Biography

b. 23 October 1956, Detroit, Michigan, USA. A vocalist with an international reputation and following, Dianne Reeves made her name in the late 80s, when she was discovered by Blue Note Records during a worldwide revival of interest in jazz. A gifted technician with a genuine swing feel, Reeves' career has tended to reflect the difficult fortunes of the singer trying to find a voice in contemporary jazz, without succumbing to the financially dominant worlds of soul or R&B. Born in Detroit but raised from the age of two in Denver, Reeves was still in high school, singing with the high-school big band, when she was spotted by swing trumpeter Clark Terry at the National Association of Jazz Educators Conference in Chicago. Terry's encouragement and advice led her to study at the University of Colorado, where she was able to perform with him, and later to move to California and pursue music full-time. In Los Angeles in the mid-70s, Reeves' range and rich, expressive natural voice, led her quickly into the west coast's famous studio scene, where she became very much in demand, recording for drummer Lenny White, saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and drummer Alphonso Johnson.
Between 1978 and 1980, she worked full-time with Los Angeles-based pianist Billy Childs, whom Reeves still credits for giving her a chance to experiment and grow, while working almost nightly. Still studying (under vocal coach Phil Moore), she gained her first big international exposure in 1981, touring with Sergio Mendes. Reeves recorded her first album a year later. Welcome To My Love, co-produced by Childs and released on Palo Alto Jazz, set the trend for the original material that helped to distinguish much of Reeves' work in later years. However, it was in 1987 that she had her biggest break, when Blue Note Records president Bruce Lundvall spotted her at an Echoes Of Ellington concert in Los Angeles, and wasted no time in setting up her first major session. The resulting Dianne Reeves featured George Duke, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, Stanley Clarke and her old friend Billy Childs, and rocketed Reeves onto the international festival circuit.
Despite a long-running flirtation with R&B and soul (her discography is split almost exactly down the middle), Reeves has managed to retain her jazz credibility, in 1995 releasing Quiet After The Storm, a superb world music-influenced jazz record with guest contributions by saxophonist Joshua Redman, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, flautist Hubert Laws, guitarist Kevin Eubanks and percussionist Airto Moreira.
DISCOGRAPHY: Welcome To My Love (Palo Alto 1982)***, For Every Heart (Palo Alto 1985)***, Dianne Reeves (Blue Note 1987)***, Never Too Far (EMI 1989)***, I Remember (EMI 1990)***, Art And Survival (EMI 1994)***, Quiet After The Storm (Blue Note 1995)****, The Grand Encounter (Blue Note 1996)****, 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)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Palo Alto Sessions (Blue Note 1996)***, The Best Of Dianne Reeves (Blue Note 2002)****.

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