In this Hamilton College program, Reeves reclaims the priceless legacy of Sarah Vaughan, as heard on her heralded Blue Note recording, The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan. "Her three-plus octaves, diva-like delivery, and intimate sense of a song have long made her one of the most compelling vocalists in jazz," says the Seattle Times.
As a Grammy award winning songstress, Dianne Reeves has shared the stage with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, and John Williams, garnering accolades as one of jazz's pre-eminent female vocalists throughout her career. With her strong, agile voice, rhythmic virtuosity, and improvisational ease, Dianne Reeves was clearly born of jazz. But music, according to Reeves, should have "no boundaries," so her singing draws upon a world of influences including: Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean; gospel and R&B, classic and contemporary pop. Reeves' musicianship is tied to a powerful storytelling instinct—one that conveys a message of hope that sparks all her work.
The dignity of Dianne Reeves' singing is rooted in her childhood. Born in Detroit and raised in Denver, Reeves lost her father to cancer when she was two. But the women in her family—her grandmother, her mother (a nurse), her aunt, her sister Sharon—helped give her an unshakable sense of fortitude. Music was another gift from the family. Her father had been a singer, her mother played trumpet, and an uncle worked as a bassist with the Colorado Symphony. Further inspiration came from George Duke, the celebrated keyboardist, composer and arranger, who would later become her record producer.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. All seating is general admission. For more information or to order tickets, call the box office at 859-4331. Box office hours are 1 – 4 p.m. weekdays.
