Pink Martini...Shaken, Not Stirred

Had a blast at the Pink Martini concert last week.  Since it was held at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, there was the usual anxiety over the dress code (rule out jeans and I'm left with nothing presentable), but the thoroughly enjoyable evening more than made up for it.  I've come across Pink Martini albums before while browsing for CDs but never actually bought one since they were usually a bit pricier than normal (like all imported CDs which do not belong in the Pop or Rock genre - makes you wonder why people don't buy originals doesn't it??)

Having not heard their music before, I did not have any expectations.  When the group walked onto the stage, my first thought was "Geez, these guys could pass of for a bunch of IT consultants from Holland...".  I was kind of worried about the returns on enjoyment for my RM60 ticket, but once they started playing Ravel's Bolero, I knew I could expect a good time.  Though based in Portland, Oregon in the good old US of A, the group looked like an ethnically diverse bunch - Japanese, Jewish, Middle Eastern.... I didn't check if this was really true, but the diversity certainly did reflect in the languages their lead singer, China Forbes, sang in.  Crooning in French, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Japanese and even a smattering of Malay, China and the group endeared themselves to the audience that night.  The head honcho, Thomas Lauderdale, even went through the trouble to get their song introductions translated to Malay; which he gamely attempted to speak each time China introduced their next song.  One translation stood out among the rest though - their song "Hang on Little Tomato" became "Jangan Lepaskan Tomato Kecil"!!  Classic!

After a pretty rousing start with Bolero, Pink Martini went on to play a selection of songs from their four albums.  I am never really sure how to categorize music but I think you'll get the drift on the type of music the group plays when I throw around key words like Latin, Jazz, Lounge, Swing, Easy Listening... There were infectious, toe tapping tunes such as "Lilly" and "Tuca Tuca", sultry jazzy numbers like "Amado Mio", slow relaxing pieces like "Over the Valley", cheeky takes like "And Then You're Gone" and "But Now I'm Back".  Judging from the bopping heads and wriggling shoulders of the audience, seemed like everyone would have loved to get up and danced around.  And they did just that when Pink Martini chose to play the extremely catchy and evergreen "Brazil" as the encore piece.  In case you're wondering, since I can only do disco, little old me remained glued to my seat and enjoyed the scene.

A few days after the show, I finally got myself a Pink Martini CD.  And I plan to get their latest one "Splendour in the Grass" once it hits the stores.  So if any of the keywords I used to describe their music hits a chord with you, then get the CD.  It's fun, relaxing and some of the lyrics are pretty meaningful too.  Check out this link for a sample. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLaY4aksfRo&feature=related Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks, J, for asking me to the concert. 

Pink Martini Albums