Al Jarreau

Al Jarreau
Background information
Birth name Alwin Lopez Jarreau
Born March 12, 1940 (1940-03-12) (age 71)
Origin Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Genres Jazz, Pop, Soul, Funk
Occupations Singer
Instruments Vocals, Percussion
Years active 1960s–present
Labels Reprise, Warner Bros., GRP, Concord, Rhino
Website www.aljarreau.com

Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau (born March 12, 1940) is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.[1]

Contents

Background

Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and his mother was a church pianist. He and his family sang together in church concerts and in benefits, and he and his mother performed at PTA meetings.[2]

He was student council president and Badger Boys State delegate for Lincoln High School, going on to Ripon College, where he also sang with a group called the Indigos. Jarreau graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology.[1] He went on to earn a master's degree in vocational rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor in San Francisco and moonlighted with a jazz trio headed by George Duke.

In 1967, he joined forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez.[1] The duo became the star attraction at a small Sausalito night club called Gatsby's. This success contributed to Jarreau's decision to make professional singing his life and full-time career.

Going full-time

In 1968, Jarreau made jazz his primary occupation. In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez headed south, where Jarreau appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, The Troubadour, and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore, and David Frost. He expanded his nightclub appearances performing at The Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi. During this period, he became involved with the United Church of Religious Science and the Church of Scientology, but he is no longer affiliated with Scientology. Also, roughly at the same time, he began writing his own lyrics, finding that his Christian spirituality began to impact his work.[2]

In 1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom Canning when he was spotted by Warner Bros. Records and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him to international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.

One of Jarreau's most commercially successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're In This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well known for his scat singing and the ability to imitate conventional guitar, bass, and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We Are the World" in which he sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand." Another charitable media event, HBO's Comic Relief, featured Al in a duet with Natalie Cole singing the song "Mr. President," written by Joe Sterling, Mike Loveless and Ray Reach.

Jarreau took an extended break from recording in the 1990s. As he explained in an interview with Jazz Review: "I was still touring, in fact, I toured more than I ever had in the past, so I kept in touch with my audience. I got my symphony program under way, which included my music and that of other people too, and I performed on the Broadway production of Grease. I was busier than ever! For the most part, I was doing what I have always done … perform live. I was shopping for a record deal and was letting people know that there is a new album coming. I was just waiting for the right label (Verve), but I toured more than ever."[3]

In 2003, Jarreau and conductor Larry Baird collaborated on symphony shows around the United States, with Baird arranging additional orchestral material for Jarreau's shows.

He has toured and performed with numerous musicians, including Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Rick Braun, and George Benson. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.

Al Jarreau appeared in a duet with American Idol finalist Paris Bennett during the Season 5 finale and on Celebrity Duets singing with actor Cheech Marin.

In 2010, Al Jarreau is a guest on the new Eumir Deodato album, with the song "double face" written by Al Jarreau Deodato and Nicolosi production team. The song is produced by Nicolosi productions.Italy

Personal life

Jarreau has been married twice. His first marriage, to Phyllis Hall, lasted from 1964 to 1968. His second wife was model Susan Player whom he married in 1977. Jarreau and Player have one adult son together, Ryan.

It was reported on July 23, 2010 that Jarreau was critically ill at a hospital in France, while in the area to perform a concert at nearby Barcelonnette, and was being treated for respiratory problems and cardiac arrhythmias.[4] He was taken to the intensive care unit at Gap late on July 22, 2010.[5] Jarreau was conscious, in stable condition and in the cardiology unit of La Timone hospital in Marseille, the Marseille Hospital Authority said. He was expected to remain there for about a week for tests.[6]

Since then, Jarreau has made a full recovery and continues to tour extensively.[7]

In 2009 Children's author, Carmen Rubin wrote and released the story, Ashti Meets Birdman Al, inspired by the music of Al Jarreau. He has written the foreword for that book and reads it across the world. Both Al and Carmen both work together to promote literacy and the importance of keeping music alive in children. Books are available on Itunes and www.carmenrubin.com

Discography

Albums

Live albums

Compilations

Recorded after 1975

Recorded before 1974

After Jarreau's breakthrough in 1975 an almost unaccountable number of compilations of earlier recordings from 1965 to 1973 have emerged, including some or all of the following songs:

Songs by Bill Withers
Songs by Al Green
Songs by various composers
Compilations (recordings before 1974)

Following list is a sampling of compilations, composed of the songs recorded before 1974.

Several of the compilations listed above have different titles and/or year of release, even though they contain the same songs, e.g.:

Singles

Soundtrack inclusions

Guest appearances

Grammy Awards

Wins

Nominations

References

  1. ^ a b c "Brief official bio". aljarreau.com. http://www.aljarreau.com/about. 
  2. ^ a b Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Farmington Hills, Mich: Gale, 2009. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC.
  3. ^ See http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=1037. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ^ (AFP) – 1 hour ago. "AFP: US jazz singer Al Jarreau critically ill in France". Google.com. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hVnn2WJi88h65KKZk9Z0S4w29MBw. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 
  5. ^ "US jazz singer Al Jarreau critically ill in hospital". http://www.france24.com/en/20100723-us-jazz-singer-al-jarreau-critically-ill-hospital-france. 
  6. ^ "Al Jarreau Stable, Changes Hospitals in France". Associated Press. 24 July 2010. http://www.billboard.com/news/al-jarreau-stable-changes-hospitals-in-france-1004106013.story#/news/al-jarreau-stable-changes-hospitals-in-france-1004106013.story. Retrieved 6 December 2010. 
  7. ^ Mergner, Lee (08/15/10). "Al Jarreau: Feelin' Pretty Good Singer set for performances at Wolf Trap and other venues in U.S. and Japan". http://jazztimes.com/articles/26408-al-jarreau-feelin-pretty-good. Retrieved 6 December 2010. 
  8. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 280. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  9. ^ "Welcome to AlJarreau.com - The Official Site For Al Jarreau - 7 Time Grammy Award Winning Jazz / Crossover Legend!". Aljarreau.com. http://www.aljarreau.com/. Retrieved 2010-07-23. 

External links