Pink Martini

Pink Martini play Ferguson Hall - The Straz Center on Friday, January 15, at 7:30 PM. If you've never heard of them, they're often described as a 'little orchestra,' and that's a fair way to put it. The group currently numbers twelve musicians, led by pianist Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes.

Lauderdale started the ensemble back in 1994 in Portland, Oregon. The story goes that he found the music at political fundraisers uninspiring and set out to create more beautiful and inclusive musical backdrops. That's how Pink Martini became what it is: a mix of jazz, classical, Latin and pop, with a repertoire performed in more than 25 languages. The sound is rounded out with lush string arrangements and brass fanfares, and the songs they pull from span a wide range of styles and cultures.

Albums like Sympathique and Hang On Little Tomato brought their global pop-jazz sound to a wider audience, and over the years they've collaborated with artists as varied as Phyllis Diller, Carol Channing and Rufus Wainwright. A typical concert runs about two hours, and the whole thing leans into a sophisticated, multilingual, mid-20th-century aesthetic.

It's a big ensemble on stage, so there's a lot to listen to. The show is at Ferguson Hall - The Straz Center, 1010 North Macinnes Place in Tampa, and it starts at 7:30 PM on Friday, January 15.