The Spirit of Jazz Vocal Gymnast Al Jarreau Revived in Rare Lost Live Recording from 1976 in Washington, D.C., Newly Titled “WOW!”
For Record Store Day Black Friday Event on November 29, 2024
and CD & Digital on December 6, 2024

For Record Store Day Black Friday Event on November 29, 2024 and CD & Digital on December 6, 2024

Includes 5 Songs Never Before On a Live Jarreau Recording including James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain” and Count Basie’s “Shiny Stockings,” and Early Takes on “Take Five” and “You Don’t See Me”

Deluxe Set Includes Overview by Acclaimed Music Writer A. Scott Galloway, 

New Interviews with Longtime Jarreau Keyboardist Tom Canning;
Plus Nile Rodgers, Dionne Warwick, Will Downing, Dee Dee Bridgewater and more!

The deluxe CD and Digital editions are available on 12/6 at ResonanceRecords.org https://resonancerecords.org/…/al-jarreauwow-live-in…/ & Bandcamp https://aljarreaulive.bandcamp.com/…/wow-live-at-the

In the pantheon of Jazz singers, Al Jarreau stood as a beaming giant of talent, inspiration, and crossover capability. The beloved platinum seller, known the world over for his hits “We’re in This Love Together,” “Mornin’,” and theme from the TV series “Moonlighting,” started along his path of music crafting an inebriating blend of Jazz standards with Pop hits of the day.

Wow, a recently unearthed live radio recording discovered by Grammy^®-nominated producer Zev Feldman – “The Jazz Detective” – is a 10-song treasure. Releasing as a limited-edition 2-LP set on November 29 as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday Event, and as a deluxe CD and Digital Download on December 6, 2024 on Resonance Records, it captures a still-developing Jarreau captivating an audience on a hot August Saturday night in Washington, D.C. at the city’s intimate, historic, and cherished Childe Harrold Club. Backed by a trio led by longtime collaborator Tom Canning on keyboards, Jarreau fervently and purposefully proves in this pristine recording why it was only going to be two more years before he catapulted to international superstardom.

 “When I met Al in the early 2000s, I happened to be in Washington DC at the time and we struck up a conversation Feldman recalls, “When I met Al in the early 2000s, I happened to be living in D.C. and we struck up a conversation where he told me the very first show he ever played there was at a place called the Childe Harold. Well, 6 months ago, I was at the home of the former operations director for WHFS Radio, and he had this tape of Al’s D.C. debut – professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered. It’s a tour de force! He’s absolutely swingin’ for the fences and has the audience in the palms of his hands. I can’t believe that after Al told me about this particular show all those years ago, we found the actual recording – an amazing set of circumstances!”

 In August of 1976, Jarreau had just released his second studio album, Glow, for Reprise Records. Brought into D.C. that album release week to play for a swiftly developing fan base he had from the local freeform FM radio station, the almighty WHFS, Al gave his all in a set consisting of “Letter Perfect,” “Rainbow in Your Eyes,” “Fire and Rain,” “Take Five,” “Lock All The Gates,” an interlude of “Gimme That Wine,” “Shiny Stockings,” “Aladdin’s Lamp,” “You Don’t See Me” and “We Got By.”

Al Jarreau – the only singer to win Grammy^® Awards in the Jazz, R&B and Pop categories – passed in 2017. In his lifetime, he recorded 6 live albums: Look to the Rainbow: Live in Europe (1977), In London (1985), Tenderness (1994), Live at The Half/Note 1965 with George Duke, Vol. 1 (2011), Al Jarreau and The Metropole Orkest Live (2012), and Live at Montreux 1993 (2016). The inclusion now of the scintillatingly intimate and loose WOW! – featuring every note of the music plus much of the master’s onstage repartee, reveals further excellence fans and connoisseurs will instantly clamor to add to their record collection.

The answers, I’d say, can still be experienced today, in their full creative blossom, whenever Al Jarreau stands in front of a microphone, smiles his engaging smile, and lets the music flow. Like the stellar names I’ve listed above, Al has a golden musical touch.  And, like Crosby defining the holidays with “White Christmas,” Robeson transforming “Ballad For Americans,” like Sinatra vividly bringing “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” to life, and Nat Cole finding the elusive message of “Nature Boy,” Al doesn’t just sing a song, he inhabits it.

