I agree: the rapid cutting is annoying. This is supposed to be a jazz concert, not a rock concert.
Also, I don't get these songs, either. Pretentious stuff, it seems to me. The woman can play the piano, but her singing is lacking.

I say give Peggy Lee a listen, try Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday, Dione Warwick, Etta James, Dalida, Jeane Manson, Kelly Flint (of Dave's True Story), Nana Mouskouri, Dusty Springfield, Carmen McRae...I could go on.

frantic camerawork throughout the concert. There are so many camera angles fading in and out that it gets tiring to watch. I just wished that the camera would sit still for at least 10 seconds. I get the feeling that it was directed by someone who has only directed 30 second commercials.

Reason alone and rightly so for yet another junk dvd. someone start a school for these idiots

I anticipated this live recording and was duly rewarded by Diana's longer improvisational breaks and generally sharp differences from the polished product on the Live in Paris album.

If you prefer club jazz, wherein the lead artists in a combo create longer solo excursions between more-or-less tidy returns to melody and chorus, then, like me, you will appreciate the elbow room afforded Diana at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Now I know for sure something that I had been curious about all along. Diana has said in the past that she will hold back a new tune from her set until she perfects her performance of it. There is a style of jazz performance that plays each tune note-perfect on tour (Glenn Miller is the simplest example), but as the Ken Burns JAZZ series stated with refreshing directness, if you're a jazz player who never makes a mistake, you're playing it way too safe. That was always my impression of groups like the Glenn Miller "orchestra."

It is understatement to say that jazz festivals like the venerable one in Montreal are the perfect places to let one's hair down. Duke Ellington found that out decades ago. You better have chops at Montreal Jazz, and Diana's combo understands the expectation. These are not the tidy album-track arrangements played on tour for the jazz hits crowd. Here, those of us who would really like to hear Diana and her bandmates "go long in the breaks" get our wish.

If you think the Live in Paris CD, great as it is, is just a tad too well calculated, too clean, a bit too rehearsed for your appetite, then here you'll find one version of an antidote.

Here's a DVD live show wherein Diana gets to "go off" according to the parameters I've sketched above. The songs are from her set lists as you can see, but her lead improvs, and those by the rest of the band, are something you can't hear on the other more formal media. I recommend this confidently to those who are curious to hear Diana and the guys jam in the blues and jazz improvisation stratosphere without the net.

Note: You may actually be chagrined by Diana's blues leads, since blues leads have become a staple of rock'n'roll over the years, but blues are part of the jazz heritage, and Diana is still in charge of her instrument. See what you think. I enjoyed it, yet I hope next time she allows more jazz moves in her blues riffs.

The DVD was just as advertised and very enjoyable. The quality of the DVD and the music were excellent. It was a very good price and worth every penny.

Wonderful concert. Wish I was there, but this is the next best thing.

What a polished performer Diane Krall is, brilliant pianist
and delivers her songs with warm and perfection, the backing on this DVD is also done by first class professional musicians, a great show indeed.

If this DVD was 10% as good as Diana Krall "Live in Paris", I would be happy.

I,too, am a big fan of Diana-- That being said, I thought "Freak Out" was just that. There is a similar set on the "Live in Paris" album that is much more coherent. Enough can't be said of the skills of the bassist and the drummer, but I'm sure that Diana could come up with a more creative guitarist. As to Krall/Costello creations, I didn't expect Joni Mitchell. I think that an album on the general line of those compositions would be great. I would rather have more standards/straight ahead jazz at the - after all - jazz concert. While I'm not from the fashion police -- Diana -- Please ! Get a hair cut !

