DVD and the great Live At The Montreal Jazz Festival DVD. One is better than another? I wish I had a hundred Diana Krall DVDs, each one worse than the next: the worst would be great.But since Diana always pays deep respect and homage to Nat King Cole (who was my mother's favorite), I'll compare Diana to Nat. They both were blessed with apparently ageless and beautiful skin. Also, Nat had perfect pitch, which Diana doesn't have. What Diana has - and she may be unique for having it - is perfect affect. Paraphrasing Samuel Johnson's praise for poet John Milton's epic genius, I'll say Diana Krall isn't the greatest of story-tellers simply because she isn't the first.Krall's perfect affect doesn't show only in her singing and playing. There's an absence of ego, or rather, her ego seems to disappear inside the music, deep into its histories. And seldom has a performer of such celebrity and popularity bothered to mention regularly the composers and arrangers of the songs she performs. Her respect and gratitude are bottomless.I can't believe each of these DVDs of hers can be had for under $100! And you can play them as often as you like!

If you love Jazz and Bossa Nova then you'll need this Blu-ray disc!I am a very big music lover who taste ranges from Pink Floyd to the Eagles and the Blues, with stops along the way into Jazz and Country.This is my first Diana Krall's disc and I am in total amazement with the sound quality of the 5.1 mix. The mix places you dead center in the sound stage and if I close my eyes it sounds like they are playing in my living room!I got a Blu-ray player for Christmas and started loading up on Blu-ray discs. So far I have listened to B.B.King "Live" (I am sending it back, because of the poor mix and it is missing a song that is listed on the back cover!!), Chicago / Earth Wind and Fire, "Live at the Greek" (Whoa...3 hours of music),The Rolling Stones, "Some Girls" (Come on Mick....learn the words to your own songs and quit making the words up!!) and Diana Krall's "Live in Rio". I still got David Gilmour's "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" and John Mayer's "Where The Light Is" to listen to before I quit for the night. Prior to the Blu-ray player most of my music is either SACD or DVD multi-channel 5.1.Since this is my first Diana Krall album and some reviewers have down rated this disc....I can not wait to order her other discs!! I am now a big fan of Diana Krall!!

I had the good fortune to have been a disc jockey on one of the few radio stations that still played "Easy Listening" music up until the late '90s, KQUE in Houston(until it was sold and flipped to Spanish).I played Sinatra and Jobim, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto and Sergio Mendes, wishing all the time that the bossa nova had not been just a passing musical genre, in the US at least. Then here comes Diana Krall bringing back that magical beat on a couple of her recent albums and THEN, a DVD of a concert in Rio! I just finished watching the whole thing from end to end and I was enthralled, especially with the audience of cariocas singing along in Portuguese to,"The Boy from Ipanema". I thought I heard Astrud somewhere in there at the back table. I almost didn't buy this DVD because of some of the negative reviews here, but my birthday is coming up and I thought, hey, I'll get this for myself and tell those who would buy me another shirt that I'm fixed, thank you. If you are determined to purchase only one Diana Krall,"Live in ..." DVD, by all means get Paris.But if you love Diana, John, Jeff and Anthony AND the bossa nova and can't imagine it getting better than played before an audience in the city of its birth (and the liner notes didn't even put an apostrophe in "its"), buy this DVD as fast as you can.

