Reeves

Vol. 1. Connu du monde entier, Hubert Reeves est autant apprecie par ses pairs que par le grand public pour son engagement et ses qualites de transmetteur de savoirs. A la suite de ses nombreuses conferences de vulgarisation, Hubert Reeves a voulu, avec son fils Benoit, realiser un enregistrement pedagogique des questions qui lui sont le plus souvent posees. …

In the wake of the sometimes uneven live album In the Moment, Diane Reeves returns in exceptional form with a concept album, The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan. A tribute to one of jazz's legendary heroines, The Calling catches the many moods of the singer who became known simply as Sassy, delving into songs the jazz great popularized, including "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Send in the Clowns." On "Lullaby," Reeves summons Sassy's ghost with familiar phrasing and a majestic, powerful delivery. But it is on the lesser-known Vaughan numbers that Reeves really excels, making the standards her own. "Obsession" was recorded by Vaughan on her final album, 1987's Brazilian Romance. Reeves explores the emotional vehicle like an eagle, soaring grandly over surging orchestral accompaniment.

This disc reissues Dianne Reeves' entire 1982 LP "Welcome to My Love", plus three tracks from 1985's "For Every Heart" and one selection from her days as a vocalist with the band Caldera.

Dianne Reeves has been one of the top singers in jazz ever since the late '80s. A logical successor to Dinah Washington and Carmen McRae (although even she can't reach the impossible heights of Ella and Sarah Vaughan), Reeves is a superior interpreter of lyrics and a skilled scat singer.

An amazing moment for singer Dianne Reeves – the first in a long line of excellent records for the Blue Note label – and a wonderfully tight blend of jazz and soul, put together at a level that instantly pushed Reeves into the territory of previous giants like Phyllis Hyman and Marlena Shaw. Like both of those singers, Dianne's got roots in jazz, but also pushes towards more of an R&B vibe at times – but never in a way that's commercially aimed at the charts, especially in comparison to some of her contemporaries. There's a really rich feel to the whole album – thanks to help from George Duke, who produced and played keyboards – alongside other musicians like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ndugu Chancler on drums.

This disc reissues Dianne Reeves' entire 1982 LP Welcome to My Love, plus three tracks from 1985's For Every Heart and one selection from her days as a vocalist with the band Caldera. It contains the first recorded version of her classic "Better Days" and one of the best renditions of the overworked standard "My Funny Valentine" as you're likely to hear. On Welcome, Reeves was exploring the jazz/R&B territory she would claim as her own a decade later. "For Every Heart" was much more commercial, but the three cuts chosen here are worthwhile, especially a duet with Jon Lucien, "Separate Vacations."