I had no reservations about buying this DVD since I had seen her live about three years ago and had seen some of this concert on TV recently.I enjoy her records alot,but they don't begin to tell the whole story and for anyone who has never seen her live,the first thing that they will notice is that this is much more than a pretty face who makes nice records and happens to sell alot of them.This is a woman who comes to play and what a treat it is to see her and this great band stretch out on these tunes.I read some of the reviews here and noticed a couple of negative comments about this rythym section in comparison to the last one.This is nonsense.The previous bass-drum tandem of John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton is, indeed as good as it gets,but so are Robert Hurst and Peter Erskine.Its really a matter of apples and oranges and they,along with guitarist Anthony Wilson and of course, the leader,can and indeed do swing you into ill health.Wilson brings chops,taste and intensity to everything he plays and its apparent that Diana is having a ball with it all.I find her forays into Tom Waits,Joni Mitchell,as well as the tunes she co-wrote with her husband to be to be a welcome change in direction and it seems totally natural.And,as with all great music,it gets better with each listening-I really noticed that with the original tunes.Check out the effortless transition from Temptation to East Of The Sun(including a killer piano solo) to the burning up tempo Devil May Care and then right into the Joni Mitchell tune and you realize that this truly is a unique talent.In addition to being the perfect accompianist for herself,as a piano player she makes you realize,by now that while you might want to believe that its her bandmates that are pushing her to this level,that it might just be the other way around.Highlights are too many to mention.The opening instrumental sets the pace and the closing Love Me Like A Man brings down the house.The sound is great and the camera work is first rate,although,I would agree that its a little busy sometimes-but this in no way can detract from the music.There should be more stars available for this one.Highly recommended.

As a huge Diana fan, and owner of all of her recordings, This DVD is still pure pleasure! The live sound and picture quality is first-rate. Diana's love of the music she performs simply shines! You will appreciate her incredible talent even more when you realize her "Live" show equally rivals anything she has done in the studio. If you're not a Krall enthusiast, you will be after viewing this DVD!

Diana had some excellent albums when she was singing standards and
cabaret music. Elvis seems to have convinced her that they can both write their own stuff. Not true.

Diana Krall has a great set of...........HANDS!! and this concert really shows them off. This is as good as I have ever heard her, and the rest of the band is right there on the same level. You can tell the whole band was really up for this gig. Anthony Wilson is one monster player who does some of the most creative playing I've heard in a long time. Speaking of time, Robert Hursts' is impeccable. Be it the blazing tempo of "Devil May Care" or the time changes of "Sometimes I Just Freak Out", he's right there! Then there's Peter Erskine, whose drive and sensibility are huge. His solo on "Devil May Care" is a great example of "finesse" and "taste", which is really hard to do at that tempo. This is a true "showcase" of their musical talents. My only complaint is the video is too "BUSY". Too many cuts during solos. Other than that, the quality of the sound and video are top drawer--10+!! This is one concert I'll enjoy for years and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves jazz!!

As a former professional musician and a lover of good jazz this DVD is the bomb. If you want the best there is, buy this DVD. My wife and I both love Diana Krall and all of her music but she out did herself with this one. It's absolutely AWESOME!
Vern

I can't post any review about this item cause, although I ordered it on NOVEMBER 5th, 2005 I haven't received it until now, FEBRUARY 14th, 2006.

It makes you feel as if you are attending the real event; listening and watching. Excellent quality!

I must confess that I do not own this DVD. But I was at the concert and let me tell you, if it's half as good as seeing it live then it'll deserve the 5 star rating. As an avid jazz listener and amateur jazz musician, I consider Diana to be one of the top jazz performers around today. Many have said that her voice and/or her chops aren't extraordinary, but I disagree. Like many of the great before her (Nat Cole, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn), Diana has shown that both her instruments enhance each other. She plays with a virtuosity, feel, and sound that is fresh yet classic jazz all the way. And she can swing as hard as anyone. This performance changed my life, and I can't wait to pick it up on DVD.

I already own the LIVE IN PARIS DVD by Diana , which I love and play often .

I bought this new one , hoping for a similar experience , but it was not to be .

She sounds tired and off key - maybe her schedule is a bit full these days . Her musicians are very good , as expected .
The blues number at the end , LOVE ME LIKE A MAN , is the only one which really catches fire .

May I recommend the LIVE IN PARIS DVD if you don't have it already .
If you do , try renting this first if possible .
I don't play it much and will probably trade it .

I used not to be a big fan of Diana Krall; I only had 2 CDs, and I did not listen to them very often. Then, I got my hands on a live recording. Boy, what a difference! Diana is mucho more free and inspired when she plays live. This DVD is great, much better than the studio CDs.

