Estoril, near Lisbon on Portugal’s sun-drenched coast, is the home of one of Europe’s most intimate jazz events. For the festival’s 19th year, impresario Duarte Mendonca presented concerts by four established artists and two intriguing lesser-known musicians, Dena DeRose and Bill Carrothers, between July 7 and 15. The festival also included club performances and a series of drum workshops conducted inspirationally by Billy Hart.
Diana Krall’s quartet appeared at the outdoor Palmela Park Auditorium on a July night of unseasonable cold and stiff breezes. “Are you okay out there?” Krall asked the audience. “I know you must be freezing.” To the accompaniment of wind roaring through trees overarching the crowd, she warmed them by opening with “I Love Being Here With You.”
