Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau , actually Alwyn Lopez Jarreau (* 12. March 1940 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin ; † 12. February 2017 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American jazz - pop - and rhythm-and-blues - singer and songwriter .
Live and act
Jarreau was the fifth of six children. The family was very poor and was characterized by great musicality. Jarreau sang his first solo in church at the age of four. His New Orleans father, Emile Alphonse, was a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church but worked at the AO Smith munitions factory during World War II , so Jarreau never heard his father preach in church, only at home. His mother, Pearl Walker, was a church organist . Al Jarreau discovered improvisation as a child through his brothers when he sang with them at home.
Studies and time as a social worker
In his youth, he began performing in bars in his hometown. In one of them he got to know the Hungarian jazz pianist Laszlo Les Czimber (known as "Tarzan"), who fled from Budapest to Milwaukee in 1956 after the popular uprising ; this taught him how to work out songs. From 1958 to 1962 Jarreau studied psychology at Ripon College in Wisconsin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts . During his studies, he performed locally on the weekends with a group of four called The Indigos. He then completed a master's degree (Master's Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation) at the University of Iowa .
In 1964, after six months of service in the Army Reserve, he went to San Francisco . There he led a kind of double life : three times a week he performed in a club with a trio that was led by the then unknown George Duke . During the day, he worked as a rehabilitation worker at the California Division and Rehabilitation Center, helping people with intellectual or physical disabilities integrate into working life. In 1965 he sang as a student on weekends with the Joe Abodeely Trio at The Tender Trap, a club in Cedar Rapids. There he met the saxophonist J. R. Monterose , who taught him to sing saxophone lines or to scatten . A live performance was recorded and later appeared on the Bainbridge label as a record under the title 1965 - Al Jarreau (also released under The Masquerade Is Over or JR Monterose - Live at the Tender Trap ); the album contains such well-known standards as Sophisticated Lady , My Favorite Things , Come Rain or Shine and One Note Samba .
With the Brazilian guitarist Julio Martinez, whom he met in 1968, Jarreau performed as a duo at Gatsby's in Sausalito . During this time he also discovered his love for bossa nova and developed his characteristic, instrumental-inspired singing style. He described the job of social worker as his dream job because he always wanted to help other people in some way. In 1969, however, he decided entirely for music and quit his job because the double burden was too strenuous in the long run.
Career
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In 1975 Al Jarreau appeared in the opening act for jazz pianist Les McCann at the Troubadour Club in Hollywood . During a subsequent appearance at the Bla Bla Cafe, he was discovered by a talent scout from the Warner Music Group and signed his first record deal . Shortly afterwards his first record was released by Warner, We Got By. At that time he was already 35 years old. He then performed in clubs in Hamburg for six months. There he started his international career. In 1976 his second album, Glow, came out. In 1977, excerpts from the European tour were also pressed onto the record Look to the Rainbow . The live version of Dave Brubeck's classic Take Five made him famous in one fell swoop. He received the German record award for young artists. In the USA, too, his fame and popularity grew. In the same year he received the Grammy for "Best Jazz Vocal". In 1978 he won a second Grammy for All Fly Home in the category "Best Jazz Vocal".
This Time was released in 1980 . Breakin 'Away followed in 1981 with the breakneck song (Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo à la Turk by Dave Brubeck, which won him his third Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male” and the fourth for “Best Male Pop Vocal” Performance ”. The albums Jarreau and High Crime were released in 1983 and 1984 . In 1985, Live in London was recorded live in front of an audience at Wembley Arena in London . He also sang the world hit We Are the World, produced by Quincy Jones , with other well-known artists for the USA for Africa project of Afrika-Welthungerhilfe.
L Is for Lover was released in 1986 . In 1987 Jarreau set the theme song for the American television series The Model and the Snoop with Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis in the lead roles and wrote the lyrics to the music of Lee Holdridge himself . Heart's Horizon was released in 1988 . In 1992 Jarreau got his fifth Grammy for his album Heaven and Earth for the "Best Male R&B Vocal Performance". In 1994 Tenderness was recorded live on a small stage in Los Angeles, produced by Marcus Miller , in front of almost 250 spectators. 1996 was followed by a tour break, during which he played the role of Teen Angel for three months on Broadway in New York in the musical Grease . TV guest appearances in the American series New York Undercover and A Touch of Heaven also followed . Best of Al Jarreau was also released , a compilation of his most famous hits.
