Dianne Reeves

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Dianne Reeves

Dianne Reeves (born October 23, 1956 in Detroit , Michigan ) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She lives in Denver , Colorado .

Life

childhood

She comes from a very musical family. Her father was also a singer. He died of cancer when she was two years old. Her mother, Vada Swanson, was a nurse and played the trumpet. However, she grew up with her sister Sharon with her grandmother in Denver. Her cousin George Duke was a well-known pianist and record producer who had also produced many records for her. As a child she got piano lessons and sang on the side. At the age of 11, she began to be more interested in singing. She grew up in the 1960s during the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, and Motown was on the radio . Fortunately, she had an inspiring teacher who thought the best way to bring students together is through music. So the teacher created a show with all the students, lyrics and songs and Reeves discovered her love for music and, above all, that she really wanted to be a singer.

Charles Burrell, an uncle of Dianne Reeves, who played bass in the Denver Symphony Orchestra, one day gave her several jazz records from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday and others. a. to listen to. Among them was Sarah Vaughan's album Sarah Vaughan sings Michel Legrand , which sparked her enthusiasm and fascination for the singer Sarah Vaughan. Since then she has only listened to and occupied herself with jazz music for a while.

Training and career start

At the age of 18, Reeves joined a school big band in 1974 at George Washington High School in Denver, Colorado. In the same year she performed with the band at a music competition (Convention of the National Association of Jazz Educators ). Her band won the competition and she was promptly spotted on the spot by trumpeter Clark Terry , who has since taken her under his wing as her mentor. He invited her to make music with his friends, well-known musicians. In 1975 she studied music for a year at the University of Denver before moving to Los Angeles in 1976. There her interest in Latin American music grew. She began to experiment with all kinds of musical styles and finally decided to become a singer. She met people like Eduardo del Barrio, performed for a while with his group Caldera , and sang in Billy Childs ' experimental jazz band Night Flights . She later went on a world tour with Sérgio Mendes .

World career

From 1983 to 1986 she toured with Harry Belafonte , who promoted her as a lead singer and took her into a band of musicians around the world. Her first experience with world music , whose style ranges from calypso music to jazz.

In 1987 she was the first to sign a contract with the revived jazz label Blue Note Records . In 1992 she moved back to Denver from Los Angeles.

In 2002, she performed at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She also had a musical guest appearance on a season of the popular TV series Sex and the City .

In 2003 she was offered the job of organizing jazz concerts at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On New Year's Eve 2003/2004 she performed with the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle in the Berliner Philharmonie.

In 2005, Dianne Reeves appeared in George Clooney's film Good Night, and Good Luck. as a singer. In 2006 she won the Grammy in the category "Best Jazz Vocal Album" for the soundtrack to the film.

She is often a guest at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague in Holland, the Avo Session in Basel or the Leverkusener Jazz Days .

Awards

grammy

  • 2001 In the Moment - Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • 2002 The Calling - Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • 2003 A Little Moonlight - Best Jazz Vocal Performance
  • 2006 Good Night, And Good Luck - Best Jazz Vocal Album - Soundtrack
  • 2015 Beautiful Life - Best Jazz Vocal Album

She is the first female singer to win a Grammys for three consecutive years (2001-2003).

Other awards

  • In 2002 she received the Ella Fitzgerald Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival .
  • In 2003 she was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston .
  • In 2015 she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music from the Juilliard School , New York.

Discography

  • 1977 - Welcome to My Love
  • 1987 - Better Days
  • 1988 - I Remember
  • 1990 - Never Too Far
  • 1991 - Dianne Reeves
  • 1993 - Art & Survival
  • 1994 - Quiet After the Storm (was nominated for a Grammy in 1995)
  • 1995 - Peter Herbolzheimer RC&B: Colors of a Band (Special Guest: Dianne Reeves)
  • 1996 - The Grand Encounter
  • 1996 - Palo Alto Sessions
  • 1997 - That Day ...
  • 1997 - New Morning (Live)
  • 1999 - Bridges
  • 2000 - In the Moment: Live in Concert (her first live CD, with which she won her first Grammy in 2001)
  • 2002 - The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan (A homage from her perspective to her great role model Sarah Vaughan and one of her most extensive projects to date)
  • 2002 - Best of Dianne Reeves (a compilation of her hits)
  • 2003 - A Little Moonlight (won third Grammy in 2004)
  • 2004 - Christmas Time is Here (first Christmas CD)
  • 2006 - Good Night, And Good Luck (soundtrack to the film of the same name)
  • 2007 - Music for Lovers
  • 2008 - When You Know
  • 2013 - Beautiful Life (Concord)

Web links

Commons : Dianne Reeves  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Reeves, Dianne
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Detroit , Michigan