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Thomas Lauderdale was working in politics, with hopes of one day running for mayor. He went to every political fundraiser and found that the music at these events was underwhelming. Drawing inspiration from music from all over the world, putting jazz, old-fashioned pop and classical music into the mixing pot, he founded the “little orchestra” Pink Martini in 1994, for the sole purpose of providing more beautiful and inclusive musical soundtracks for political fundraisers. He later called up his classmate at Harvard, China Forbes, who was living in New York City and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to compose music together. Their first single “Sympathetique” became an overnight sensation in France, and was nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards. Forbes despite being monolingual sings in 15 different languages. With 10-12 musicians, Pink Martini performs their repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, The Middle East, and more. They made their European debut at Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and it’s orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998. They have gone on to play with over 50 orchestras around the world including the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The BBC Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and more.
Despite being on their own independent label, Heinz Records, they have charted internationally in Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, The US and the UK, especially their album “Hey Eugene!” which was released on May 15th 2007, and “Get Happy” released on September 24th 2013.
Most recently, they released and album called “Dream a Little Dream” which is a collaborative studio album by Pink Martini and the von Trapps, released on Heinz Records on March 4th 2014.
How do you explain the phenomenon that is Pink Martini? They are hard to describe - their songs span a range of different sounds, cultures and languages (we once counted 11 different languages before we stopped). It's alternatively world music, easy listening, a wonderful blend of classical, pop, big band and swing all bundled up into one gigantic package of awesome and tied with a multi-coloured bow of happiness.
All the band members are insanely talented, and all are showcased at different times as they run through their repertoire - Thomas Lauderdale on piano, China Forbes on vocals (we've also seen them with Storm Large singing as China was recovering from surgery, and she's no slouch in the vocal department either), the brass section, the percussionists, the string section - all the ingredients for a big band, and a big sound.
The best part is that they are, simply, one of the most fun bands you will ever see. Expect the unexpected! Have you ever seen a conga line weaving through the (usually) sedate Royal Albert Hall, or for the audience to be invited on stage to dance away as they play (as the band gets told off by security for this clearly unplanned event)? Balloons, confetti, streamers, with everyone on their feet dancing away, complete and utter chaos, but what a fantastic feeling!
Pink Martini are friendly and welcoming, and the best thing is that they seem to have such a good time performing, and are so relaxed and natural on stage, that you cannot help but be swept along on a wave of happiness. You will want to be their friend, and be a part of their happy, crazy, colourful, musical world. You know that feeling as you walk out of a great concert where you are still humming under your breath, have a little skip in your step and a big smile on your face? That's how you know you've been to a Pink Martini concert.
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