It is one of those nights at the Philarmonie here in Luxembourg. One of those unforgettable nights. One of those nights everyone knows it is going to be great even before it begins. Yes, it is definitely one of those nights.
I have been literally chasing Dianne Reeves for many years, looking forward to the opportunity to seeing her playing live and the moment has come at last.
Lights go down, and the musicians start walking to the stage. A great entrance for the artist who has been defined by The New York Times as “the most admired jazz diva since the heyday of Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday”.
And then, here she is…Dianne Reeves, wearing a beautiful white dress…a real “diva” in the perfect spot.
Dianne Reeves, born in Detroit Michigan, motherland to many jazz musicians, was raised by her mother, because her father left them when she was only two years old. She moved to Denver, Colorado, where her uncle, Charles Burrell, played double bass with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Her uncle and her aunt introduced Dianne to jazz music.
During the time she spent at George Washington high school, she discovered “her voice” and she decided that she wanted to become a professional singer.
In 1976, she moved to Los Angeles and there she started her career as a singer.
Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter are the three female singers who mostly contributed to define the real voice of Dianne Reeves.
Dianne Reeves is a five-time Grammy winner, but she is also the recipient of the 2003 Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music, as well as of the 2015 Honorary Doctorate from the Julliard School and the 2018 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters, United States’ highest honor for jazz. In addition to Dianne, the 2018 Jazz Masters were pianist Joanne Brackeen, guitarist Pat Metheny and producer Todd Barkan.
It is one of those nights at the Philarmonie.
“I like rain”, she says after her first song, “but this is really too much!”. And how to blame her? She arrives on the day where it is expected “horizontal rain” here in Luxembourg, a weather phenomenon most of people had no clue it could even exist in nature. But that’s climate change and we cannot do nothing.
A voice from another planet, and to accompany her in this musical journey a band from another planet, composed of the double-Grammy winner John Beasley on piano and keyboard, Reuben Rogers on double bass and electric bass, Grammy-winning musician extraordinaire Terreon Gully and, last but not least, Romero Lubambo, on acoustic guitar and electric guitar.
There is a special connection between Dianne and Romero Lubambo and she explains the reason why the moment they are left alone on stage. Lubambo has been playing on every single Dianne’s album since the very beginning. “I used to say he is my brother from another mother”.
It is a concert of “grace” and “peace”. There is also a touching moment when Dianne pays tribute to Wayne Shorter, one of the most important artists in the whole history of jazz and one of her music references.
It is the end of those nights…the audience cannot stop applauding.
Yes. it is one those nights here at the Philarmonie!
Philarmonie Luxembourg – Jazz & beyond
Dianne Reeves vocals
John Beasley piano, keyboards
Romero Lubambo acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Reuben Rogers double bass, electric bass
Terreon Gully drums, cymbals
