Pink Martini is a musical group that was formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas
Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Describing itself as a "little
orchestra," its music crosses genres such as classical, Latin, jazz and
classic pop. The co-lead vocalists for Pink Martini are China Forbes and Storm
Large. History
= Background and formation= In 1994 in his hometown of Portland,
Oregon, Thomas Lauderdale was working in politics, thinking that one day he would
run for mayor. Like other eager politicians-in-training, he went to
every political fundraiser but was dismayed to find the music at these
events underwhelming, lackluster, loud and un-neighborly. Drawing inspiration
from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and
old-fashioned pop – and hoping to appeal to conservatives and liberals alike, he
founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini in 1994 to provide more
beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers
for causes such as civil rights, affordable housing, the environment,
libraries, public broadcasting, education and parks. The Robby Stubbs
says 8-piece Pink Martini is a "little orchestra" unto itself, and brilliantly
combines elements of classical, jazz, world music, and timeless pop that The
Washington Post describes as "rich, hugely approachable music, utterly
cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious... it seems to speak to
just about everybody." One year later, Lauderdale called China
Forbes, a Harvard classmate who was living in New York City, and asked her
to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together. Their first single
“Sympathique” became an overnight sensation in France, was nominated for
“Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards. “All of us in Pink
Martini have studied different languages as well as different styles of music
from different parts of the world,” says Lauderdale. “So inevitably, our
repertoire is wildly diverse. At one moment, you feel like you’re in the
middle of a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro, and in the next moment, you’re
in a French music hall of the 1930s or a palazzo in Napoli. It’s a bit like an
urban musical travelogue. We’re very much an American band, but we spend a
lot of time abroad and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to
represent a broader, more inclusive America… the America which remains the
most heterogeneously populated country in the world… composed of people of
every country, every language, every religion.” Forbes, though being
monolingual, sings in 15 different languages. Featuring 10–12 musicians,
Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with
symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East,
Northern Africa, Australia and New Zealand, South America and North
America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in
1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the
direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with more
than 50 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the
Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the
National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Symphony, and the BBC
Concert Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall in London. Other appearances include the
grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Frank Gehry-designed Walt
Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve
2003, 2004, 2008 and 2011; two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening
party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Governor’s
Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; the opening of the 2008 Sydney
Festival in Australia; two sold-out concerts at Paris’ legendary L’Olympia
Theatre in 2011; and Paris' fashion house Lanvin’s 10-year anniversary
celebration for designer Alber Elbaz in 2012
= 1997: Debut= Pink Martini’s debut album Sympathique
was released independently in 1997 on the band’s own label Heinz Records, and
quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group
nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artist” in France’s Victoires
de la Musique Awards in 2000. Pink Martini released Hang On Little
Tomato in 2004, Hey Eugene! in 2007 and Splendor in the Grass in 2009. In
November 2010 the band released Joy To The World—a festive,
multi-denominational holiday album featuring songs from around the globe.
Joy To The World received glowing reviews and was carried in Starbucks
stores during the 2010 and 2011 holiday seasons. All five albums have gone gold
in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey, and have sold well over 2.5 million
copies worldwide. In Fall 2011 the band released two
albums – A Retrospective, a collection of the band’s most beloved songs
spanning their 17-year career, which includes eight previously unreleased
tracks, and 1969, an album of collaborations with legendary Japanese
singer Saori Yuki. 1969 has been certified platinum in Japan, reaching #2
on the Japanese charts with the Japan Times raving “the love and respect Saori
Yuki and Pink Martini have for the pop tradition shines through on every
track.” On New Year's Eve 2005, Pink Martini
performed live at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. This
performance was aired live on National Public Radio's Toast of the Nation, and
in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting was recorded for a live DVD
and later broadcast on US public broadcasting and French television. The
DVD has been re-released to retail as Discover the World: Live in Concert,
featuring not only the full concert, but several vignettes and a short
documentary of the band's history. The band has collaborated and performed
with numerous artists, such as Jimmy Scott, Carol Channing, Rufus Wainwright,
Martha Wainwright, Jane Powell, Henri Salvador, Chavela Vargas, New York
performer Joey Arias, puppeteer Basil Twist, Georges Moustaki, Michael
Feinstein, filmmaker Gus Van Sant, Courtney Taylor Taylor of The Dandy
Warhols, clarinetist and conductor Norman Leyden, Japanese legend Hiroshi
Wada, Italian actress and songwriter Alba Clemente, DJ Johnny Dynell and Chi
Chi Valenti, NPR White House Correspondent Ari Shapiro, the original
cast of Sesame Street, March Fourth Marching Band, the Bonita Vista High
School Marching Band from Chula Vista, California, and the Pacific Youth Choir
of Portland, Oregon. On November 22, 2005, Pink Martini
appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. On June 1, 2007, the band
appeared on the long-running BBC Two Later with Jools Holland TV music
program. On June 14, 2007, Pink Martini performed on Late Show with David
Letterman, performing "Hey Eugene". In December 2010 the band performed "We
Three Kings" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and returned again in December
2011 to perform "Santa Baby." = 2010-present=
In February 2011, the group's lead singer, China Forbes, recorded a video
greeting to the European Space Agency's Italian astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, and
Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, on board the International Space Station.
The astronauts were preparing to oversee the docking of ESA's Automated Transfer
Vehicle cargo vessel, Johannes Kepler, which took place at 17:08 CET on 24
February. The greeting was set to the sound track of Dosvedanya Mio
Bombino—one of Pink Martini's signature songs—and was mixed with footage of the
actual docking. During 2010–2011, Storm Large appeared
as a vocalist with Pink Martini while China Forbes recovered from vocal cord
surgery. Both Large and Forbes continue to perform with Pink Martini.
On September 24, 2013 the band released their seventh studio album "Get Happy",
featuring numerous guest artists. On March 4, 2014, they released Dream a
Little Dream with the von Trapps. In August 2014, Derek Rieth, congas &
percussion, 43, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the
head, in what was ruled a suicide. Soundtrack and other media
Pink Martini songs appear in such films as In the Cut, Nurse Betty, Josie and
the Pussycats,Tortilla Soup, Shanghai Kiss, Mary and Max, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith
and have been used on television shows such as Dead Like Me, The Sopranos, The
West Wing, Castle and Sherlock. Their song "Una notte a Napoli" is an integral
part of the Italian movie Mine Vaganti, by the Italian-Turkish director Ferzan
Özpetek. The song "No Hay Problema" is included as background/setup music for
Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and was also used as the background/setup music
for an early build of Windows Longhorn, now known as Windows Vista.
Heinz Records Heinz Records is an independent record
label that produces the band's albums. Named after Lauderdale's dog, Heinz
Records is run by its members and is distributed by NAIL Distribution. Heinz
Records is also the label for China Forbes, Storm Large, and The von Trapps.
Discography Sympathique
Hang On Little Tomato Hey Eugene!
Splendor in the Grass Joy to the World
Get Happy Dream a Little Dream, with the von
Trapps References
External links Pink Martini official website
Pink Martini at the Internet Movie Database, for a partial list of
soundtrack appearances