Category : diary

Al Jarreau’s Diary from Europe April 2009

As we fly out of Moscow, it’s Easter Sunday and we’re closing out the 3rd week of a 6 week Spring Tour in Europe and it’s time for some halftime thank-yous and acknowledgments.

We started the tour with 9 dates in Germany: Tuttlingen, Munich, Mainz, Bochum, Hannover, Wiesloch, Bremerhaven, Bielefeld, and Nordhorn. What? You don’t know these cities? Not to worry–I was first-timing in many of them myself! I wish I could tour America so thoroughly and completely. Danke Deutschland yet again. Danke Hennning

We went on to France, and played Marseille, Lyon, Nancy, Lille, Paris, and Nice, keeping a long-time promise to tour more thoroughly in France. The reaction was strong everywhere, with Lille on their feet most of the night. Paris was over-the-moon fabulous… I wept long into the morning and called home. (Merci Bernard!)

The band is brilliant, solos sparkling, with ensemble interplay tight and catapulting. We’ve developed this segment where I get out of the way and they just let it rip. It’s a thrill for our whole company to watch our new guitarist John Calderon and new bass player Stanley Sargeant step in and claim those roles, and then go on to redefine them. The “process” is confirmed and reaffirmed….

We followed Elton John, Andrea Bocelli, and Buenavista Social Club into a brand new venue in Moscow called the Barvikha Luxury Village, with about 700 seats. Thanks, Alex. You keep coming up with new situations and occasions.

Vienna was about as magical as any dancer in “the dream” could hope for; hot and attentive and responsive–And they rushed the stage.

There are some real, true fine arts Meccas in the world. Vienna is one of them… Literature, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture, music, and science, etc. for hundreds of years. To be repeatedly invited back says it all. Thank you, Erich Zawinul, promoter. Yeah you know that last name, Joe’s son.

Nine more dates in this refreshing Spring season. Linz, Budapest, Imst, Lucerne, Tallinn Estonia, Copenhagen, Espoo Finland, Oslo, and Stockholm.

Stay Tuned, Al

Al Jarreau’s Diary from SE Asia 2008 Tour with George Benson

Hi everybody,

I haven’t made a diary entry in a very long time. I don’t like that…but, I got swamped and so busy that I had to let go of some stuff. Still, somehow I’ve got to check in with you at least intermittently, even if briefly and update you. Losing touch for so long is not okay. So, I apologize and will really try to talk to you more.

I’ll save the general catch up highlights for another time. Right now, I must mention that George Benson and I just closed out a seven city asia tour. Seoul, Beijing, shanghai, manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and last night our closer in Jakarta. It was wonderful!

This tour was a continuation of the world tour which began just after the release of our ‘givin it up’ record. I owe a really special thanks to all of the promoters who invited us. There’s no sure thing in the concert biz these days and so promoters are always a little nervous, especially international places where you’ve never been. Thanks guys!

Here’s another special thank you to Eric John and wife, the American ambassador of Thailand, who had a beautiful reception for us at their home. That’s wonderfully thoughtful U.S. officialdom… they even met us at the airport.

Going to Asia is so rare and wonderful that it’s always a little frustrating that there isn’t time for sightseeing and ‘getting the feel’.

We arrived in Beijing between the close of the 2008 Olympic games, and the start of the Paralympics. The air was just buzzing with the energy of the games, and when I mentioned ‘congrats’ on what great hosts they were and the china medal count – they erupted.

Shanghai was buzzing and banging and klanging with all of the new building going on. It’s eye-popping, jaw dropping the amount of new construction. Canyons of glass and steel, and new bridges of the most wonderful modern design.

By the way, there was a terrific 2 page Time Magazine Asia article, with Sarah Palin on the cover. Thank you time magazine, I’m so flattered. Thanks Fiona for all of you hard work.

And of course BIG HUGS and KNUCKLE BUMPIN to our fantastic band and crew. Also, to our tour manager Anna, and our management rep Joe Gordon. This was a band made up of some of George Benson’s band, and some members of our band. Larry Williams, Joe Turano (my musical director), David Garfield (George’s musical director), Mike O’Neill (has been with GB for 20+ years), Stanley Banks (of the ‘Breezin’ record), Thom Hall, and Mark Simmons playing drums during Both sets.

Thank you band, You were fantastic! Standing ovations, and encores all over the place.

BREAKING NEWS: WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROACHED TO RETURN TO SE ASIA TO DO ANOTHER 6-8 CITY TOUR. DETAILS TO BE UPDATED LATER.

Al Jarreau Interview – Tamar Alexia Fleishman

Singer Al Jarreau has been wowing audiences for over five decades. As a toddler growing up in Milwaukee, he sang with his brothers at various public events. However, as a young man, Jarreau set aside his show business ambitions, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Ripon College and a Master’s Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation at the University of Iowa. Jarreau then began a career in Vocational Rehab, but singing still pulled at his heartstrings. He sang jazz at a local nightclub before pulling up stakes and moving to Los Angeles. There, he finally got serious about his musical career.

