The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia welcomes American jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves along with a hugely talented band for a performance showcasing both her inimitable voice and vast repertoire. The newly developed program will highlight pieces Reeves has honed over countless recordings and live performances, and features well-known Brazilian players—guitarist Romero Lubambo, drummer Rafael Barata, and bassist Itaiguara Brandão—along with pianist John Beasley. Dianne Reeves: Beleza Brazil takes place in the Chan Shun Concert Hall on Sunday March 8, 2020 at 7pm.
Brazilian music has been a consistent presence and passion for Reeves, and its influence can be seen in just about every one of her recordings as well as in her longtime collaborations with leading Brazilian jazz musicians. In advance of a forthcoming Brazilian-inspired album, this will be Reeves’ first full-length program dedicated entirely to the vibrant sounds of the South American country, where familiar genres such as bossa nova, choro, and forró originated. “There’s so much of Africa in their music and rhythms that I’ve always been attracted to their sound,” said Reeves in a 2019 interview with The Philadelphia Tribune. Loosely translated as “the beauty of Brazil” in Portuguese, Beleza Brazil will touch on compositions by Dori Caymmi, Vinícius de Moraes, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and other legendary musicians and songwriters from the region.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Dianne Reeves hails from a wholly musical family. Reeves’ father was a vocalist, her mother played the trumpet, her uncle is famed bassist Charles Burrell, and her late cousin George Duke was a pioneer in both jazz and popular genres—well known for his album Brazilian Love Affair recorded in 1979 in Rio de Janeiro. As a child, Reeves’ mother encouraged her love for music, setting her on the path to study with jazz mentors such as Clark Terry and Phil Moore. Reeves’ first studio album Welcome to My Love was released in 1982, launching an illustrious musical career that now spans almost four decades.
Known for working with fellow musical greats, Reeves has toured with Harry Belafonte, Eduardo del Barrio, and Sergio Mendes, which cemented her longstanding kinship with Latin American music. She has recorded and performed with several symphony orchestras, including with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and served as the first creative chair for jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Reeves has received five Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album, an honorary doctorate of music from Juilliard, and was recently named a 2018 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the highest honour the United States bestows on jazz artists. Her timeless voice and powerful performances have made her an extraordinary world-class talent. Says Wynton Marsalis, “She has one of the most powerful, purposeful, and accurate voices of this or any time,” and The New York Times calls her “the most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday.”
Chan Centre Connects Events (chancentre.com/connects)
Programmed in conjunction with Chan Centre performances, exploring the role of arts and artists in society.
• Pre-show Talk with Steve Maddock – Sunday March 8, 6:15pm in the Royal Bank Cinema at the Chan Centre. Vocalist, educator, and member of Vancouver’s musica intima Steve Maddock examines the historical progression of Brazilian music, from chorinho (aka choro), to samba, and eventually bossa nova, which became a worldwide sensation in the mid-1950s.
Chan Centre Presents: Dianne Reeves: Beleza Brazil
Date: Sunday March 8, 2020 at 7pm
Ticket Prices: From $46
Address: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
University of British Columbia
6265 Crescent Road
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Box Office: 604-822-2697 / www.chancentre.com
Open Tue–Sat, 12pm–5pm
Website: chancentre.com
Photo by Jerris Madison
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