Rise of Krall’s ‘Love Scenes’ Is a Bit of Sweet Revenge

The appearance of singer Diana Krall’s newest album, “Love Scenes,” in the No. 1 slot in Billboard’s traditional jazz chart last week may have come as a shock to listeners unfamiliar with the work of this talented Canadian singer-pianist.

But Krall, 31, has paid some dues. She spent years honing her craft, in part under the guidance of veteran jazz pianist and favorite singers’ accompanist Jimmy Rowles, before taking a chance in the recording studio. And, although she initially saw herself as an instrumentalist, she has developed her signature qualities--warm, lush timbre, an urgent sense of swing and an insightful way with lyrics--with remarkable rapidity.

Her arrival at the top rung of the charts is particularly timely. In a much-criticized article in last month’s Jazz Times magazine, she was in jazz great company (John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis and Ron Carter, among others) when she was identified as “overrated” by a panel of “critics.” The success of the album, which, according to Billboard SoundScan figures, is selling more than 5,000 copies per week, has helped take some of the sting away.

“Yeah, it’s really great for the record to happen this way, after that piece,” she said earlier this week during a reception at the Lunaria Jazz Restaurant. “It couldn’t have come at a better time.”

“But you know,” added Krall, whose white-blond hair and glamorous look are reminiscent of film siren Jean Harlow, “the thing that’s really important is that all this is happening while I’m doing what I want to do, and getting to play with some of the best musicians in the world.”

In her brief set at Lunaria, that’s precisely what Krall did, singing a few tunes from the album--including a passionately intimate rendering of “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You”--with guitarist Russell Malone and bassist Christian McBride. Malone continued, both in his backgrounds and his solos, to reveal star-quality skills. And McBride’s playing, always remarkable, was even more so after he broke a string in the first number and played the balance of the set on three strings.

Krall appears tonight at Club Caprice, 1700 Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, (310) 316-1700, and Sunday evening at the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Soap Jazz: Jazz has long been a staple of music for television commercials, and now it seems to be surfacing in television drama as well. Krall will make an appearance in November in a “Melrose Place” episode on Fox, which weekly is featuring the show’s new jazz club set.

And next week, smooth jazz trumpeter Chris Botti--whose good looks have been compared to those of the young Chet Baker--guest-stars and performs on ABC’s daytime soap “One Life to Live,” Tuesday and Wednesday, in the show’s Club Indigo. Botti also makes his acting debut in the episodes via a flirtation scene with the character of Kelly Cramer (played by Gina Tognoni).

“Performing on the show is a thrill,” said Botti, “but having the flirtation scene with Kelly is living proof that you should be careful of what you wish for--it just might come true!”

Coltrane Celebration: This coming Tuesday would have been the 71st birthday of tenor saxophone great John Coltrane, who died in July 1967 at the age of 40. Perhaps the most influential instrumentalist of the post-Charlie Parker era, Coltrane’s Los Angeles connection began after he passed away, when his widow, pianist Alice Coltrane, moved to the San Fernando Valley. Two of his sons, Oran and Ravi, began their musical careers in Woodland Hills.

The 11th annual John Coltrane Festival, which takes place Saturday at the Wiltern Theatre, features Alice, Oran and Ravi Coltrane, with bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Billy Childs, drummer Jack DeJohnette, saxophonist Bennie Maupin, trombonist Conrad Herwig and others.

Other Coltrane events include the release of “The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings” (Impulse!), a much-praised set of recordings from a particularly fruitful stage of the saxophonist’s career.

And, in an associated event dedicated to Coltrane, the Village Vanguard will feature performances by current Impulse! artists in six consecutive nights of programming. The performances will include live cybercasts on jazz station WBGO-FM via the Jazz Central Station site on the World Wide Web (www.jazzcentralstation.com), at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Among the featured artists: McCoy Tyner, Danilo Perez, Antonio Hart, Eric Reed, Donald Harrison and Diana Krall. KLON-FM in Los Angeles also plans to broadcast the programs at 6:30 p.m. on the same nights.

Free Jazz: Barry Harris, described as the “Keeper of the Bebop Flame,” appears with drummer Billy Higgins, bassist Jeff Littleton and saxophonist Charles McPherson, Thursday at the California Plaza in a free “Summer Nights at MOCA” concert. 250 S. Grand Ave., 5 p.m.