The American musical group Pink Martini, based in Portland, Oregon, has recorded songs for six studio albums, one compilation album, and one video album featuring live concert footage. Formed by Thomas Lauderdale in 1994, the group that has been described as a "mini-orchestra" performs songs of many music genres in multiple languages by lead vocalist China Forbes. Their debut album Sympathique was released through the group's own independent record label, Heinz Records, in 1997 – subsequent recordings were also released through Heinz. The album includes three original tracks, "Sympathique", "La Soledad", and "Lullaby"; cover versions include Ernesto Lecuona's "Amado Mio", Maurice Ravel's "Boléro", "Brazil" (Ary Barroso), "Never on Sunday" (Manos Hatzidakis), and "Que Sera Sera" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.For Sympathique:

Hang On Little Tomato, released in 2004, features more original songs; covers include "Anna (El Negro Zumbón)" by Francesco Giordano and Roman Vatro, "Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu" (Yoichi Suzuki, Michio Yamagami), and Heitor Villa-Lobos "Song of the Black Swan (O canto do cysne negro)". In 2007, the group released Hey Eugene! Songs include the title track, written by Forbes, and covers in several languages: "Bukra Wba'do" (Mounir Mourad, Fatehi Qorah) in Arabic, the French chanson "Ojalá", "Tempo Perdido" (Ataulfo Alves) in Portuguese, and "Taya Tan" (Taku Izumi, Michio Yamagami) in Japanese, among others. The album also features guest vocals by Little Jimmy Scott on "Tea for Two", originally written by Irving Caesar and Vincent Youmans.For Hey Eugene!:

Pink Martini's fourth studio album, Splendor in the Grass, was released in 2009. Forbes performs songs in five languages (English, French, Italian, Neapolitan, and Spanish). Guest vocalists include Ari Shapiro on "But Now I'm Back", Chavela Vargas on "Piensa en mí", and Emilio Delgado on "Sing".For Splendor in the Grass:

The group also released the video album Discover the World: Live in Concert in 2009, which features live concert footage and includes the original song "The Flying Squirrel" and a cover of Ernesto Lecuona's "Malagueña". In 2010, Pink Martini released its fifth studio album, the holiday-themed Joy to the World. Christmas music includes "Do You Hear What I Hear?", "Little Drummer Boy", "Santa Baby", "Silent Night" performed in Arabic, English and German, "We Three Kings", and "White Christmas". Hanukkah music includes Danny Maseng's "Elohai, N'Tzor" and "Ocho Kandelikas" (Flory Jagoda), performed in Ladino. The album also commemorates New Year's Day with "Auld Lang Syne" and Chinese New Year with "Congratulations".

The group released two albums in 2011: 1969 with Saori Yuki and A Retrospective, a compilation album with tracks from previous studio albums plus unreleased material. 1969 includes covers of "Is That All There Is?", "Mas que Nada", and "Puff, the Magic Dragon". A Retrospective contains collaborations with Michael Feinstein ("How Long Will It Last?"), Georges Moustaki ("Ma Solitude"), and film director Gus Van Sant ("Moon River"), along with remixes by Johnny Dynell ("Una Notte a Napoli") and Hiroshi Wada ("Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu").

Songs

+ List of songs recorded by Pink Martini Song Artist(s) Writer(s) Original release Year Doris FisherAllan Roberts 1997 China ForbesThomas LauderdaleAlex MarashianDerek RiethFranz Schubert 2009 Ernesto Lecuona 1997 Francesco GiordanoRoman Vatro 2004 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2011 Robert BurnsDirgham SbaitJacques SevinTraditional 2010 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 Alex Marashian 2009 and Saori Yuki Jun HashimotoKyohei Tsutsumi 2011 Maurice Ravel 1997 Ary Barroso 1997 Mounir MouradFatehi Qorah 2007 featuring Ari Shapiro Thomas LauderdaleAlex Marashian 2009 Phil Baker 2007 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2007 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 Chen Gexin 2010 China ForbesRobert Taylor 2004 Gloria Shayne BakerNoël Regney 2010 Manuel Jiménez 1997 Manuel Jiménez 2011 China ForbesMaya Forbes 2007 and Saori Yuki Catherine DesageFrances Lai 2011 Danny Maseng 2010 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2007 Thomas LauderdaleRobert Taylor 2009 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 China Forbes 2007 featuring Michael Feinstein Max LiefJoseph Meyer 2011 and Saori Yuki Tokiko IwataniTaku Izumi 2011 and Saori Yuki Rena ConnorYoshia KurosakiThomas LauderdaleJerry LeiberTadashi NagoiCamellia NiehSatomi SanoMike StollerMasumi TimsonStephen TimsonMas Yatabe 2011 Yoichi SuzukiMichio Yamazaki 2004 Yoichi SuzukiMichio Yamazaki 2011 and Saori Yuki Yasushi AkimotoHitoshi Haba 2011 Frédéric ChopinThomas LauderdalePepe Raphael 1997 featuring the Pacific Youth Choir Francesco Maria PiaveGiuseppe Verdi 2010 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 Katherine Kennicott DavisHenry OnoratiHarry Simeone 2010 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 1997 featuring Georges Moustaki Georges Moustaki 2011 Ernesto Lecuona 2009 Phil BouteljeFoster Carling 2011 Frédéric ChopinMartín Zarzar 2007 and Saori Yuki Jorge BenFumio Nagata 2011 and Saori Yuki Jun HashimotoKyohei Tsutumi 2011 featuring Gus Van Sant Henry ManciniJohnny Mercer 2011 Manos Hatzidakis 1997 Moondog 2009 Massimo AudielloAlba Clemente 2009 Massimo AudielloAlba Clemente 2009 Jacques Marray 1997 Flory Jagoda 2010 Dan Faehnle 2009 China ForbesThomas LauderdaleDaniel LemayTimothy NishimotoLuisa Quiñoy 2007 China ForbesThomas LauderdaleAlex Marashian 2009 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2009 featuring Chavela Vargas Agustín LaraMaria Teresa Lara 2009 and Saori Yuki Leonard LiptonAkira NogamiPeter Yarrow 2011 Jay LivingstonRay Evans 1997 Joan JavitsPhilip Springer 2010 featuring the Pacific Youth Choir Mykola Leontovych 2010 featuring the Portland Boychoir Franz Xaver GruberJoseph MohrJohn Freeman Young 2010 featuring Emilio Delgado Joe Raposo 2009 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2010 Akihiro Miwa 1997 Heitor Villa-Lobos 2004 Thomas LauderdaleAlex MarashianPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 2009 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2009 China ForbesThomas Lauderdale 1997 Bernard DimeyHenri Salvador 2007 Taku IzumiMichio Yamagami 2007 featuring Little Jimmy Scott Irving CaesarVincent Youmans 2007 Ataulfo Alves 2007 Gianni BoncompagniFranco Pisano 2009 Gavin BondyDavid EbyChina ForbesThomas LauderdaleDerek RiethRobert TaylorJohn Wager 2004 Alba ClementeJohnny DynellChina ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2004 Alba ClementeJohnny DynellChina ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2011 Alba ClementeJohnny DynellChina ForbesThomas Lauderdale 2011 Thomas LauderdaleGregory Tozian 2004 and Saori Yuki Larry KolberBarry MannTerunobo Okuyama 2011 and Saori Yuki Go Misawa 2011 John Henry Hopkins, Jr. 2010 Irving Berlin 2010 featuring Saori Yuki Irving BerlinTatsuro Yamashita 2010 and Saori Yuki Taku IzumiMichio Yamagami 2011 and Saori Yuki Rei NakanishiMiki Takahashi 2011

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