Diana Krall: Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival is a portrait of an already-accomplished musician in the process of evolving into a great artist. Always a fine jazz pianist, an expressive singer, and a capable interpreter (mostly of the Great American Songbook), Krall spent little time developing an original voice prior to her marriage to Elvis Costello and her CDThe Girl in the Other Room, which features multiple songwriting collaborations with Costello as well as more adventurous choices in cover material (Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow," Tom Waits's "Temptation"). That 2004 recording is the centerpiece of this concert; fully nine of the 13 selections here, including the Waits and Mitchell songs as well as five Costello-Krall compositions, were drawn from it. Purists may lament the lessening of the straight-ahead jazz element in Krall's music (indeed, with its simple major chords and countryish lilt, the original "Narrow Daylight" will inevitably invite comparisons to Norah Jones). But Krall and her excellent band still swing mightily (cf. an extended version of the standard "All or Nothing at All") and improvise like the seasoned jazz pros they are. It's a heady combination: Krall is at least as good an instrumentalist as her contemporaries; add to that her singing and now an interest in songwriting that reflects the influence of pop music as well as jazz, and you have a genuinely unique talent.

‘Nostalgia 77 Sessions Featuring Keith & Julie Tippett’ sees prodigious producer Nostalgia 77 and close contemporary Riaan Vosloo (Nostalgia 77 Octet, Twelves Trio) collaborating with legendary British exponents of avant-garde contemporary music, Keith and Julie Tippett. The result of this intriguing and fruitful marriage of youth and experience is an arrestingly beautiful album of fresh, original material that spans blues, jazz and soul and is threaded through with experimental flourishes that defy categorisation.Benedic Lamdin (Nostalgia 77) is making a name for himself as one of the most talented producers of modern jazz music around, both as a solo artist and with his Nostalgia 77 Octet. Having won Jazz Album of the Year and the John Peel Play More Jazz Award at the BBC Worldwide Awards, he counts Gilles Peterson and Laurent Garnier among his most ardent fans. Earlier this year, he produced the debut solo album of rising chanteuse and Tru Thoughts label-mate Lizzy Parks. Lamdin’s introduction to Keith and Julie Tippett’s music was a dusty copy of their 1971 ‘Septober Energy’ LP (written for the 50-strong band Centipede), and the sheer wealth and freedom of creative endeavour enjoyed by that pioneering group of musicians resonated strongly with him.....