Hearing Al sing over the years – from the ‘70s to the present – has been one of my great pleasures, a very special perk of being a music journalist.  It didn’t matter what the subject matter was, whether it was hearing him gift an ebullient Monterey Jazz Festival crowd with a soaring version of “We’re In This Love Together” and a brilliantly improvisational “Take Five,” or watching him roam the stage at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Hall, singing a tender, deeply touching reading of Paul McCartney’s “She’s Leaving Home” followed by a stunning, vocally demanding romp through Chick Corea’s “Spain.”  Al made each song – in each of those rare and special moments in time – his own. 

But it isn’t just the ability to inhabit a song and make it his own that brings Al, along with Crosby, Robeson, Sinatra, Cole and others, to the exalted heights of great musical artistry.  

Add, as well, the almost indefinable element of charisma – the quality that mesmerizes an audience, embracing them within the intimate communicative orbit of a performer.  It’s a quality that produces an almost visible glow of sheer energy when Al finds his groove and takes his listeners on an irresistible rhythmic journey.

Then, in addition, and equally important, there’s the vital element of believability.  Call it the sense of truth, in both the words and music – the feeling that both the story and the atmosphere are real, that the singer is sharing something with his listeners that is as alive and present tense as the evening news.  An old adage says that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  But a song sung by Al Jarreau can – and usually does — create the emotional authenticity of a gallery full of entrancing pictures.

All of these qualities require a delivery system, of course.  And one of the prime attributes that joins Al with Crosby, Robeson, Sinatra, Cole and others is his extraordinary voice.  One could probably make a case, in fact, for Al’s vocal instrument as a combination of many of the attributes in my entire list of great male musical artists.  At times, I’ve heard him sing with the dark baritone timbre of Sinatra, the snappy rhythmic articulation of Cole, the cool balladry of Crosby and the dramatic bravura of Robeson. 

And there’s more, much more.  Depending on his musical mood of the moment, Al can pop out percussion sounds that can rival the layered textures and the upbeat swing of a full drum kit.  He can simulate the sounds of horns and scat sing through complex chord changes and tricky rhythmic meters with an unstoppable flow of ideas.

Like Robeson, Al’s roots are in gospel.  Raised by parents who were deeply involved in spiritual music – his father a minister and a singer, his mother a church pianist — he sang as naturally as he played sports. The inherent aspects of the music, with the rich, melismatic qualities invested in it by African American culture, provided one of the important elements of what would become the Al Jarreau style. 

There were others.  Drawn to jazz early on, he discovered another foundation stone of his style in the improvisational art, with its inspiring combination of creative freedom, blues/gospel structures and the propulsive rhythmic drive we call “swing.” 

Over the course of Al’s remarkable, five decade-plus career, all these attributes coalesced into one of the music world’s most uniquely eclectic  voices, as well as one of the globe’s most universally popular artists.  He is only the second artist – Michael Jackson was the first — to win Grammy Awards in the jazz, pop and r&b categories.  And he has done so because of his unerring ability to bring authenticity to each of those styles.  

Even beyond that admirable quality, Al has been honored for his rare capacity to perform in the recording studio with the same sort of dynamic electricity he brings to his live appearances.  Listening to an Al Jarreau recording can be almost as exciting as experiencing him up close and personal.  That’s a fact that can be attested to by the Recording Academy voters who have selected Al for twelve Grammy nominations, and granted him seven Grammy Awards.  Even more impressively, the Awards and the nominations have taken place over four decades – from the ‘70s to the 2000s – a rare and impressive display of career continuity.

Having made the case for Al as one of the great musical artists, fully worthy of being grouped with the likes of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Paul Robeson and Nat  “King” Cole, among others, I must also add that he would probably be the last to claim such exalted status.  Despite his fully justified inclusion in the ranks of music world royalty, a complete view of Al must also include the modesty that drives his dedication to giving his all, on stage or in the studio – as dependable and productive as a blue collar good guy who knows what it means to work hard to make an honest dollar. One who feels genuine joy in what he does, and communicates that joy to his listeners.

Al Jarreau, in other words, is not just a great musical artist.  He’s the real deal.

