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Show n ai , ICEEFI MG Luciano y Mar zulli Vargas a medium dominated by instrumentalists, talented and versatile singers are often few and far between, but Dianne Reeves' ability on the mic as well as her learning experiences with some of the greats will have a new generation of vocalists taking notes as Reeves sings. by jeremy mathews 2 !VJ fi: ... s ( I j 00OO World Cup Dan Bern Messenger Records 6o pages and a CD It's obvious Reeves' hard work and dedication to her medium pay off because many consider her among the few torchbearers of the jazz vocal tradition. Nine of Reeves' n albums appear on the Blue Note label, a force to be reckoned with in the $20, paperback 00 i , ' music industry with the motto, "the finest in jazz since 1939 " Some of the more notable jazz greats carried on Blue Note are Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd and the most recent phenomenon, St. Germain. Since 1994 the Blue Note label has hosted the jazz vocalist on eight albums, but Reeves traveled a long road to stand among the greats'. In her college days she performed, then started doing session work in 1976. Six years later, she toured with Brazilian jazz great Sergio Mendes, one of the two people she attributes a great deal of her learning to as she told the audience in her live album, In The Moment released in 2000. On the album she reminisces about touring with Sergio as she leads into a Brazilian tune called C"3he ) k ' v W : 1 i full-lengt- five-son- g " - tMlMiflirrminrHW-intiri-iilrilitiir- i MM When Dianne Reeves scats, it sounds smooth and natural. Co see if she is better in person than on her studio albums. live shows. While touring with her, Sergio Mendes taught Reeves a great deal about music and performing live. Reeves attributes much of her inspiration to another stepped on stage to perform that she was Vaughan. In 2001, Reeves released The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan in which she covers her favorite songs by the late singer. The selections axen't the most famous, but certainly the most personal. 10-min- female jazz vocalist, Sarah Vaughan. At Cannonball Adderley's memorial service in 1975, Reeves met a nice woman back stage only to discover later that evening when the nice woman albums and rumors of exciting Monday's Ball Tournament Tuesday's Flashback Tuesday's mm Wednesday's DJ Livin Room Thursday's COLLEGE NIGHT THONG CONTEST Cash prizes for winners DJ GODINA Friday's Ladies Niulit 1)J SKR1LLA Saturday's Let Cloud 9 take you to Orbit Saturday 15th of February Bikini Contest "FUnR THE REST Ladies never Dav a cover 66 OH 5outn H ! r mi;mbi-.r.- ! ! I state The selections aren't the most famous, but certainly the most personal. Reeves credits Vaughan for teaching her to develop her own approach to the music and develop her own unique style. e Reeves commands her voice so that it doesn't seem to bottom-ou- t too low or soar into the stratosphere. Her voice sounds smooth and her scatting capabilities sound natural, not forced as many contemporary jazz singers sound as they attempt to revisit a technique established in the early days of mid-rang- jazz. The instrumentation that backs up her vocals varies within the jazz genre. Working with Mendes gave her a taste of Brazilian jazz and she is very capable of visiting that material. Some tunes sound lounge driven while others are more somber ballads, and still some tunes take on a danceable soul jazz demeanor. Just before the new year, Reeves completed another studio album with a trio comprised of Peter Martin (piano) Reuben Rogers (bass) and Gregory ' Hutchinson (drums) the yet to be titled album is scheduled for a summer release. Dianne Reeves plays Kingsbury Hall on Monday January 20 as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration. The performance is free but tickets are required. Contact the presenters office for ticket information. loured-mag.co- R4 I January 16, 2003 f guitar and harmonica sound like a traditional talkin' blues song, maybe are vocals coming in and they're Woody Guthrie. But wait, the about Sept. n, 2001. "Worst disaster on U.S. soil, ever!" belts Dan Bern. "Of course, there were the Indians A few million slaves Enron But anyway, it was worse than Pearl Harbor." Through all of "Talkin' Al Kida Blues," the opening track on Dan Bern's The Swastika EP, all the reverence for Sept. u is thrown to the wayside in favor of humorous political commentary. On President George W. Bush's statement that the terrorists hate us because we're free, Bern adds "Free to round up bearded guys." If you're already offended, then you likely won't appreciate the boldness of Bern's politically charged material, but you may have to enjoy some of his quieter, more poetic moments. EP comes out at the same time as World Cup, The Bern's journal of his tour to Europe, which includes a CD with five more songs that he wrote during his trip. This totals up to an album's worth of new material from one of the most impressive folk songwriters to surface in the last decade (The Swastika EP alone runs 30 minutes, the same length as the new Apples in Stereo LP). If you're wondering about the title song, "My Little Swastika," it's a declaration that the Nazi symbol is now a symbol of love ("Stands for John, Paul, George and Ringo Stands for Groucho, Harpo, Zeppo and Chico"), done to the rocking grooves of Bern's backup band, The International Jewish Banking Conspiracy. The rock sound is out of place lyrics are good, but the and frankly, isn't Bern's strong suit. The rest of the EP features sparse accompaniment. "Jail,' about being arrested for marijuana possession and deciding it should be legalized for the good of art. combines humor with a call to arms. The most impressive song, however, is the final track, "Lithuania," a long rumination on ancestors who died in the Holocaust and personal struggle with American identity. A sprawling poem set to music, the song captures yearning and personal conflict even better than the first song elicits stunned laughter. World Cup features a second collection of songs performed with friend Slim Nickel at the end of Bern's European tour. Bern offers personal insights although at times seems to be holding back short stories, lyrics and thoughts on soccer and soccer fans in the bars he goes to while the World Cup is playing. He randomly switches.favorite teams as he travels from place to daik-skinne- d "Triste." After entering the studio as a solo artist in 1982 and making a name for herself on jazz festival rosters, she continued to master her skills as a singer when she embarked on a tour with Harry Belafonte in 1984. Reeves' style remained eclectic before 1994, always moving in between jazz, African music and pop, elements of which are still somewhat apparent in her style. For the past nine years, however, Reeves has stood firmly in the jazz medium with splendid a riuv.r;u;iA gadette The Swastika EP Dan Bern Messenger Records 1 ' St Jamie RED Magazine m place..: There's also an episode in which he feels people on a Holland show aren't paying attention to his song and the interviewer keeps asking him about Bob Dylan, so he stops playing. "Comme Le Vous Faites Tous," which features a French verse, is the strongest track along with the touching "Suicide Bomb." At one point in the journal, Bern writes that he won't write any more songs because his heart isn't in it because of all the suicide bombings and this thought inspires the song. The book offers a nice window into Bern's mind, and the 10 new songs are a welcome addition to the Bern cannon and should hold people over until the he sees fit to release 10 or so new songs as a album. TV full-lengt- h JM Classic Damn Fine Swell Mediocre Ugly OOOOO OOOO RED CD OOO Review OO n,: Scale -- |