Diana comes through loud and clear on this, another fabulous live recording. I don't know who her recording team are or if they are the same each time, but this ladies live recordings are amazing. In the recent Clapton Crossroads Festival there were time you could not hear the person taking the lead ride properly. Not with Diana. This a quartet not like the huge group in "Paris." But what a quartet. Some of the best Jazz I've heard in a while.

There's something about Diana Krall that makes it pleasent to listen to her - not mentioning watching her - regardless of the content. She's a good singer, no doubt about it - but not great. She's a good pianist - definitely not great. Her song selection (until her last more original album) is quite standard and uninspiring.
Still, the overall combination, the smooth arrangements, the excellent musicians that surround her, the way she delivers the music - make it a real pleasure when you need a relaxing hour.

I own most of her CD's and also the 'Live in Paris' DVD. This one is different.
On the upside - this is a much jazzier show, a jazz quartet with 3 excellent musicians including Anthony Wilson, the guitarist who also perfromed in Paris.
Diana actually plays better here than in Paris. Her improvisations begin to resemble a true jazz pianist and her interpretations begin to be more on the rough side, taking more risks.
This makes the DVD a true gem to jazz lovers, even though she still has a way to go.
On the downside - this is still not a totally pure jazz show, nor it is a smooth journey as the Paris DVD which was anything but Jazz, and that's what made it beautiful: It excells in the slick arrangements and the performance that are very close to the CD versions, whereas in Montreal the songs, including from the last album - The Girl in the other room - sound neither as good as they are on the CD nor as real jazz interpretation. something in between.

Bottom line: For jazz lovers it's a great DVD from a talented musician that continues to develop (courtesy also of her marriage to Elvis Costello), but smoother listeners should go for her CD's and for the Paris show.

I got this DVD after i saw Diana Krall live in Paris. This disc is nothing compared to Live in Paris. The camera switches shots every half second. I even saw a person in the crowd shaking his head!! This concert seems to be low budget. They did not have an orchestra. There was only 4 people. They couldn't even get a chair for the guitar player!!! I think Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton is much better than Peter Erskine and Robert Hurst. Peter Erksine is pretty bad at brushes, and Jeff Hamilton is phenomenal at brushwork. I do not recommend this DVD. Get the live in Paris instead if you have not gotten that one.

I have watched this DVD many times and it is incredible. The best I have ever heard. It inspires me to go down to my basement studio and practice.

I enjoyed "Diana Krall: Live in Paris" very much, but the montreal jazz festival is poorly constructed. Peter Erskine and Robert Hurst weren't as good or enthusiastic as Jeff Hamilton and John CLayton. Diana rushes on a few songs, such as "East of the Sun" and "Devil may care" Also, the camera couldn't keep still for more than 5 seconds, and it gets very irksome to watch after a while.

Regarding to the musical contents, I will just say that it is a fusion of Jazz with modern pop/country songs. It is a matter of taste, but I prefer "Live in Paris".

Diana appeared somewhat tired. Se rushes on "West of the Sun" and only catches fire in "Devil may care". God knows why...

The bass section in notably inferior to the duo Hamilton/Clayton in "Live in Paris", but these gentlemen as she calls them have other engagements...Anthony Wilson is very good on the guitar, and of course Dina Krall is very good on piano, but her left hand is weak. Almost all notes are played in the middle of the keyboard. Thus the lady maintains composure and does not need to move on the seat, affording correct placement of the microphone when she sings.

This is a recording of a Jazz Trio in a large arena hall. These venues are, in general, not good to record acoustic instruments (to reach the audience they need to be amplified).
Therefore close miking is a necessary "bad practice".

Regarding the DVD there is a significant error in the package. The sound is Dolby 5.0, not 5.1, meaning there is no subwoofer. I personally like that, because I have 4 large speakers and can hear bass from all of them. But a large number of people have 5 small speakers and a subwoofer. When they play this DVD they will simply hear no bass.
If Universal put 5.1 in the label on purpose I think some customers have legitimate right to claim their money back...