– Don Heckman 

Check out Al’s joy in the encore from his 2015 Paris concert, which was beautifully recorded by his friends at Zycopolis, and which they have posted here.

One more suggestion from Team Jarreau-  enjoy Al’s lyrics in his songs that he wrote, including Mornin’, which Rhino has made available here.  Best wishes to all!

Photo by Marina Chavez

Al Jarreau passed away this morning, February 12, 2017.  He was in the hospital, kept comfortable by his wife, son, and a few family and close friends.

He will be missed.

The family asks that no flowers or gifts are sent.  Instead, please consider a contribution to the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music, a wonderful organization which supports music opportunities, teachers, and scholarships for students in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin.  Link to the donation Page:  http://foundation4schoolmusic.org/lifetime-achievement-award/al-jarreau/. Even if you do not plan to contribute, please visit that page and give yourself a minute to watch a beautiful tribute video which was produced by Wisconsin Public Television.

A few days ago, I was asked to describe Al to someone who knew of his success, but did not know him as a person.  I responded with this:  His 2nd priority in life was music.  There was no 3rd.  His 1st priority, far ahead of the other, was healing or comforting anyone in need.  Whether it was emotional pain, or physical discomfort, or any other cause of suffering, he needed to put our minds at ease and our hearts at rest.  He needed to see a warm, affirming smile where there had not been one before.  Song was just his tool for making that happen.

A few things I think Al would want mentioned right now:

To Al’s wife, son, sister, brothers and family:  You allowed Al to share himself with the world.  He was grateful that you gave him that gift.  He knew it was difficult, and regretted that more than he could explain.  Please know that your gift was to us, too, and that we are also grateful.

To everyone who attended his concerts and listened to his albums:  He needed you, and you were always there for him, for more than 50 years.  He was thankful for you every day and tried to show that to each of you.

To his band, and to the many, many talented musicians, writers, composers, and arrangers who played and collaborated with him over the years:  You enabled, supported and thrilled him.  He treasured you, and considered you brilliant.  He loved sharing the stage with you, and was honored that you shared it with him.

To each promoter, presenter and producer:  Thank you for your faith in him.  Your commitment to Al was both essential and endless, and he never took you for granted.

To his agents, managers, crew, counselors, publicists, and journalists who supported his work, and also to all of the airline, hotel, venue and other people who hosted him like royalty:  He noticed every bit of the dedication and effort that you unselfishly provided without limits.  And, he appreciated you completely.

To young people everywhere, especially the musicians he was grateful to meet at school workshops, musical competitions, residencies, and at concerts:  From you, Al asks a favor.  Please find any artistic thing that you can do with passion, and do it.  With art in your life, you will be a better family member, neighbor, friend, and citizen.

Finally, to Al Jarreau, from all of us:  Thank you.  You completed your ministry in a gracious way.  Godspeed… you’ve earned it.

A few days ago, I was asked to describe Al to someone who knew of his success, but did not know him as a person.  I responded with this: His 2^nd priority in life was music.  There was no 3^rd.  His 1^st priority, far ahead of the other, was healing or comforting anyone in need.  Whether it was emotional pain, or physical discomfort, or any other cause of suffering, he needed to put our minds at ease and our hearts at rest.  He needed to see a warm, affirming smile where there had not been one before.  Song was just his tool for making that happen.

A few things I think he would want mentioned right now:

To Al’s wife, son, sister, brothers, and family:  You allowed Al to share himself with the world.  He was grateful that you gave him that gift.  He knew it was difficult, and regretted that more than he could explain.  Please know that your gift was to us, too, and that we are also grateful.

To everyone who attended his concerts, and listened to his albums:  He needed you, and you always were there for him, for more than 50 years.  He was thankful for you every day, and did his best to show that to each of you.

To his band, and to the many, many talented musicians, writers, composers, and arrangers who played and collaborated with Al over the years:  You enabled, supported, and thrilled him.  He treasured you, and considered you brilliant.  He loved sharing the stage with you, and was honored that you shared it with him.

To each promoter, presenter, and producer:  Thank you for your faith in him.  Your commitment to Al was both essential and endless, and he never took you for granted.

