ARTIST
DIRECTORY
If
there was ever an singer who's voice could create
their own music staff it would be Al Jarreau.
We identify him as a Jazz Musician / Singer
when it's more like a vocal percussionist. The
ability to speak, sing, keep tempo by playing
drums, trumpet, guitar, and bass guitar in one
song with his voice has set him apart from other
artists. He and his live performances ... will
be missed. We at C. Allen Productions Unlimited,
Inc. would like to give our condolences to his
family and thank them for sharing him with us.
Alwin Lopez
Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12,
2017), better known by his stage name Al Jarreau,
was an American singer and musician. He received
a total of seven Grammy Awards and was nominated
for over a dozen more. Jarreau is perhaps
best known for his 1981 album Breakin' Away.
He also sang the theme song of the late-1980s
television series Moonlighting, and was among
the performers on the 1985 charity song "We
Are the World".
Early
life and career
Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on
March 12, 1940, the fifth of six children.
The Jarreau website refers to Reservoir Avenue,
the name of the street where he lived. Jarreau's
father was a Seventh-day Adventist Church
minister and singer, and his mother was a
church pianist. Jarreau and his family sang
together in church concerts and in benefits,
and he and his mother performed at PTA meetings.
Jarreau
was student council president and Badger Boys
State delegate for Lincoln High School. At
Boys State, Jarreau was elected governor.
Jarreau went on to attend Ripon College, where
he also sang with a group called the Indigos.
Jarreau graduated in 1962 with a bachelor
of science degree in psychology. Jarreau 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, Jarreau joined
forces with acoustic guitarist Julio Martinez.
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.
Career
In 1968, Jarreau made jazz his primary
occupation. In 1969, Jarreau and Martinez
headed south, where Jarreau appeared at 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 later dissociated from Scientology. Also,
roughly at the same time, he began writing
his own lyrics, finding that his Christian
spirituality began to influence his work.
In
1975, Jarreau was working with pianist Tom
Canning when he was spotted by Warner Bros.
Records. On Valentine's Day 1976 he sang on
the 13th episode of NBC's new Saturday Night
Live, that week hosted by Peter Boyle. Soon
thereafter he released his critically acclaimed
debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him
to international fame and garnered him an
Echo Award (the German equivalent of the Grammy's
in the United States). A second Echo Award
would follow with the release of his second
album, Glow. In 1978, Al won his first U.S.
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance
for his album, Look To The Rainbow.
One
of Jarreau's most commercially successful
albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes
the hit song "We're in This Love Together".
He won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Male
Pop Vocal Performance for Breakin' Away. In
1984, his single "After All" reached
69 on the US Hot 100 chart and number 26 on
the R&B chart. It was especially popular
in the Philippines. His last big hit was the
Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American
television show Moonlighting, for which he
wrote the lyrics. Among other things, he was
well known for his extensive use of scat singing,
and vocal percussion. 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." 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.
Jarreau performing at the Molde International
Jazz Festival, 1996. Jarreau toured and performed
with Joe Sample, Chick Corea, Kathleen Battle,
Miles Davis, George Duke, David Sanborn,[16]
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.[17]
In 2006, 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, Jarreau was a
guest on the new Eumir Deodato album, with
the song "Double Face" written by
Nicolosi/Deodato/Al Jarreau. The song was
produced by the Italian company Nicolosi Productions.
On February 16, 2012, he was invited to the
famous Italian Festival di Sanremo to sing
with the Italian group Matia Bazar.
Personal
Life
Jarreau was married twice. His first
marriage was to Phyllis Hall. Jarreau and
Hall were married from 1964 to 1968, when
they divorced. Jarreau's second wife was model
Susan Elaine Player who was fourteen years
his junior. Player and Jarreau were married
from 1977 until his death in 2017. Jarreau
and Player had one son together, Ryan. In
2009, children's author Carmen Rubin published
the story Ashti Meets Birdman Al, inspired
by Jarreau's music. He wrote the foreword
for the book and read from it across the world.
Al and Carmen worked together to promote literacy
and the importance of keeping music alive
in children.
Illness
& Death
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.
He was taken to the intensive-care unit at
Gap late on July 22, 2010. Jarreau was conscious,
in stable condition, and in the cardiology
unit of La Timone hospital in Marseilles,
the Marseilles Hospital Authority said. He
was expected to remain there for about a week
for tests.
In
June 2012, Jarreau was diagnosed with pneumonia,
which caused him to cancel several concerts
in France. Jarreau made a full recovery and
continued to tour extensively for the next
5 years until February 2017.
On
February 8, 2017, after being hospitalized
for exhaustion in Los Angeles, Jarreau cancelled
his remaining 2017 tour dates. He died of
respiratory failure, at the age of 76, just
two days after announcing his retirement.
Source:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
