JAZZING UP HER SELF-IMAGE; PEELING A GRAPE ONLY THE BEGINNING OF KRALL'S APPEAL.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Writer

Diana Krall walked onto the stage of the Orange County Performing Arts Center last February wearing a floor-length, sleeveless black evening gown and a wry smile, and from the moment she hunkered down at her piano, the sold-out audience sat straight back and assumed the position of rapt attention.

``Peel me a grape,'' Krall sang in her hushed, smoky voice, ``crush me some ice, skin me a peach, save the fuzz for my pillow.''

She had them. They were hanging on every word. If a fruit vendor had been wandering by at that moment, this crowd would have bought every grape and peach and maybe even a few nectarines and cherries for good measure and they would have peeled them, skinned them ... they would have shined and polished them if it would have made this woman happy.

Funny thing is, the louder the crowd applauded, the more uneasy Krall seemed to become.

She could barely even look at them, much less smile. As for the standing ovation at the end, she seemed appreciative, but mostly embarrassed.

All of this left some in the audience members scratching their heads. Wasn't this the same sexy, sultry singer they had seen on ``Melrose Place''? Wasn't this the same woman whose leggy good looks and Vidal Sassoon hair adorned her album covers? She should be reveling in all of this attention and good will, shouldn't she?

Well, in some ways, she was - and is. During the past three years, the Canadian-born Krall has become the biggest thing in jazz by taking vintage songs, inhabiting them and making them her art. She doesn't update the music, she simply makes it seem old and, somehow, new at the same time with her old-fashioned glamour and leisurely way of playing and phrasing.

Her two albums for Impulse Records, 1996's Nat King Cole Trio tribute ``All for You'' and last year's exquisite ``Love Scenes,'' each have sold more than 200,000 copies. While those numbers won't exactly give the Backstreet Boys pause for thought, they are astounding figures for a traditional jazz artist. And they have left many purists, including Krall herself, looking for answers.

Krall, who shares the bill with jazz piano legend (and fellow Canadian) Oscar Peterson at the Hollywood Bowl tonight, doesn't quite know what to make of her remarkable success. But she bristles at the suggestion that it has anything to do with those coquettish photos that grace her albums.

``Somebody asked me the other day if I thought I was a flash in the pan,'' the 32-year-old Krall says sharply. ``I think that comes from someone who really hasn't listened to my music. You won't hear me complaining about the attention, though. It's a gift, a great gift, one that I appreciate. But I can't worry about sustaining it. All I know is that it's certainly better than sitting around my New York apartment, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the phone to ring.''

If anything, Krall seems intent on expanding the gift and, along with it, her audience. She will play two Lilith Fair concerts in Canada this month and is squeezing in time to work on a new album that will feature arrangements from legendary composer Johnny Mandel. (She's hoping to have it in stores by late spring.)

Krall also recently has switched management firms, moving from the boutique-sized Jazz Tree Management to S.L. Feldman and Associates, which guides Joni Mitchell among others. To purists (jazz isn't supposed to be popular, is it?), it's another sign of the apocalypse. To Krall, it's an attempt to have a long career, a l a Mitchell.

``I've heard the people saying that I'm going pop,'' says the shy, thoughtful Krall, who enjoys interviews almost as much as standing ovations. ``But I didn't exactly get into jazz music looking for Spice Girl success. I'm not selling out. I think as long as I maintain artistic integrity in everything I do, the rest of it doesn't matter.''

Krall's success is even more remarkable considering that, just five years ago, she couldn't find a record label in the United States willing to release her first album, ``Stepping Out.'' In fact, Krall admits that it wasn't until she made the Nat King Cole album that she became comfortable with the idea of using her voice.

``Singing is a very personal thing, and I never thought I had the greatest instrument,'' Krall says. ``I can remember trying out for the youth choir in fourth grade and being rejected because they said my voice wasn't high enough and didn't have enough range. For me, that proved it. I can't sing. It was a shame because if they had stuck me in the back with the boys, I would have been fine - and probably had a lot of fun.''

Growing up in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Krall began playing classical piano at age 4. Her mother and her father played as well, and her grandmother was a singer.

Krall landed her first paying gig when she was 15, and began to play piano three nights a week at a hometown restaurant. Later that year, she won a Vancouver Jazz Festival scholarship to study at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Krall spent a year and a half there before returning home.

Her parents weren't completely sold on the idea of a career in music, but they didn't discourage her, either. Soon, she moved to Los Angeles to study with pianist Jimmy Rowles, considered one of the best jazz accompanists. From there, it was hotel lounges, restaurants and clubs until she made her first record in 1993. (Then, of course, it was more hotel lounges, restaurants and clubs.)

``I had encouragement every step of the way, first from my family, who taught me I could do anything I set my mind to, and then from musicians like Jimmy Rowles, Ray Brown (a veteran of Oscar Peterson's band), John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, guys who were like big brothers to me and still are,'' Krall says. ``That's the greatest thing about this music - you never stop learning, especially when there are so many people willing to offer their wisdom and help.''

If that sounds like some kind of Grammy acceptance speech (something Krall will likely have to give one day - she has already been nominated twice), it certainly comes from her heart. Krall tosses out praise as easily as she does her melancholy tunes, putting in good words for bandmates Malone and Wolfe (who share the spotlight quite equally with Krall during concerts), friends like George Benson and influences such as the great Peterson.

``Don't even say I'm sharing the bill with him at the Hollywood Bowl,'' she scolds, genuinely horrified at the suggestion.

And it's that unbridled awe, combined with a nice way with a song, a bona fide love of music and an endearing bashfulness, that makes Krall such a promising figure on the jazz scene. Sure, she looks great in a black evening gown. But if you peeled her a grape, she probably would say thank you, and then peel you one, too.

THE FACTS

Who: Diana Krall and Oscar Peterson.

Where: Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood.

When: 7:30 tonight.

Tickets: $7.50 to $65.

Information: Call [phone].

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) GOLDEN GIRL

Jazz diva Diana Krall descends on the Hollywood Bowl

(2) no caption (Diana Krall)