Soon, he was singing on the West Coast and appearing on all of the great 70’s talks shows on the East Coast: Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, David Frost and Mike Douglas. He also served as the warm up act for many comics, including John Belushi, David Brenner and Bette Midler.

Jarreau started recording in 1975; his debut album, “We Got By,” received a German Grammy. Two albums and years later, he won his first American Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for “Look to the Rainbow.” In 1978, “All Fly Home” netted him a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist. The Grammy’s kept rolling in with the ’80’s “Breakin’ Away” for Best Male Pop Vocalist and Best Male Jazz Vocalist. He was nominated for a Grammy for the catchy theme to the show “Moonlighting,” as well as for Best R&B album for “Heart’s Horizon.” In 1992, Jarreau received his fifth Grammy award for “Heaven and Earth”, in the field of Best R & B Vocal Performance.

When he’s not recording even more award-winning albums or touring, Al Jarreau still keeps plenty busy: he completed a three-month stint on Broadway playing the role of Teen Angel in the hit musical Grease. He has also appeared on New York Undercover, Touched By An Angel and a national McDonald’s commercial.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LATEST PROJECTS.

I have a wonderful record that’s 18 months old. I did it with my very first producer and engineer. We got back together to do my first real jazz project. It’s called “Accentuate the Positive.” People have always thought of me as a jazz singer, but the real truth is that all my records are R & B/pop with undertones and overtones of jazz. I put together a quartet of piano, bass, drums and guitar.

YOU QUICKLY WON GRAMMYS WITH YOUR FIRST ALBUMS. HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING?

I suppose that over the years, all of us are in it for the work. You do it with all of your heart. Maybe that attracts people, the love of the craft. I do okay, even during these times and days where the artist isn’t especially encouraged to do artistic things. I refuse to go away! There are more rewards now to those who seem to fit in a mold. It has nothing to do with art and fine art.

DID WINNING THE GRAMMYS CHANGE THE CLOUT YOU HAD IN DEALING WITH RECORD COMPANIES?

I think there’s an impact, having acclaim from other artists and professional colleagues. But it’s hard to measure. I don’t think the record companies are especially moved to deal across the table.

YOU HAVE EXCELLED IN MANY STYLES OF MUSIC AND YOUR FANS DID NOT ABANDON YOU. WHEN WILLIE NELSON RECORDED A BLUES ALBUM, HE COULDN’T EVEN GET A RECORDING CONTRACT. HOW DID YOU AVOID THAT FATE?

My R & B and pop songs are seasoned with a jazzy approach. I haven’t really stretched my audience in ways they may not expect. But my new record has hardly gotten a nod. It’s hard for me to understand. It’s not selling the numbers I expected. It may turn triple-platinum, several years down the road, but I’m very disappointed. This album should appeal to people (even) outside my audience: the jazz purists and the people who go for instrumental jazz. It’s a great record!

A PERSON’S VOICE IS A DELICATE INSTRUMENT. HOW DO YOU PRESERVE IT?

Basically, stay healthy. Eschew bad habits, not sing too much. It sounds absurd, but it’s the truth! Being a fine singer does not fit in the lifestyle of singing 5 nights a week for an hour and a half to two hours, living on a bus, getting very little sleep. But that’s what we all have to do.

YOU’VE PARTICIPATED IN LIVE INTERNET CHATS, TELL ME ABOUT THAT.

It’s a great thing when you can get it organized. When we did it through my own web site, announcing it 3 or 4 weeks ahead of time, we missed the boat. When the record company did the publicity for an Internet chat, it worked.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR VERIZON LITERACY CHAMPION AWARD?

As a nation, we’re really slipping. The statistics are appalling. 48% of Americans read below the 6th grade level. They can’t read maps or prescriptions or fill out a job application with accuracy. We raise money for books, computers and even training volunteers.

WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

You’d be surprised! I find myself loving the sound of silence. I need that space for my own work. Sometimes, I’ll turn on the classical station in hotel rooms. But we are bombarded by commercial, “buy this product” music. We’re just hammered. I need a break! I’m saturated and so are you. People need a break so they don’t buy unimportant, superfluous, garbage music. Very few people can find music that touches them anymore.

Thanks for the Live Chat!

I participated in a 2-day chat room yesterday & today (Europe on Sunday and America today). It was fun, but not nearly the response I hoped for. I quickly realized that I should have given more advanced notice & perhaps even announced the chat at a few other sources. Thank you to all of you that participated in the chat, it was great getting to know you and letting you get to know me. This is good stuff. I look forward to the next one, and I’ll be giving you plenty of notice next time ’cause I want to talk to all of you!

We’re tentatively thinking about doing another chatroom in early July before leaving for my European Tour – So stay tuned…