Al Jarreau

The Pace Report: "The Vocal Master" The Al Jarreau Interview wsg George Duke

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• published: 23 May 2011
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The Blue Note Jazz Club just celebrated their 30th Anniversary and what better way to bring it in is to have seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz/R&B; vocalist Al Jarreau perform to a week of sold-out performances. Mr. Jarreau was backed by the legendary George Duke and his trio featuring Mike Manson, Esperanza Spaulding, and Terri Lyne Carrington. The performances were also on the heels of the new recording "Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio, Live at The Half Note, Volume. 1," the first of three vintage recordings that George recorded of them when they were both getting started in music when they performed in San Fransisco, California in the mid-1960's. George had the material sitting in his closet for decades and decided to have Al listen to the material and gave the go ahead to release the material. After endless hours of mixing the material, George was able to come up with three discs of material. Volume 1 is the first of the next two discs that will be released in the next couple of years. Al Jarreau is one of the few singers that has won the award in the R & B, Pop, and Jazz categories throughout his 40 years in the business. Jarreau has been able to take his unique "vocalese" style of singing and fuse it with the contemporary sounds of most current music styles. Al can be placed in annals of great vocalists like Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett. In 1976, Jarreau was signed to Warner Brothers Records under the tutelage of record producer, now seasoned record executive, Tommy LiPuma. Alwyn Lopez Jarreau was born on March 12th, 1940 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and was the fifth of six siblings. Jarreau's father was a strict minister and singer but instilled a strong religious background and performing while growing up. While attending college, Jarreau would dabble in music. He sang alongside a young and progressive pianist while pursuing his masters degree in San Francisco by the name of George Duke, who years later would produce and tour with. This was during the mid-to-late 1960's when the Bay Area was a hotbed of music. Al would also make the television and nightclub circuit that got him more experience as well as develop him as a better vocalist.Warner Brothers executives saw Jarreau perform at a club in 1975 and signed him. This was also the same year producer Tommy LiPuma signed saxophonist David Sanborn, guitarist and vocalist George Benson, and a new-comer named Michael Franks. 1976 proved to be a pivotal year for all these artists because Benson struck gold with is smash "Breezin" and Jarreau with his debut disc "We Got By." Al Jarreau and George Duke's latest disc "Live at the Half Note, Volume 1, 1965, is available online. For upcoming tour dates, please visit Al online at aljarreau.com.