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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZREEVES, Dianne(b '56, Detroit MI) Jazz singer with lovely contralto, 3.5 octave range. Grew up in Denver, sang 'That's All' at 16 with Gene Harris, discovered at 17 by Clarke Terry, sang with his band; worked with Colorado Symphony, studied at U of Colorado, moved to LA, worked with Sergio Mendez, Harry Belafonte and others; sensation at Monterey Jazz Festival backed by Tito Puente; recorded with Stanley Turrentine, George Duke etc. LPs For Every Heart and Welcome To My Love on Palo Alto (later The Palo Alto Sessions on Blue Note); Blue Note debut Dianne Reeves '87 incl. Jerome Kern standard 'Yesterdays', 'I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good' by Duke Ellington, up-tempo 'That's All' with scat choruses (written '52 by Alan Brandt and Bob Haymes; recorded by Nat Cole); new tunes incl. 'Chan's Song (Never Said)' by Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder and her own co-written 'Better Days' and 'Sky Islands'. With her regular trio of Billy Childs on piano, Tony Dumas on bass, Ralph Penland on drums, many guests incl. Stanley Clarke, Freddie Hubbard, Hancock, Duke, Tony Williams; almost but not quite overproduced by Duke (synclavier strings on two tracks), an auspicious major label debut by a fine voice. Subsequently on EMI and/or Blue Note: Never Too Far '90, I Remember '91 (with all-star cast incl. Marvin 'Smitty' Smith, Bobby Hutcherson etc), Art And Survival '94, Quiet After The Storm '95 with Joshua Redman, Dori Caymmi and eight others; The Grand Encounter '96 showed further evidence of increasing artistic control. |