Dianne Reeves comes from a musical family. Her father, who died when she was still very young, was a singer and her mother played the trumpet. As a child she began to play the piano, while she learned the big performers of jazz Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan from her uncle Charles Burrell who played bass in Denver Symphony Orchestra. She sang on each occasion and with the high school big band, when she was spotted by the swing trumpeter Clark Terry at the National Association of Jazz Educators and who encouraged her to study in the University of Colorado and collaborate with him.
She experimented with various types of music, before she decided to become a singer. She toured with Eduardo Del Barrio, Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte while in 1982 she had already recorded her first album “Welcome to my love'’’. She appeared and recorded with many jazz musicians such as Billy Childs, George Duke, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Stanley Clark and Wynton Marsalis. She collaborated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle. In 2002 she performed at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
She won for three consecutive recordings the Grammy for the Best Jazz Vocal Performance : ‘‘In the moment-Live in concert’’, ‘‘The calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan’’ and ‘‘A little moonlight’’. In 2006 she won the fourth Award for the songs from the film of George Clooney ‘‘Good night and good luck’’.
One of the big ladies of modern jazz, Dianne Reeves possesses a superb improvisational power and virtuosity and a unique style. Her charismatic voice and interpretation combined with careful productions of her albums gives even in simple songs another dimension. In this framework she has accumulated rave reviews both for her albums and concerts.
‘‘Her three-plus, pellucid octaves, diva-like delivery and intimate sense of a song have long made her one of the most compelling vocalists in jazz.’’
Seattle Times
‘‘A natural story teller, she used her timing and phrasing to bring novel insights to everything she sang.’’
Los Angeles Times
Dianne Reeves will be in Gazarte on 18th and 19th November 2010 for two concerts presenting a tribute to Sarah Vaughan.
Renata Dikeopoulou 15 November 2010
Dates:
18 November 201019 November 2010
19 November 2010
Location
GazarteReviews
Dianne Reeves came in Greece in July 2009 for a concert in Lycabetus theatre, in which she sang together with Angelique Kidjo, Lizz Wright and the daughter of Nina Simon, Celeste Simone in a tribute that she had prepared for her mother. Her participation was impressive, but all of us in the theatre wanted to hear her more. Almost a year later she returned for two personal nights in Gazarte.
‘‘Hello everybody. How are you tonight?’’
Dianne Reeves began her program at 10.45pm. It was not a tribute to Sarah Vaughan, but a collection of songs from all her repertory. Escorted by piano, bass, drums and with her unique voice that was heard as one of the instruments of the orchestra in absolute timing, reaching the low musical notes of Sarah Vaughan and the high ones of Minnie Riperton, she presented to us a classic sound, and at the same time absolutely contemporary. The lyrics ceased to have the first role and the improvisations with influences from various types of music, from the African lamentations, the blues or soul transformed familiar and beloved songs.
Based on her storytelling instinct and the fluency of speech she united the music with her personal stories. She said to us that the song ‘‘Today will be a good day’’, with which she completed the first part of her concert, was one of her mother’s favourite, 86 years today and she sang same each day. She spoke of times when she was a child and the radio started to play the records of Motown with music that was not heard before and with which they all danced. For a boy in the school that was gorgeous or she thought he was and for a time when she fell and he asked her if she hurt her leg. ‘‘He touched my leg for four seconds and I thought I was in paradise and I dreamed that we will get married, that we will go to a house in the countryside and we will have 1, 2, 3 4 children. I was 14 years old and it was only my imagination…’’ said Dianne Reeves continuing with the song ‘‘Just my imagination’’.
The audience applauded enthusiastically and participated in their way. At her initiative three girls came out on the scene to sing together with her from the microphone. Fortunately it was a short parenthesis.
‘‘Do you like my band? I love my band.’’ Just before she finished her program she presented the musicians with an amazing improvisation. ‘‘I thank you for coming… Joy and health to all… If you are good with yourselves you are with all the world.’’
No one wanted to leave and we were all nailed from the magic of the big lady of jazz. Applauds made Dianne Reeves to come back on stage and extend her concert which lasted more than two hours.
Renata Dikeopoulou 19 November 2010
Reviews
Dianne Reeves came in Greece in July 2009 for a concert in Lycabetus theatre, in which she sang together with Angelique Kidjo, Lizz Wright and the daughter of Nina Simon, Celeste Simone in a tribute that she had prepared for her mother. Her participation was impressive, but all of us in the theatre wanted to hear her more. Almost a year later she returned for two personal nights in Gazarte.
‘‘Hello everybody. How are you tonight?’’
Dianne Reeves began her program at 10.45pm. It was not a tribute to Sarah Vaughan, but a collection of songs from all her repertory. Escorted by piano, bass, drums and with her unique voice that was heard as one of the instruments of the orchestra in absolute timing, reaching the low musical notes of Sarah Vaughan and the high ones of Minnie Riperton, she presented to us a classic sound, and at the same time absolutely contemporary. The lyrics ceased to have the first role and the improvisations with influences from various types of music, from the African lamentations, the blues or soul transformed familiar and beloved songs.
Based on her storytelling instinct and the fluency of speech she united the music with her personal stories. She said to us that the song ‘‘Today will be a good day’’, with which she completed the first part of her concert, was one of her mother’s favourite, 86 years today and she sang same each day. She spoke of times when she was a child and the radio started to play the records of Motown with music that was not heard before and with which they all danced. For a boy in the school that was gorgeous or she thought he was and for a time when she fell and he asked her if she hurt her leg. ‘‘He touched my leg for four seconds and I thought I was in paradise and I dreamed that we will get married, that we will go to a house in the countryside and we will have 1, 2, 3 4 children. I was 14 years old and it was only my imagination…’’ said Dianne Reeves continuing with the song ‘‘Just my imagination’’.
The audience applauded enthusiastically and participated in their way. At her initiative three girls came out on the scene to sing together with her from the microphone. Fortunately it was a short parenthesis.
‘‘Do you like my band? I love my band.’’ Just before she finished her program she presented the musicians with an amazing improvisation. ‘‘I thank you for coming… Joy and health to all… If you are good with yourselves you are with all the world.’’
No one wanted to leave and we were all nailed from the magic of the big lady of jazz. Applauds made Dianne Reeves to come back on stage and extend her concert which lasted more than two hours.
Renata Dikeopoulou 19 November 2010
