222With her latest, "Quiet Nights," the Grammy Award-winning Canadian jazz artist says the image is pretty much picture perfect.
On a musical and creative level, Krall calls the "Quiet Nights" project the greatest experience she's had in the studio.
"I think I was in really good shape, because I came straight off of the road after touring really quite hard through Europe all summer," Krall said in a late May phone interview after landing in London for a tour stop. This weekend, the tour brings her to Boston, and in July to Gilford, N.H.
She said entering the studio in good vocal and physical health on the heels of an intense tour was the right way to cut a record.
"I think that's the way to prepare for a record, even though it's daunting at first," Krall said. "You think, 'Oh my God, I'm touring all summer and I've got to go right into the studio without a break.' But in reality, not having a break, you have that kind of relaxed exhaustion that makes an album sound good."
It's not just what happened in the studio that makes the "Quiet Nights" special, though, Krall said. To her, the album reflects her life in a larger sense, which is as happy and full as it ever has been.
Krall began dating fellow musician Elvis Costello earlier in this decade and the two married in 2003. In 2006, she gave birth to twin sons, Dexter and Frank.
Her new life situation has made her very happy.
"I'm laughing all the time," Krall said. "When my kids are around, you lighten up pretty quickly."
On tour, she said, she has her musical family around her, and that's great, too.
"But I like having my kids. They're just little lights," she said. "So my husband, we did an iChat — he's looking after them in New York. And they tried to hide the computer. They're just little dollies."
Krall, 44, said she always wanted to be a mother.
"I had a great mom and a great dad," she said.
Her mother died in 2002, but her father is still alive.
"Part of my childhood, part of why I do music is because of my childhood and the environment that I had," she said.
That environment included Marx Brothers and Jack Benny films and music by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, American dance bands, Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell.
"And this whole vast closet of sheet music," she said. "So that was pretty cool."
Krall also is enjoying life on the road. Her U.S. tour features a mix of dates with an orchestra and Krall performing in a quartet format. Especially in that latter format she is free to play songs from across her large catalog.
"It's really nice to have a place in your career where you feel like you're just going out and playing and not just going out to promote an album," Krall said. "I'm really enjoying my very vast repertoire right now."
Krall began her recording career in 1990, when she released her debut album, "Steppin' Out" on Justin Time Records.
She signed to the prestigious jazz label Verve before releasing her breakthrough 2001 CD, "The Look Of Love." That album was a multi-platinum hit, and today, with 12 albums to her credit, Krall stands as one of the most popular working jazz artists.
"Quiet Nights" continued the winning streak, debuting at No. 3 on the "Billboard" album chart in April.
The new CD finds Krall applying a bossa nova touch to a collection of classic American standards and Brazilian tunes. This isn't new to Krall, who frequently has drawn on the Great American Songbook for material and incorporated the understated sway of bossa nova into her music.
But Krall goes for a more intimate approach on "Quiet Nights," bringing a special level late-night glow to songs like "Too Marvelous For Words," "Where Or When" and "You're My Thrill."
Speaking of thrills, Krall recently had one of a different type, producing the new CD due later this year from Barbra Streisand. It was Krall's first outside production project.
"She made me feel comfortable," Krall said of Streisand. "She really trusted me and she also isn't afraid to speak her mind. So you always know where you stand and you always know what everybody's feelings are because they're right there."
During down-time in recording sessions, they would deal the cards and play gin rummy, she said.
"That just lightened things up and we laughed a lot and told stories," she continued. "It was a great experience. I was really honored to work with her. Yeah, it's pretty major."
If you go
What: Diana Krall.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 13.
Where: Bank Of America Pavilion, 290 Northern Ave., Boston.
How: Tickets $65, $50, $35. Call 617-728-1600 or visit www.livenation.com/venue/bank-of-america-pavilion-tickets.
AND
What: Diana Krall with Federico Aubele.
When: 8 p.m., Friday, July 3.
Where: Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion, 72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, N.H.
How: Tickets $69, $39. Call 603-293-4700 or http://www.meadowbrook.net/.
