Ari Shapiro believes that the longevity of Pink Martini — three decades and counting — is “a testament to their creativity, their artistry, their commitment to continuing to evolve and adapt.”

Founded in 1994 by Thomas Lauderdale, the small but mighty orchestra with Portland, Oregon, roots blend jazz, classical, cocktail music, calypso, and pop to create a sound both unique and comfortingly familiar. Shapiro, who recently retired from his berth as host of NPR’s All Things Considered, has been a featured vocalist with the band for fifteen years. 

He’ll appear as part of the group’s current All-Stars Tour, which hits The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday, Oct. 2, then Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Friday.

“Just imagine the way a band made a living when Pink Martini started in the ’90s,” says Shapiro. “It was overwhelmingly by selling CDs. Nobody buys CDs anymore. The economic model has completely transformed. When you have more than a dozen people in a band, getting along with each other for three decades is an enormous challenge. And so the fact that the band continues to thrive at this point, to me, feels miraculous, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it.”

Additional vocalists on the current tour, which concludes on October 18 in Saratoga Springs, New York, include Edna Vazquez, Jimmie Herrod, and Storm Large, plus some surprises along the way.

For his part, Shapiro brings elegance and a velvet-rich voice to the proceedings. “I have heard others use the term crooner [to describe me],” he says, with a laugh. “I don’t know exactly what that means, but it has been applied to me often enough that I’ll take it.”

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METRO WEEKLY: This is the 30th anniversary for Pink Martini.

ARI SHAPIRO: We have just wrapped up our 30th anniversary year-long world tour, and so we’ve been doing 30th anniversary shows for a while now. This Pink Martini All-Stars Tour is kind of a way to move into the next phase of what the band is doing. One thing I’ve always appreciated about the band is that they are constantly reimagining what Pink Martini is, what Pink Martini sounds like, and who they collaborate with. This has brought on board everyone from the Von Trapp family to the Japanese artist Saori Yuki, to the cabaret performer Meow Meow. Pink Martini is currently collaborating on an album with the legendary Iranian singer Googoosh. And so this Pink Martini All-Stars Tour is kind of the next phase of Pink Martini’s process of reinventing who they are and what they sound like.

MW: How long have you been performing with them?

SHAPIRO: I made my Pink Martini debut in 2009 at the Hollywood Bowl. So the first time I ever sang with a band in front of an audience anywhere was in front of more than 17,000 people. And at the time, I thought that was going to be my one moment singing with Pink Martini, this band that I had loved since I was in high school in Portland, Oregon. Little did I know that more than 15 years later, this band would be such an integral part of my life. I just love being able to meet up with them, hit the road with them, make music as part of this collective that I am such a huge fan of, even after all these years. And especially as I’m transitioning out of NPR, which has been a part of my life for 25 years, to be able to plug in with these friends who have become like family is really meaningful and lovely.

MW: Do you remember how you felt that first time you performed?

SHAPIRO: Yeah, absolutely. I remember it so vividly. It was terrifying and also exhilarating. I remember feeling like the audience was cheering me on — that it was a moment I might never have again, and so I just wanted to savor every second of it. It’s incredible for me to recognize now that I have, since then, performed at the Hollywood Bowl probably close to ten times at this point. I think everyone in their life has experiences that they try to just hold on to every detail, because it is so special and such a privilege. This was one of those moments for me.

MW: How many times would you estimate you’ve performed with them since your debut?

SHAPIRO: Oh, I wouldn’t begin to know how to count that. Every year, I have done anywhere between ten and thirty shows with them, and I’ve been doing this with them for more than fifteen years. So it’s well over 100 easily.

MW: Does it ever get old? Do you still feel the same sense of exhilaration from it?

SHAPIRO: Sometimes a tour can be grueling. Sometimes you are waking up before dawn to catch a flight that gets delayed and going straight to soundcheck and into a performance, and repeating the next day. And that can be taxing. But making music for an appreciative audience with talented artists never gets old.

MW: I remember the first time I saw Pink Martini and I was blown away. I don’t think you can really describe what they’re like until you’ve actually seen them.

SHAPIRO: I think that’s true, partly because the live show is very different from an album. I think Pink Martini’s albums are wonderful. I play them a lot. I enjoy them, but they serve a different function than a live show. A live show feels much more like a party. So, for example, there is a song that Pink Martini recorded many years ago on their second album. The song is called “Dansez-Vous,” it’s in French. And on the album, the song is this very sort of laid-back Serge Gainsbourg vibe of almost French café music. And when we perform the song live, it’s a Calypso dance number that is so exuberant. It’s a completely different experience. Generally speaking, I think a Pink Martini live show leans more in that direction, while a Pink Martini album is perfect for a dinner party.

MW: I saw them at The Anthem. And I was just struck by the vibrancy of that show. Everybody was on their feet. I mean, it was infectious. It was like an explosion of joy, really.

SHAPIRO: That’s a great way of describing it. I think it’s also important that this band is — the phrase they use is a little orchestra because when you have horns and strings and more than one percussionist and backup singers and a guitar and a bass and a piano — I could go on — you just get a different kind of sound. And on this All-Stars Tour, there are going to be four, maybe five vocalists, each one of whom brings something different to the party. And there are numbers that we are all doing together. And there are numbers that each of us is going to sing individually, and especially at a venue as intimate as The Birchmere in Alexandria, I just think it’s going to be like this wave of joy washing over people. Which, not to put too fine a point on it, but we could probably use right now.

The Pink Martini All-Stars Tour comes to The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, on Thursday, Oct. 2. Tickets are general admission and are $112.25. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.

The tour makes its way to Baltimore’s Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Friday, Oct. 3. Tickets range from $42 to $109 and are available by calling 410-783-8000 or by visiting bsomusic.org.

In addition to the D.C. area shows, Pink Martini will perform across the country this fall, with stops in Saratoga Springs, Boston, New York, and Chicago. Visit pinkmartini.com/shows.

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