Pink Martini to perform at Longview on Friday

LONGVIEW — Smooth jazz and power vocals return to the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts when veteran Portland performers Pink Martini take the Longview stage Friday.

The homecoming show comes after a roughly 18-month hiatus during the pandemic as part of the band’s latest cross-country tour that kicked off in the spring. Pink Martini singer China Forbes called the break “totally abnormal” for the longtime touring band.

“It’s really fun to be back in doing what we love to do,” Forbes said.

Pink Martini is comprised of roughly a dozen musicians playing instruments like piano, cello and drums, and headed by founder Thomas Lauderdale and co-lead singers Forbes and Storm Large. Audience members may recall Large from her June appearance on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” where she received a standing ovation from judges.

The band is set to perform the its latest singles, “Let’s Be Friends,” and “The Lemonade Song.” Forbes also will sing her newest solo creation “Full Circle.”

Lauderdale asked Forbes to join Pink Martini in the early ’90s, and the first song they wrote “Sympathique (Je ne veux pas travailler)” became a hit in France, according to the band’s website. Pink Martini doesn’t just perform in English, but 25 different languages, a nod to their genre-bending style and global sounds.

Forbes said she and Large will perform a surprise duet at the Longview show.

“It will be fun and fresh,” she said.