After two excellent nights of Sonoma Jazz Plus 2008, the third was a mixed bag. I almost started this with my infamous "Don't get me wrong" line, because the third of whatever is usually a charm. I have now seen jazz stylist extraordinaire Diana Krall three times, twice in Santa Cruz, once at the late lamented Palookaville, when she was in her late 20s, and once at the Kuumbwa), when she was in her mid-30s, but--now in her early 40s--she wasn't sick either of those times. Let's just quote her words after her first raspy number: "Steroids do wonders for bronchitis, even on top of the cigars and vodka last night." (I attended what turned out to be Luciano Pavarotti's last performance with the San Francisco Opera in a production of "La Boheme" in the 1980s under similar circumstances. His hoarse performance was so painful that my friends who adored him and I left after the first act, and then-opera manager “Lotfi” Mansouri subsequently 86ed him from S.F. Opera productions.) This was as pitiful. Why she didn't cancel...who knows? Well, there were the three other musicians of her quartet--the drummer and the bassist were especially good. And at times Krall could have been doing impersonations of her husband Elvis Costello (or croaking Tom Waits). But, unfortunately, Elvis was not present in the building...er, tent.

The lead-up group, Taylor Eigsti Quartet with Julian Lage, were another story! 22-year old pianist Eigsti and his buddy 20-year old guitarist Lage belied their age with their musical sophistication, wit and creativity. Both original pieces and covers were fresh and sensational. Bringing all 3,000 or so of us to our feet, the quartet ended their performance with the most imaginative and awesome interpretation of that old jazz war horse, Duke Ellington's "Caravan" that I've ever heard. That more than made up for the later peccadillos of mama Krall.