Pink Martini mixes perfect musical cocktail

Bliss — pure bliss.

What better way to spend a beautiful July evening than to sit back on the north lawn at Woodland Park Zoo and listen to Pink Martini "while the sun's going down / with its deep umber light / embracing the town" (to quote from "City of Night," one of the Portland band's new songs)?

The cabaret orchestra with the multilingual repertoire reached some kind of zenith at its sold-out show Wednesday night. The sound from the stage was crystalline and full. The performances were tight and vibrant, with lead singer China Forbes in especially good voice. And the band looked Art Deco-sharp in their tuxedos and black evening gowns.

The set, which drew on all three of Pink Martini's CDs, inspired many of the kids in attendance to try out unusual dance moves — and inspired one parent to toss his kid in the air in time to the beat. Forbes, a shimmying, swaying chanteuse, was also an amusing emcee, apologizing for singing while wearing sunglasses in the glare of sunset ("It feels really weird") and revealing some of the secrets behind the songs.

"Anna (El Negro Zumbon)," from Pink Martini's second album, she said, is about "a nun who had a former life as a nightclub singer."

That's not what the translated lyrics in the liner notes indicate — but who cares? Timothy Nishimoto, taking the lead, sang it with Desi Arnaz verve.

"Taya Tan," a cover of a 1970 Japanese hit, was "about wanting to be the guitar your lover is playing," Forbes then explained — unreliably, perhaps. (She did translate the French lyrics of "Sympathique" — the title tune from Pink Martini's first album — accurately.)

Forbes may be the siren presence at center stage, but other players grabbed the spotlight, too. Horn players Gavin Bondy and Robert Taylor nimbly led the charge through several instrumental breaks. Phil Baker offered a lovely extended guitar bridge between "Cante E Dance" and "City of Night" (both from the band's new album "Hey Eugene!"). And orchestra leader Thomas Lauderdale delivered concert-pianist-quality flourishes at the keyboard. His band arrangements walked a delicate balance — too artful to be dismissed as kitschy and too over-the-top (especially those arpeggios on the harp!) not to raise a smile. A few of the melodies were simply beautiful and eerie.

While the band reached back into its repertoire to revive tunes from its debut album, there was just as much energy in those numbers as in those from its latest effort. This is an ensemble still growing, stretching and living to the full in its present musical moment.

Sneakin' Out was the opening act.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com