In the following years there were no further releases, since Jarreau separated from his long-standing record company (Warner Brothers). He continued to tour around the globe. In 2000, his album Tomorrow Today was released on the new record company Verve . All I Got was released in 2002 . With Accentuate the Positive in 2004, Jarreau kept a long-standing promise to finally release a jazz album that he recorded with a trio. In 2006 he released a full album called Givin 'It Up with jazz guitarist and singer George Benson . In 2007 he won his sixth Grammy for the piece from the album God Bless the Child in the category "Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance".
At the end of January 2017, Jarreau canceled a planned jazz cruise due to weakness and shortness of breath and had to receive medical treatment. From the hospital on February 8, 2017, he announced on his website that he had to end his live career. Four days later he died there with his family. In 2010, the then 70-year-old received intensive care because of life-threatening breathing problems .
voice
Joachim-Ernst Berendt describes Jarreau's voice as follows:
“Jarreau - singing, gurgling, clicking his tongue, moaning, screaming, fluttering, whispering, sighing, rattling - has an arsenal of vocal possibilities that cannot be compared to any other male singer. Jarreau is an instrumentalist of the voice, his music comes from instrumental phrases. His throat really brings out an entire orchestra: drums and saxophones, trumpets and flutes, congas and basses - but all from the mouth of a single man, from the deepest bass to the highest harmonics, as if that man were over a dozen or more different male or female female voices. The most striking is Al Jarreau's flute part. "
Paul Desmond's classic Take Five , which Al Jarreau covered on his album Look to the Rainbow , is a good example of his art of imitation. Also as a real tongue twister on the breakin 'away album Blue Rondo a la Turk or Chick Coreas Spain - I Can Recall (to be found on the album This Time ).
Musical influences
Al Jarreau was shaped by jazz from childhood. It was the music that was played and heard in the Jarreau house. On the radio Al listened to jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald , Jon Hendricks , Dizzy Gillespie , Illinois Jacquet and Nat King Cole .
Singing fast, instrumental melodies in such a way that he can also convey the message and meaning of the song, he learned all of this from Jon Hendricks. Musically he tried to find his own voice between Jon Hendricks and Johnny Mathis . Lyrically, however, he was influenced by Joni Mitchell , the Beatles , Marilyn Allen Bergman and Bob Dylan .
Al Jarreau was influenced by scat singing and bossa nova and many other musical styles. He said himself:
"So I'm really a product of a lot of different music. The whole American scene was an influence as a part of my past, but probably the jazz stuff was the most important. "
Prizes and awards
In 2016 Al Jarreau was awarded the Frankfurt Music Prize.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
In 2001 he was one of the best singers of his generation and received a gold star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.
Grammy Award Awards
- 1978 - Best vocal performance - Jazz, Look to the Rainbow.
- 1979 - Best vocal performance - Jazz, All Fly Home.
- 1981 - Best recording for children - In Harmony. A Sesame Street Record. Together with other artists.
-
1982 Best Male Vocal Performance - Pop, Breakin 'Away.
- Best Male Vocal Performance - Jazz, (Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo a La Turk.
- 1993 - Best Male Vocal Performance - Rhythm and Blues, Heaven and Earth.
- 2007 - Best Traditional Vocal Performance - Rhythm and Blues, God Bless the Child. With George Benson and Jill Scott .
To this day (as of 2017) he is the only artist who has received Grammy Awards in these three different genres of music : Jazz, Pop and Rhythm & Blues.
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1976 | Glow |
DE41 (2 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US132 (11 weeks) US |
|
| 1977 | Look to the Rainbow: Live in Europe | - | - | - | - |
US49  (15 weeks)US |
|
| 1978 | All Fly Home | - | - | - | - |
US78 (28 weeks) US |
|
| 1980 | This time | - | - | - | - |
US27 (35 weeks)US |
|
| 1981 | Breakin 'Away | - | - | - |
UK60 (8 weeks) UK |
US9  (103 weeks)US |
|
| 1983 | Jarreau |
DE25 (20 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK39 (18 weeks) UK |
US13 (43 weeks)US |
|
| 1984 | High crime |
DE42 (11 weeks) DE |
- |
CH27 (1 week) CH |
UK81 (1 week) UK |
US49 (35 weeks) US |
|
| 1985 | In London |
DE58 (2 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US125 (9 weeks) US |
was added in November 1984.
