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| GRAMMY WINNING JAZZ VOCALIST AND PIANIST DIANE SCHUUR CANCELS TOUR SCHEDULE DUE TO HEALTH CONCERNS "It is with a melancholy heart, " announces Diane Schuur, "that I have decided to cancel my concert performances." The artist has been suffering from Ménière's disease, which significantly impedes her ability to perform. The Grammy Award-winning vocalist's debilitating symptoms include chronic hearing loss in her left ear, accompanied by tinnitus, which produces auditory noise. The disorder affects the inner ear, also causing vertigo and its resultant balance issues. The combination of Schuur's hearing impairment and sudden dizziness, together with her lifelong blindness, has compelled her to cancel her entire 2024 tour schedule. Additionally, airline travel amplifies the complications of Ménière's Disease, and Schuur's doctor has advised her to avoid flying. For a singer and pianist gifted with perfect pitch, diminished hearing poses frustrations and hurdles when performing live. "I never wish to disappoint an audience, and so I have reached the only conclusion that makes sense to me, a sad one nonetheless, " says Schuur. Ménière's disease, which has no cure, is progressive and can eventually lead to permanent hearing loss. Ms. Schuur has been performing professionally for 60 years, and her career encompasses a pair of Grammy Awards (each in the Best Jazz Vocal Performance category, for her albums Timeless and Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra), along with multiple performances at the White House, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, and collaborations with symphonies and big bands around the globe. She has recorded 23 albums, released on such prestigious labels as Atlantic Records, Concord Records and GRP Records. Blind since birth due to retinopathy of prematurity [ROP], the Tacoma native began her education at the State School for the Blind in Vancouver, Washington, going on to study voice at the University of Puget Sound. Schuur was discovered by jazz titan Stan Getz at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1979, and the legendary saxophonist became her mentor and advocate. According to Getz, "She's just like Sarah or Ella to me: she's taking from the tradition, and what comes out is her own conception and advancement of the tradition." Throughout her career, Schuur has teamed up with giants of the music world in the studio and onstage, including Ray Charles, B. B. King, the Count Basie Orchestra, Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow, Jose Feliciano, Dave Grusin, and Maynard Ferguson, among others. Schuur cites Dinah Washington as her early and central influence. Looking to her future, Diane Schuur plans to spend more time with family and create a quieter lifestyle, absent the challenges of international travel, rehearsals, and concert performances. "I've had a blessed career, " Schuur reflects. "Even with all the ups and downs that follow most musicians, myself included, I'm grateful for every moment. It's time for me to focus on my health, and find peace, with a slower existence. I'd like to write my memoir, and I've been contemplating a title: And Now I See. write your comments about the article :: © 2024 Jazz News :: home page |