Drink It In

Now celebrating its 30th anniversary Pink Martini brought its signature multi-lingual blend of jazz, classic and pop music to a festive, sold-out Arlington Holiday Show staged by UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program.

With a dozen musicians, founder Thomas Lauderdale on piano, and the undoubted vocal talents of leader singer China Forbes (a fellow student at Harvard University), the two-hour intermission-free concert kicked off with a rousing version of Ravel’s “Bolero” before segueing to traditional Christmas fare like “White Christmas.” A Chinese language version of “Auld Lang Syne” signaled the finale – a medley of the tony troupe’s popular songs sung in 18 languages, including Mandarin, Flemish, Arabic and French.

It was the perfect musical libation with Pink Martini, who have performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl and sold more than three million albums worldwide, leaving us, as ever, shaken and stirred.