Pink Martini

Pink Martini at Helzberg Hall - Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

A postcard from Paris glides into a bolero, then swings toward a Neapolitan ballad without breaking stride. Pink Martini weaves together melodies across musical traditions, inviting you to wander through an evening that refuses to settle on a single style or mood. Founded by pianist Thomas Lauderdale as a Portland "little orchestra," the ensemble moves between jazz, classical, Latin and big-band sounds with the ease of travelers who've collected songs along every stop.

Part of the fun is hearing how Pink Martini's multilingual approach lets a rhythm or melody point somewhere unexpected. The group's catalog reaches from Sympathique and Una Notte a Napoli to Let's Never Stop Falling in Love and Lilly, a sampling of its flair for melody, warmth and a little mischief. That stylistic range makes discovery part of the appeal, even if you arrive already knowing a favorite.

What makes the evening appealing is that sense of discovery—the promise that the next piece might carry you to a different corner of the world, delivered with charm and sophistication. The March 10 concert at Helzberg Hall in Kansas City's Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts brings that cosmopolitan mix to one stage, giving you plenty to listen for as the musical mood changes.

Pink Martini's warm rhythms and cosmopolitan melodies make for a playful evening; get tickets for their Kauffman Center concert.