Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer.

Biography

Dianne Reeves was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and her cousin is

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

. Her father died when she was two years old, and she was raised in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, by her mother, Vada Swanson, and maternal family. She was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and attended Cure D'Ars Catholic School in Denver for much of her early schooling.

Career

In 1971, she started singing and playing piano. She was a member of her high-school band, and while performing at a convention in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

was noticed by trumpeter

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duk ...

, 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." She studied classical voice at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

. Reeves moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, where she sang and recorded with

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note label from 1960, touched on jazz fusion ...

Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...

, and

Billy Childs William Edward Childs (born March 8, 1957) is an award-winning American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life When he was sixteen he attended the Community School of the Performing ...

."Dianne Reeves"

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is a non-profit music education organization founded in 1986. Before 2019, it was known as the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, but was then renamed after its longtime board chairman, Herbie Hancock. The in ...

. She recorded with the band

Caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

, 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 Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...

. She signed with

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

in 1987 and that year her eponymous album, featuring

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives ...

, and Tony Williams, was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. She went on to win five Grammy Awards. Music critic

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles a ...

has said of her: "A logical successor to

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

and

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

, Reeves is a superior interpreter of lyrics and a skilled scat singer." Her sound has been compared to that of

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

Vanessa Rubin Vanessa Rubin (born March 14, 1957) is an American jazz vocalist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents from Trinidad and Louisiana, Rubin grew up in a musical household. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Ohio ...

Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...

, and Regina Bell. Reeves performed at the closing ceremony of the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. In 2005, she appeared in the film '' Good Night, and Good Luck'' singing 1950s standards (including "

How High the Moon "How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue '' Two for the Show'', where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock. In ''Two for the S ...

", " I've Got My Eyes on You", "

Too Close for Comfort ''Too Close for Comfort'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. Its name was changed to ''The Ted Knight Show'' w ...

", "

Straighten Up and Fly Right "Straighten Up and Fly Right" is a 1943 song written by Nat King Cole and Irving Mills and one of the first vocal hits for the King Cole Trio. It was the trio's most popular single, reaching number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for ten nonconsec ...

" and " One for My Baby"). In 2006, the soundtrack won the

Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the vocal jazz ...

Discography

* ''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 "Never Too Far" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her first soundtrack and eighth studio album ''Glitter'' (2001). It was written and produced by herself and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song was released as ...

'' (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 ''A Little Moonlight'' is an album by Dianne Reeves released in 2003. ''A Little Moonlight'' won Reeves her third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Track listing #"Loads of Love" (Richard Rodgers) – 4:24 #"I Concentr ...

'' (Blue Note, 2003) * ''Christmas Time Is Here'' (Blue Note, 2004) * '' Good Night, and Good Luck'' (Concord, Jazz, 2005) *''Music For Lovers'' (Blue Note, 2006) * '' 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'', directed by

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

* 2005: ''Dianne Reeves "Live in Montreal"'' (Montreal International Jazz Festival 2000) * 2008: ''Dianne Reeves: The Early Years'' with

and

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of t ...

* 2021: ''JazzTown'' directed by Ben Makinen * 2022: ''Who Killed Jazz'' directed by Ben Makinen

Awards and honors

: ** 2001: '' In the Moment – Live In Concert'' ** 2002: '' The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan'' ** 2004: ''

'' ** 2006: '' Good Night, and Good Luck'' ** 2015: '' Beautiful Life'' * 2003: Honorary doctorate,

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

* 2015: Best Album, Jazz FM Awards, ''Beautiful Life'' * 2015: Honorary doctorate,

The Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

"5 to Receive Honorary Doctorates Commencement 2015"
''The Juilliard Journal'', 2015. * 2018: NEA Jazz Masters

References

External links

*
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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Dianne 1956 births American women jazz singers American jazz singers Grammy Award winners Living people Blue Note Records artists Scat singers Smooth jazz singers Singers from Detroit Jazz musicians from Michigan 20th-century African-American women singers 21st-century African-American women singers African-American Catholics