Pink Martini @ the Paramount – 12/3/22
Show Review & Photos by John Rudolph

Pink Martini – photo by John Rudolph

My friends asked me if I had photographed anyone interesting recently, and I told them that I was photographing Pink Martini. Reactions were immediately positive. Many of the women I know were aware of them. I was most surprised when I told a veteran police officer, and he lit up. He asked if Pink Martini sang in various languages. I told him that I was shocked by how many they sang in.

For those who don’t know, Pink Martini has been thrilling audiences worldwide for 28 years. I would say they play vintage-style swing or jazz. They capture the feeling of the time perfectly. Using an English term from my childhood, they banter back and forth which such cheek and the audience is entirely in on the joke.  

The audience is well-educated on their music and music in general. Lead singer China Forbes transported The Paramount to a different time and place. 

It felt almost like we were in pre-World War II Europe for the evening. China’s brother, Thomas, helped support Forbes throughout the evening. His voice is beautiful, and his lean elegance adds to his timelessness. He would be at home in a dinner club on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées or in Buenos Aries.   

I enjoyed their inclusion of guest singers. 

Edna Vasquez from Jalisco, Mexico, and America’s Got Talent golden buzzer winner Jimmie Herrod from Tacoma left nothing on the table with their magical performances. 

Herrod’s voice carried us to a new dimension. Vasquez played guitar, and she sang full of Latin passion. When Forbes came out after Herod’s performance, she said, “Dang, I’m so glad I get to follow that voice.” High praise indeed. 

I mentioned before that the 13-piece band, Pink Martini, sang in different languages. They sang in Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Romanian, Arabic, and Portuguese, and I’m sure I missed some. Their second act was all requests. They are just so darn talented.   

Pink Martini is one rare and very talented band. 

Please do yourself a favor and attend a show, regardless if it’s your genre of music or not. Like someone once told me, “good music is just good music.”

Pink Martini – photos by John Rudolph