DIANA KRALL: LIVE IN RIO [2009] [Blu-ray] Join Diana Krall in the city of Rio De Janeiro for an evening of classic songs and standards in bossa nova style. Diana Krall performs with her band and orchestra in the intimate surroundings of Vivo Rio in Rio de Janeiro, before an audience totally swept up by the magic of the evening. This is Diana Krall at her very best celebrating the style and sensuality of bossa nova in the city of its birth.Tracks: I Love Being Here With You; Let's Fall in Love; Where Or When; Too Marvellous For Words; I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face; Walk On By; Frim Fram Sauce; Cheek to Cheek; You're My Thrill; Let's Face the Music and Dance; Every time We Say Goodbye; So Nice; Quiet Nights; Este Seu Olhar; The Boy From Impanema; I Don't Know Enough About You; S'Wonderful and Exactly Like You.Artist: Diana Krall [Piano and Vocals]Musicians: John Clayton [Bass]; Jeff Hamilton [Drums]; Anthony Wilson [Guitar]; Paulinho Da Costa [Percussion]; Claus Ogerman [Arrangements/Conductor] and Ruria Duprat: Conductor with The Rio De Janeiro Orchestra.Director: David BarnardProducers: Kwok Yau and Nicci PowerCinematography: Brett TurnbullVideo Resolution: 1080pAspect Ratio: 1.78:1Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English: 5.1 Dolby Digital and English: 2.0 LPCM StereoSubtitles: NoneRunning Time: 135 minutesRegion: Region B/2Number of discs: 1Studio: Eagle VisionAndrew's Blu-ray Review: I am a massive fan of Diana Krall and I've got all of her Compact Disc Albums, especially the DTS and SACD Surround Sound format Compact Discs, and I always enjoy her mellow arrangements and smoky voice when one of her songs is performed. But with this Blu-ray disc concert of `Diana Krall: Live in Rio' is just totally enchanting and a roller-coaster ride. Filmed in November 2008 and featuring much of the same talent and music assembled for her bossa nova-flavoured "Quiet Nights" CD Album, Live in Rio has the same warm, mellow feeling that you can only expect from this brilliant Canadian artist.This long and lovely concert video, recorded live at Vivo Rio in Rio de Janeiro has completely changed my impression of Diana Krall, especially again being one of my favourite female jazz vocalist and I must admit I felt she was trading primarily on her great beauty and the sexiness of her song delivery, but not anymore, as Diana Krall has proved that her talents are boundless. In one of the bonus features her producer Tommy LiPuma says he feels she has matured in many ways and is now better than ever. After all, her marriage to Elvis Costello has resulted in two children and she's slightly less svelt-looking than in previous videos. I had forgotten that Diana Krall got her start in jazz as a strictly instrumental pianist, trying to emulate Monte Alexander. Her piano solos in this concert are certainly well beyond what one would hear from most such celebrity vocalists. And guitarist Anthony Wilson's and bassist John Clayton's solos are equally exciting.The selection of the 18 songs is extremely varied, and they're not all of the type that seems designed for her patented sexy sophisticated delivery. A couple show her connections to her hero, who also began as a strictly jazz pianist and later was talked into doing vocals, Nat "King" Cole. Her version of his Frim Fram Sauce is a kick. The first and major part of the programme is selections from the Great American Songbook and other classics. Then Diana Krall swings into four bossa nova numbers, which receive a most welcoming reaction from the Brazilian audience. They sing along in Portuguese with her English lyrics on three of them, but on Este Seu Olhar they wig out because she sings that tune in Portuguese. Would have been nice to have a translation, and Diana Krall explains after that she finds it easier to sing in that language than to speak it. It did seem a bit odd that after the great audience connection with the four bossa nova tunes the performers came back with three American classics - although her version of “S'Wonderful” is probably the most heartfelt I have ever heard of this Gershwin classic.The orchestral arrangements are by the famed Claus Ogerman, and the excellent orchestral backing is heard on something like alternate tunes, with Krall's quintet soloing on the others. On some of the tunes Krall restricts her piano contributions to her right hand only, while delivering her vocals with legs crossed and her upper foot keeping time. Even when playing with both hands, her left hand doesn't seem up to the improvisational chops of her right. The actual shots of the performers are interspersed with travelogue-type shots of Rio and environs. Many of these are collected together in the promotional film in the extras to “The Boy From Ipanema.” The interviews are interesting, and in the Rooftop Session we have several tunes quietly and informally sung by Diana Krall at a rooftop restaurant with a view of Sugar Loaf in the background. Her drummer Jeff Hamilton plays with his brushes on a large serving plate on his knees. One sees in the shots of the audience several mike stands placed among them, and these obviously come into use for the audience reactions and joining along on some of the tunes, which has a strong emotional appeal. They provide a more immersive surround effect than one gets with most such video concerts. Altogether this is an amazing terrific musical experience that should have the widest appeal to anyone who appreciates the talent of Dina Krall.Blu-ray Video Quality – The good news is that the concert is so entrancing. The 1.78:1 aspect ratio image arrives via the 1080p stunning image, specifically, those outdoor exterior shots of the city and beaches of Rio. Once they get inside, though, watch out. Tight close-ups look good (dig the detail in the close of Krall's foot on the piano peddle), but the videographers were apparently unable to figure out how to properly shoot a high-definition image in the low light of the concert hall. As a result, medium shots are mildly noisy and wide shots are worse; the black levels are shockingly uneven, plagued by minor flickering and heavier-than-average grain and the sparsely-lit audience shots are downright fuzzy, looking worse than an up converted standard-definition DVD. All in all the video quality overall is a really good presentation, and it's certainly will not be a disappointment.Blu-ray Audio Quality – On the other hand, I don't have a single complaint about the audio presentation. Viewers get three options: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital and English 2.0 LPCM Stereo and of course I went with preferred first option, and was rewarded with one the cleanest, crispest concert audio recordings ever. Diana Krall's centre channel vocals are rich and clear, and instrumentation is evenly spread and dynamic. The wonderfully robust upright bass fills out the channels nicely, and the use of the rear surrounds for applause and audience reaction completes this beautifully immersive aural experience.Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:Special Feature: Rooftop Sessions [1080p] [13:57] An informal, four-song unplugged set and they do "The Boy From Ipanema," "Too Marvellous For Words," "Cheek To Cheek," and "Quiet Night," apparently performed, at first unnoticed, at a rooftop restaurant/bar with a view of Sugar Loaf in the background. Her drummer Jeff Hamilton plays with his brushes on a large serving plate on his knees. One sees in the shots of the audience several mike stands placed among them, and these obviously come into use for the audience reactions and joining along on some of the tunes, which has a strong emotional appeal. The video quality here is much improved and it's a daylight/dusk exterior, and there's an enjoyably low-key, off-the-cuff quality to these performances.Special Feature: Quiet Conversations [1080p] [19:21] Documentary focuses on both the concert and the "Quiet Nights" Compact Disc album, with Diana Krall and her fellow musicians discussing the intersection of jazz standards and bossa nova, as well as the formation of this particular combination of musicians.Special Feature: Promotional Film: The Boy from Ipanema [1080p] [4:58] This mostly comprises of all of the video images combined, which you got to see now and again at the start of the video and also while the concert was in progress. Strangely, we only get a few glimpses of Diana Krall.Finally, gorgeous to look at and beautiful to listen to, ‘Diana Krall: Live in Rio' Blu-ray disc will provide the knowledgeable and the novice with over 135 minutes of rapturous aural bliss. There is a reason why this Canadian artist remains a genre giant artist and it's inherent in every note of this incredible concert. This is great late night listening; even with the remarkable picture quality, it's impossible to argue against the skill of the musicians in this performance and the quality of the audio mix, even if Diana Krall's vocals are an acquired taste to some people, but not me, because Diana Krall can do no wrong. Jazz fans should add this to their Blu-ray Collection without hesitation and a total. Highly Recommended!Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film AficionadoLe Cinema ParadisoUnited Kingdom