in the Wembley Arena |
| 1986 | L is for lover |
DE7 (28 weeks) DE |
AT10 (18 weeks) AT |
CH13 (9 weeks) CH |
UK45 (10 weeks) UK |
US81 (28 weeks)US |
|
| 1989 | Heart's Horizon |
DE33 (16 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US75 (23 weeks)US |
|
| 1992 | Heaven and Earth |
DE59 (7 weeks) DE |
AT38 (1 week) AT |
CH38 (2 weeks) CH |
- |
US105 (9 weeks) US |
|
| 1994 | Tenderness |
DE76 (8 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US114 (8 weeks) US |
|
| 2000 | Tomorrow Today |
DE28 (12 weeks)DE |
- |
CH76 (2 weeks) CH |
- |
US137 (6 weeks) US |
|
| 2002 | All I got |
DE48 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US137 (1 week) US |
|
| 2004 | Accentuate the Positive |
DE88 (1 week) DE |
AT63 (3 weeks) AT |
CH91 (1 week) CH |
- | - | |
| 2006 | Givin 'It Up |
DE59 (5 weeks) DE |
AT30 (5 weeks) AT |
- | - |
US58 (7 weeks) US |
with George Benson
|
| 2014 | My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke |
DE84 (1 week) DE |
- | - | - |
US69 (1 week) US |
|
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More albums
|
|
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1996 | Best of Al Jarreau |
DE91 (1 week) DE |
- | - | - | - | |
More compilations
|
|
Singles
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, , Placements, weeks, awards, comments) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1981 | We're in This Love Together | - | - | - |
UK55 (4 weeks) UK |
US15 (24 weeks) US |
|
| Breakin 'Away | - | - | - | - |
US43 (10 weeks) US |
||
| 1982 | Teach me tonight | - | - | - | - |
US70 (7 weeks) US |
|
| 1983 | Mornin ' | - | - | - |
UK28 (6 weeks) UK |
US21 (15 weeks) US |
|
| Boogie Down | - | - | - |
UK63 (4 weeks) UK |
US77 (6 weeks) US |
||
| Trouble in Paradise | - | - | - |
UK36 (6 weeks) UK |
US63 (7 weeks) US |
||
| 1984 | After all | - | - | - | - |
US69 (9 weeks) US |
|
| 1985 | Day by day | - | - | - |
UK53 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
Shakatak with Al Jarreau
|
| 1986 | Tell Me What I Gotta Do | - | - | - |
UK98 (2 weeks) UK |
- | |
| 1987 | Moonlighting theme | - | - | - |
UK8 (8 weeks) UK |
US23 (13 weeks) US |
Title song of the series The Model and the Sniffer
|
More singles
|
|
Awards for music sales
-
Netherlands
- 1982: for the album Breakin 'Away
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
| Country / Region |
gold |
platinum
|
Sales | swell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
||||
|
Germany (BVMI)
|
gold1
|
- | 150,000 | musikindustrie.de |
|
Netherlands (NVPI)
|
gold1
|
- | 50,000 | nvpi.nl |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
4 × gold4th
|
2 × platinum2
|
4,000,000 | riaa.com |
| All in all |
6 × gold6th
|
2 × platinum2
|
||
Web links
- Official website of Al Jarreau
- Al Jarreau at Allmusic (English)
- Al Jarreau at Discogs (English)
- Works by and about Al Jarreau in the catalog of the German National Library
- Al Jarreau - Article in cosmopolis.ch
supporting documents
- ↑ Al Jarreau died at the age of 76. In: faz.net. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 12, 2017, accessed on February 12, 2017.
- ↑ a b Al Jarreau has to end his live career. At: spiegel.de. February 8, 2017.
- ↑ Al Jarreau ends live career. ( Memento from February 11, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) At: zeit.de. February 9, 2017.
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: US
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jarreau, Al |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Jarreau, Alwyn Lopez (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz and pop musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 12, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Milwaukee , Wisconsin , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 12, 2017 |
| Place of death | Los Angeles , California , United States |