Another important point is the fact that only Dolby Digital is available for both surround and stereo. Dolby Digital at the lowest compression rate (highest bit rate) is still not good for music, period.
This is a strange decision for a company called "VERVE" which recorded the greatest Jazz groups in the 60's and 70's with great fidelity. Listen to "Night Train" by the Oscar Peterson Trio on CD and you will hear the difference...
Why this decision to allocate the majority of the DVD to the video and a small portion to the sound in a music record is beyond belief. They could at least put the stereo track in PCM.

Compared to Warner's Paul Simon "You are the One" at the Paris Olympia that has DTS surround and PCM in addition to Dolby 5.1 and subtitles of the lyrics for the non-English native language customers this DVD should be priced at half of the normal...

I have to admit that I was dragging my feet when it came to purchasing this DVD. I am a huge fan of Diana Krall but not of Elvis Costello and I was quite apprehensive of his influence on her music. Not to worry this is a great concert. It would be nature to compare this to her Live Paris DVD. The Paris DVD was done with a full orchestra. This adds a much more full and lush sound. This concert was just her normal combo, giving it a more real jazz sound. I liked it! I noticed that others complained of the filming being to jerky and moving from one seen to another to often. I found it no different than most concerts I have seen filmed. If you like Diana Krall you will like the DVD.

I just got done watching this DVD and I was very impressed with the entire show. What struck me right from the start was the shift from singer/pianist to pianist/singer of Krall. The focus seems to be on this very tight group and their musicianship. Anthony Wilson (guitar), Robert Hurst (bass) and the great drummer Peter Erskine are wonderful together. Krall sheds the lounge singer in coctail dress who sings "stanrdards" to a musician who is also a singer who appears to be presenting herself as she really would like to be viewed. Maybe for the first time we are getting the see the real Diana Krall and I like the change. I enjoyed the "Live in Paris" DVD but I liked this one better. I liked the old Diana Krall but I love the new one. I highly recommend this DVD!

I know I'm in a minority, but though I'm a big fan of Krall, Wilson and Erskine , I found this release disappointing and inferior to the sublime Paris concert. Not because of the material--which is ok- but because of the production and performance. The former is spoilt by silly camera hyperactivity and a less than great sound quality.Regarding the performance, Krall seems to go for technique too often rather than content--and her vocals are sometimes tired sounding with intonation lapses.Wilson has his moments,but I prefer the sound of the older instrument he used in Paris.Hurst has plenty of chops but seems bored for some of the time and frankly the Hurst/Erskine axis doesn't swing as much as the Clayton/Hamilton pairing. (Compare their respective versions of All or Nothing and East of the Sun) Notwithstanding the above, I'll still eagerly await DKs next project...

Being a musician myself I am critical of the recording quality of what I listen to. I must say that Live in Montreal is one of the nicest live recordings I have heard in some time. Diana's piano work is exceptional and the performance rendered by Anthony Wilson on guitar is show stealing. If you have a high end sound system or a high end appreciation for well played and recorded music this DVD is a must have for your collection.

Liked this concert better than Live in Paris although it is a bit different. A little less up tempo content and fewer tracks overall. Very impressed with both the audio and video quality - this is one of the best music DVD's I have.

Not just one for the Krall fans, this is a really good concert.

Two days ago i exoperienced Diana Krall live in Prague. The show was excellent despite the place (hockey arena which was really cold and the sound could be stronger for people far from the stage) and DK's cold (she joked about it actualy, it was very nice, very spontaneous).

Two days later DVD ordered form Amazon came to me so i could compare the Prague show with the one recorded (in another sports arena). If i had to choose between attending the live show and buying the DVD, i would go for the DVD for few reasons:

1, the sound and DK's voice - experiencing it live is a thing to remember and relish, but in Prague it was flawed by the things mentioned above, performance on this DVD is flawless! The sound could be more "raw" but thats only thing i cn think of.

2, intimacy - you will get more intimate feeling watching the DVD in your apartement with a glass of wine or whiskey than in a cold sports arena. Unless you are lucky enough to get tickets fr firts few rows.