The title of this DVD is misleading. I would give 5* for Disc 1 which is the actual concert, not quite as good as Live in Paris but very good.On Disc 2 I was expecting more footage from the Rio concert but oh no. It starts of with 8 tracks recorded live in Canada with Diana singing and playing solo piano, no rhythm section.which to me is sorely missing, this is followed by 3 Tracks recorded in a hotel suite in Madrid and 2 Tracks recorded in a hotel suite in Lisbon accompanied by Guitar and Drums by unknown personnel. So what any of this is to do with 'Live in Rio' I do not know.We come back to Rio for the next titles but these were recorded in the open air and titled The Roof Top Session, the songs are mixed with conversation and a very noisy atmosphere, the drummer, Jeff Hamilton, is using his brushes on a tray and Guitarist Anthony Wilson is present,The last track is a Promo Film.I think Diana is an excellent jazz pianist but an average singer so when she performs with an excellent rhythm section or a full orchestra she sounds fine but solo definitely no.So I am very disappointed in Disc 2 and feel that the DVD title is very misleading.

Diana Krall is not the best singer ever and not the best piano player either. However put the two together and you get as close to perfection as possible within the genre.Krall is an intelligent musician who knows the values of arrangers and co-musicians.She chooses the best and as a result this DVD, like the Paris one, is excellent. The sound quality on the BluRay is beautiful. A concert like this would cost a fortune to attend, without the fares, but you get a 'front row' seat for as many times as you like for a very modest, one off, sum.I see some don't like the string accompaniment but think its a real bonus although when you watch the 'extras on the roof' and see her singing with just Anthony's guitar and Jeff playing brushes on a tin tray, you can appreciate just what the nucleus of talent is. So enjoyable!

Top notch musicianship, for which I will give this disk five stars, but let down by poor video quality. I bought this disk on blu-ray after seeing some of the performances on Youtube. Sonically it wasn't perfect - from an audio technical standpoint - but the calibre of musical performance was first rate, and anyone who loves listening to good musicians doing what they love will enjoy this disk.Like I said though the video quality was not what I would have expected to see on Blu-ray. It's as if the production team only had access to prosumer video equipment - all the shots were well composed, and the lighting was good, but the quality of the video itself left a lot to be desired; specifically low light noise levels, ie the darkened audience and the orchestra, were appalling. The video quality generally looked like it was shot on very early high definition equipment, or maybe it was prosumer..

Firstly the Video quality...Just one word SUPERB....I have a collection of Blu-Ray discs & the quality of some is not great but this one is up there with the best of them...Same high quality as Andrea Bocelli's Vivere..As far as Audio goes, I have a very basic system but sounds great to me.Content...This is a very relaxing peice of entertainment & I rate it as brilliant but definately late night stuff....Would have been nice if there had been a few guests strutting their stuff but Diana performs alot of well known songs so you never get bored unlike a disc I bought from a gentleman performing at Madison Square Garden on his 60th birthday..Virtually all the well known material was left out so very disappointingAll in all a brilliant piece of entertainment which will be getting alot of "plays" from me....excellent value for money