Scroll down to the You Tube video to get you in the proper mood:

You’ve just heard a song from the multi-lingual, genre-busting band from Portland, Oregon known as “Pink Martini.” You’re in for a treat if you’re not familiar with them, but love music that crosses, blends, or fuses the genres of Latin music, jazz, classical music, and pop.

The never-boring sound of Pink Martini was inspired by boring music at political fundraisers. Seriously.

Back in 1994, Thomas Lauderdale was immersed in politics and had an ambition to eventually run for office. As a political junkie, Lauderdale was well acquainted with fundraisers, but found the music played at the events to be bland and predictable.  How could anyone feel financially charitable when the music was enough to drive most people out of the room?  He said in an interview, “The music at these functions was either techno or really bad ’80s DJs. I decided to create an exquisite musical wallpaper, a utopia of songs and rhythms from different parts of the world.”

Lauderdale started his own “little orchestra.” He invited China Forbes, a classmate from Harvard living in New York City, to join the band and write music together.

Who’d a thunk it. Their first single, “Sympathique,” became an overnight sensation in France, was nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards, and to this day remains a mantra (“Je ne veux pas travailler” or “I don’t want to work”) for striking French workers.

Over time, more members were added to the band, and these days, a dozen musicians fill the stage when Pink Martini performs its repertoire in over 25 languages, a result of the members having spent a lot of time abroad. The list of guest performers is varied. Pink Martini’s eighth studio album, Dream a Little Dream, featured Sofia, Melanie, Amanda and August von Trapp, the actual great-grandchildren of Captain and Maria von Trapp made famous by the movie The Sound of Music. Also making guest appearances have been The Chieftains, Wayne Newton, Elton John, Ringo Starr, and “Jungle” Jack Hanna! The vibe of Pink Martini has been described as elegant, old-school danceable, cocktail music for internationalists: A big band number can be followed by a show-tune followed by an Afro-Cuban rumba followed by an intimate lounge song in French, and all that can be capped off by a song about a wild, rambunctious dog named, “Lilly” who completely turns guy’s life around.

And now for the big finish:  Pink Martini’s debut album Sympathique was released in 1997 on the band’s own label, Heinz Records, named after Lauderdale’s Labrador Retriever, “Heinz.” Hear Lauderdale talk about the bank below:

Thumbnail photo from Thomas Lauderdale’s Facebook page