Diane Nalini – Reviews

Rendering songbook standards as well as French chanson, Brazilian classics, her own compositions, and settings of poems by Shakespeare and Tennyson, Nalini consistently displays bell-clear tone, meticulous enunciation, playfulness and subtle swing.

Ian McGillis

The Globe and Mail


Kiss Me Like That ****
Envoûtante chanteuse à qui l’on devait déjà trois remarquables CD… l’élégance, le charme et le swing sont toujours au rendez-vous. Décidément, une étoile (de moins en moins) méconnue au firmament du jazz vocal d’ici. [Le texte au complet]

Stanley Péan

Voir

Tales… My Mama told me ****
Diane Nalini has the voice, the phrasing, confidence, clarity and control to make a tune her own and turn it into a nuanced thing of beauty.

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From Harold Arlen’s Blues in the Night, to Charlie Parker’s Moose the Mooch, Rhodes scholar Nalini continues to grow as a true artist of the idiom. Her French on Jacques Prevert’s Les feuilles mortes is elegant, and her Portuguese on Jobim’s Corcovado equally convincing. Her bluesy music to Tennyson’s Cradle Song and the rendition of a Shakespeare song, Come Away – music by pianist Martin Pickett – are among the CD’s highlights. The skilled quartet that surrounds her voice includes Montreal-trained saxophonist Steve Kaldestad.

Irwin Block

The Montreal Gazette

After dusk is a gorgeous collection of standards sung with quiet, enunciated power.

Time Out Magazine

London, UK

Ma résolution: vous faire partager mon coup de cœur musical pour Diane Nalini, une voix unique qui chante le jazz de manière si singulière… À écouter: Les deux albums de Diane Nalini, aussi délicieux l’un que l’autre, After Dusk et Tales… My Mama told me.

Josée Bournival

Revue Femme+

I was completely overwhelmed by the eloquence and limpidity of her voice. Whether interpreting American Jazz songbook giants, the continental chanson tradition, Brazilian bossa nova music, or her original compositions, a common trait was evident: she captivates her audiences. 

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 “… I will be back for the Jazz festival in July.” We will definitely wait for Diane’s return to savour her enchanting voice. It can cast as well as break any spell. 

Charles Mifsud

The Sunday Times, Malta

Writing songs in the key of E=mc2 – Diane Nalini’s two worlds are about to collide… [Read full article here]

John Intini

Maclean's Magazine

Happily, there was time to hear another Montrealer, Diane Nalini, at Upstairs. She is also a diversologist, but in identifiable styles. Her diction is impeccable, a helpful trait when singing Shakespeare,

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although her voice deepened and blossomed notably in the Piafesque Quand elle rit aux éclats. A gospel take on Where the Bee sucks (from The Tempest) most certainly did not, and Billie’s Blues concluded the set with some sass. Bossa nova also went well. Gracious and beautiful, Nalini needed just an extra touch of bourbon in her voice, and attitude, early in the set. [One of Arthur Kaptainis’s top 5 concerts of the Montreal Jazz Festival, July, 2007]

Arthur Kaptainis

The Montreal Gazette

Vendredi dernier, plusieurs s’étaient dépla­cés à la quatrième salle du CNA pour applau­dir la célèbre chan­teuse jazz Diane Nalini… cette dernière nous a fait entrer dans son univers musi­cal débor­dant de créa­ti­vité et d’ori­gi­na­lité. [Le texte au complet]

Sophie Sherrer

La Rotonde

Nalini and ace Canuck jazzbos Mike Rud, Dave Watts (guitar, bass; respectively) rendered a hustling, bustling noontime Complexe Desjardins silent and spellbound.

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Tall, thick, lustrous hair pulled back, ochre complexion, laughing eyes, warm smile. Mellifluous contralto, emotively nuanced, rhythmically pliable, seductively melodic, phrases like back in the day (Billie, Ella, and Carmen). Chile could sang. In French (“La Mer” AKA “Beyond The Sea”), Portuguese (“Carolina”), English (Stars Fell On Alabama”, “How Long Has This Been Going On?”). Old wine in sparkling new bottles. Think Sade with jazz chops.

Nalini’s first gig was singing along to Ella in the family living room. She was three years old. A professional since ’91, Nalini produced her debut recording After Dusk in 2000 (www.dianenalini.com). 10 tracks, including those aforementioned and two fine Nalini originals (“The portrait On The Wall”, “After Dusk”). Festival highlight?

Tom Terrell

All About Jazz

La chanteuse montréalaise Diane Nalini est montée sur scène avec son quartet, et, en deux mesures, a mis la place à ses genoux, aidée en cela par le jeu tout en douceurs de la pianiste Vanessa Rodrigues…

Daniel Lemay

La Presse

Just thinking about her range of talents leaves this mortal tired and somewhat in awe. And to top it off, she is really, really nice…

Peter Robb

The Ottawa Citizen

Seriously gifted… Diane Nalini is spoilt for talent.

Karen van Rooyen

The Sunday Times, South Africa

While some musicians might be struggling to come up with a concept for their next album, singer/songwriter Diane Nalini is trying to decide between two distinct approaches to her fourth disc. [Read full article here]

Ashante Infantry

The Toronto Star

She’s Montreal’s gift to the UK jazz scene.

Geoffrey Smith

BBC Radio 3