|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Al Jarreau to Warm Hearts in St. Louis on Valentine's Day Weekend Al Jarreau is the only vocalist to win a Grammy Award in each of the jazz, pop, and R&B categories. Along with this incomparable peer recognition, his prolific talent, critical acclaim, and crossover fan base have sustained Jarreau's decades-long career, which shows no sign of fatigue. Perhaps best described in the lyrics of one of his most popular tunes, "We're in this Love Together", Jarreau's singing voice, "like berries on the vine, get(s) sweeter all the time." Time magazine recently noted that he has "a range and agility that would be impressive at any age." He is further revered for his gift for scat and ability to perfectly imitate guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. Jarreau's repertoire includes so many romantic tunes that he released a compilation album, Love Songs in early 2008. Just in time for Valentine's Day, Al Jarreau will appear live in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis on February 13, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Jarreau's heartfelt interpretation of romantic lyrics has had audiences swooning since before 1975, when he was first signed to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. His debut album, We Got By, garnered immediate critical and popular acclaim. Several years later, in 1981, came Breakin' Away, one of Jarreau's most commercially and artistically successful albums, which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together." Around the same time, he wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the wildly popular 1980s television show Moonlighting. He was a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We are the World" and sang the line, "…and so we all must lend a helping hand." 1992's Heaven and Earth and 1994's Tenderness found great success with adult contemporary audiences. To commemorate the 20th year of his career, Jarreau released his first-ever compilation album, Best of Al Jarreau. The collection highlights 14 of Jarrreau's best-known songs alongside two new tracks produced by Jarreau's long-time friend, jazz giant George Duke. The January 2008 release, Love Songs, features many of Jarreau's biggest hits released from 1976 through 2006 including "After All", "Your Song", and "Teach Me Tonight". write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |