Dianne Reeves | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dianne Elizabeth Reeves |
| Born | October 23, 1956 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | www |
Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer.
Career
Dianne Reeves was born into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and her cousin is George Duke. Although she was born in Detroit, she was raised in Denver. In 1971 she started singing and playing piano.[1] She was a member of her high school band, and while performing at a convention in Chicago was noticed by trumpeter Clark Terry, who invited her to sing with him. "He had these amazing all-star bands, but I had no idea who they all were! The thing I loved about it was the way they interacted with each other - the kind of intimate exchange that I wasn't part of. For a young singer, it was fertile soil."[2] She studied classical voice at the University of Colorado.[3]
Reeves moved to Los Angeles, where she sang and recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Lenny White, and Billy Childs.[4] She recorded with the band Caldera,[5] then founded the band Night Flight with Billy Childs, with whom she would collaborate again in the 1990s. She moved to New York City and from 1983 to 1986 toured with Harry Belafonte.[1]
She signed with Blue Note in 1987 and that year her eponymous album, featuring Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, and Tony Williams, was nominated for a Grammy Award.[4] She went on to win five Grammy Awards.[6]
Music critic Scott Yanow has said of her, "A logical successor to Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae, Reeves is a superior interpreter of lyrics and a skilled scat singer."[7] Her sound has been compared to that of Patti Austin, Vanessa Rubin, Anita Baker, and Regina Bell.[7]
Reeves performed at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.[4] In 2005, she appeared in the film Good Night, And Good Luck singing 1950s standards[7] (including "How High the Moon", "I've Got My Eyes on You", "Too Close for Comfort", "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "One for My Baby"). In 2006 the soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.[2]
Discography
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- Welcome to My Love (Palo Alto, 1982)
- For Every Heart (TBA & Tapes, 1984)
- Ballerina with Marcy Levy (BBC, 1984)
- Dianne Reeves (Blue Note, 1987)
- The Nearness of You (Blue Note, 1988)
- Never Too Far (EMI, 1989)
- I Remember (Blue Note, 1991)
- Quiet After the Storm (Blue Note, 1994)
- Art & Survival (EMI, 1994)
- Three Ladies of Jazz: Live in New York (Jazz Door, 1995)
- The Grand Encounter (Blue Note, 1996)
- New Morning (Blue Note, 1997)
- That Day (Blue Note, 1997)
- Bridges (Blue Note, 1999)
- In the Moment – Live in Concert (Blue Note, 2000)
- The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan (Blue Note, 2001)
- A Little Moonlight (Blue Note, 2003)
- Christmas Time Is Here (Blue Note, 2004)
- Good Night, and Good Luck (Concord, Jazz, 2005)
- When You Know (Blue Note, 2008)
- Beautiful Life (Concord, 2013)
- Light Up the Night: Live in Marciac (Concord, 2016)
Filmography
- 2005: Appeared as jazz singer in Good Night, and Good Luck
- 2005: Dianne Reeves "Live in Montreal" (Montreal International Jazz Festival 2000)
- 2008: Dianne Reeves: The Early Years with Billy Childs and Snooky Young
Awards and honors
- Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female:
- 2001: In the Moment – Live In Concert
- 2002: The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
- 2004: A Little Moonlight
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck
- 2015: Beautiful Life
- 2003: Honorary doctorate, Berklee College of Music [8]
- 2015: Best Album, Jazz FM Awards, Beautiful Life
- 2015: Honorary doctorate, The Juilliard School[9][10]
- 2018: NEA Jazz Masters
References
- ^ a b Frederickson, Scott; Kennedy, Gary (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 3 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. p. 390. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ a b Walters, John L. (April 3, 2008). "Interview: John L Walters meets jazz singer Dianne Reeves". The Guardian. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "In Conversation: Dianne Reeves — Rehearsal Magazine". Re:hearsal Magazine. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Dianne Reeves", Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz.
- ^ Loudon, Christopher (April 9, 2014). "Dianne Reeves: The JazzTimes Interview". JazzTimes. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
- ^ "Dianne Reeves", International Jazz Day, April 30.
- ^ a b c Scott Yanow (October 23, 1956). "Dianne Reeves". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
- ^ "Dr. Dianne Reeves, Students Play Blue Note, David Azarian Benefit", AllAboutJazz, May 1, 2003.
- ^ "Julliard [sic] to award Dianne Reeves an honorary music doctorate", JazzFM, March 2, 2015.
- ^ "5 to Receive Honorary Doctorates", The Juilliard Journal.
External links
- Official website
- Interview video Bamboo-music.com (English & French), March 2008.
- Thierry Quénum, "In Conversation with Dianne Reeves", Jazz.com, June 15, 2008
- Felix Contreras, "Dianne Reeves: A Jazz Voice With Pop Sensibilities", NPR, February 1, 2011.