FAIRBANKS — Pianist Thomas Lauderdale finds musical connections in the most unlikely places. Samba, meet jazz. Classical, meet pop. Schubert, let me introduce you to the tango.
Music lovers, meet Pink Martini.
A 12-piece mini-orchestra that plays its own elegantly chilled brand of sophisticated lounge pop, Lauderdale’s Pink Martini has sold millions of albums and has hit records in France and Japan and a dedicated following in other far-flung locales. The multi-lingual musicians, including singer China Forbes, feature a wildly diverse repertoire Lauderdale describes as “‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ or ‘Mame’ meets the United Nations with a tiny bit of radical politics.”
The band’s first album, “Sympathique,” garnered nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artist” in France. The title song has become an anthem for French workers. In 2011, a collaboration with Japanese singer Saori Yuko, “1969,” was certified platinum in Japan with glittering reviews.
Based in Portland, Ore., Pink Martini has played with symphony orchestras around the world and collaborated with celebrated musicians and others not necessarily noted for their music.
“I love actually collaborating,” Lauderdale said by phone this week. “It’s the most interesting time I have at this time at this point. We’ve been in existence for 18 years. Whether it’s Phyllis Diller or Ari Shapiro or drag queens from New York City, it brings different energies to the project and keeps me on my toes and keeps the band members on their toes.”
Lauderdale and Pink Martini are performing tonight at Hering Auditorium as a special event of the Fairbanks Concert Association. Lauderdale is excited about his first visit to Alaska, musing “at times like this I wish I knew how to bobsled.”
He would love to see a moose and the aurora and laments that he knows little about the state, “I can’t see Alaska from where I am, even with binoculars.”
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