3, replayability - this DK in her best you can re-experience anyitme you wish.... and the DVD price is so low my postzage was almost bigger part of the money i had to pay for it - yet worth every cent.

so if you like Diana Krall and/or can appreciate the musicianship of Anthony Wilson, Peter Erskine and Robert Hurts, you have no choice but the get this DVD and enjoy it. It is pure joy indeed.

I love Diana Krall and own every CD, VHS, and DVD she ever made BUT, this one is not up to her usual standards. Very boreing and found myself 'fast forwarding' to find something of interest. Sorry Diana. But will be looking forward to your next try.

Diana Krall live at the very very famous Montreal Jazz Festival, still with the almighty Anthony Wilson on guitar, but this time on bass is Robert Hurst, and Peter Erskine on drum, two of the most renowned players in jazz scene. Seeing Diana Krall and Co. play is like attending a great jazz music workshop, they show very strong understanding of different kind of jazz music, and improvise them,

the opening track "Sometimes I Just Freak Out" combine standard swing to more uptempo "bebop"-ish groove, the transition is so smooth. "Devil May Care" show how Erskine and Hurst manage the super fast bop groove with ease. the bluesy "Love Me Like A Man", and sentimental "Departure Bay" made the finale of the show. And with Elvis Costello co-writing tunes, i found that the melodies become more smooth and easy-listening, but that became a interesting blend with Krall master piano works, and great solos are all over the place, like Hurst and Erskine blaze over "East of the Sun" and "Devil May Care", the improvisation of Wilson and Krall on "Stop this World" is just jaw-dropping as well.

GET THIS!! If you are interested in jazz music and jazz vocal and solo stuff you'll like this one, this DVD highlights one of the most impotant moments of the Montreal Jazz Fest 2004, as well as Krall's music journey, though this might not be typically "Krall"-ish style of music for the sake of the co-writer Costello, but it doesn't affect the quality of music thru out, check it out!!!

It doesn't get much better - a wonderful performance captured on video with an accurate and well recorded audio track. You can hear (and see) the interplay between a jazz quartet at the peak of their craft. I didn't think Diana could get much better - but she constantly surprises me. And Anthony Wilson on guitar? Well, if he's not at the head of the line for guitar players - he's REAL close. Robert Hurst (drums) and Peter Erskine (drums) round out the quartet - they hold their own as Anthony and Diana twist and turn through inventive and entertaining arrangements. WOW!

This CD stinks Diana is at her best doing the old evergreens like on "The Look of Love" and "live in Paris".

As most Diana Krall fans are aware, her last several studio CDs have branched out musically from her 1990s-vintage albums (where she concentrated on classic pop standards). In my opinion these shifts in focus have been aesthetically successful, but I realize from reading the amazon reviews that some fans have been left uncomfortable by her moves first into orchestrated bossa jazz (THE LOOK OF LOVE), then most recently into often self-penned contemporary material (THE GIRL IN THE OTHER ROOM).

Those who've supported Diana's changes probably don't need a review to know that this DVD is a must-have, as is her last concert video LIVE IN PARIS. The sound quality is excellent (including 5.1 surround option), camera angles very good, and her performance is consistently strong, with more mature vocals and more adventurous piano solos. On MONTREAL she is accompianed by bass, guitar, and drums throughout (unlike the Paris concert, which has some orchestrated tunes). Also, I greatly admire that she stays in the present tense (so to speak), focusing on recent tunes: 9 of the 12 songs on this DVD are fom her newest album. While I thought highly of the studio versions, in a live setting the new material sounds even fresher, with fluid, emotive performances by Diana and her band.

Those who were disappointed with THE GIRL... album just might want to check out this video for a different view of the new material. That studio album for better or worse seemed like a significant move away from her established classic jazz sound (a shift which I thought highly of but you may not agree). Yet on this DVD her performances of those same tunes seem to have found considerable common ground with Diana's jazz-based music that brought her fame back in the late-1990s, and fit like a glove next to the three standards that are mixed in with the new songs here. The flow from Diana's past to her present in my opinion is much more seamless than you might expect based on the studio versions. Not all the skeptics will be back in Diana's corner, but I believe quite a few will be (just as some critics of THE LOOK OF LOVE wound up embracing the subsequent LIVE IN PARIS video).