To his agents, managers, crew, counselors, publicists, and journalists who supported his work, and also to all of the airline, hotel, venue, and other people who hosted him like royalty:  He noticed every bit of the dedication and effort that you unselfishly provided, without limits. And, he appreciated you completely.

To young people everywhere, especially the musicians he was grateful to meet at school workshops, musical competitions, residencies, and at concerts:  From you, Al asks a favor.  Please find any artistic thing that you can do with passion, and do it.  With art in your life, you will be a better family member, neighbor, friend, and citizen.

Finally, to Al Jarreau:  Thank you Al, from all of us. You completed your ministry in a beautiful and gracious way.   Godspeed… you’ve earned it.

Al Jarreau is in the hospital in Los Angeles, due to exhaustion. He is receiving excellent medical care, responding to treatments, and improving slowly.

The medical team has instructed that he cannot perform any of his remaining 2017 concert dates.

Therefore, with complete sorrow, Al Jarreau must retire from touring. He is thankful for his 50 years of traveling the world in ministry through music, and for everyone who shared this with him – his faithful audience, the dedicated musicians, and so many others who supported his effort.

Ticket holders should contact their venue or point-of-purchase regarding refunds.

For updates, please return to this website occasionally.

Jorg, Joe Turano, and I have tried to be Jarreau-ish in our approach to Duke Ellington. We wanted our arrangements to sound like Al Jarreau and how he would approach things. We didn’t want our arrangements to sound like we had simply gone out and bought the sheet music and did something stock and unadventuresome. Of course, this is risky, but our thinking has been that if you take the time to look inside and find Al Jarreau-isms and build good solid arrangements around that, you very well could have something fresh and new. In fact, this is what we hope our audiences will sense and feel and respond to. So Hannover is concert number six, and I haven’t been thrown in jail for disrespect to Ellington. In fact, I’m pleased as punch, joyous and happy, at the response so far.

Sometimes, there is a person or group of people in the audience who just really are so present in their attention to what’s happening on stage, and so responsive, and happy about being there at that moment, that the performer is drawn to them, and in fact finds himself lifted to more and more inspired playing or singing. It happened tonight. There were two ladies in the second row, just right of center, who touched me that way. Of course, I did not ignore everyone else, but as I sang to other people out there, I brought the inspiration these two ladies in the second row. When it’s working like this, you even have fun with a loud mouth over in the right hand isle about 20 rows back, who yells something that is totally unintelligible and whack! I invite him to come up, and he says the same unintelligible whack thing again! It’s so comfortable in the house, that I tell him to come up to the stage again, and then he shuts and gets quiet. But I don’t stop! I said, “HEY!” So, look, everybody, he added as much of the specialness to that evening. Folks will remember that night because of that exchange between him and Al Jarreau, and that it didn’t interrupt the flow. It was so cool, it was as though it was planned.

This was a wonderful night that was really exceptional because of the looseness of things. Nothing pushed. We all just allowed it to happen… even the guy on the right. I wish I had a moment to say hi to those two ladies. If they’re reading this, they know who they were. Once again, a really big bow and thank you to my Hannover friends who love NDR and came to hear us take a ride on Ellington’s A Train.

-Al Jarreau

The concert hall is almost a 360 degree wrap around audience seating venue. It was at sound check that I realized what a long walk it was going to be from off stage to my set up on stage. But I get there, sit down, and take a moment to thank NDR for this time with them, where I’m learning so much and finding a new me. I love being around so much inspired “playing and soloing”. We stop in the dressing room for an hour, and then it’s show time! For my first number, I start out to cross the stage, on a crutch, with Joe Turano supporting me on the other side, shouting, “Come on, let’s go to Harlem!” Of course, they did not know I was coming out on a crutch, but there’s a slow and gradual increase in applause and shouts, and I realize it’s an acknowledgement of the effort. I sit down on my stool and raise my arms in the fashion of an Olympic gymnastics champion who just stuck the landing, and throwing my arms in the air like they do, in that well known end of routine pose, and I yell, “Ta-daaah!” They recognize it and scream. It’s a great way to begin the night.

Off we go with “Drop me off in Harlem” and Ingolf’s fiery trumpet playing gives them fair warning. And then, bang! Right into Duke’s “I let a Song go out of my Heart,” as a hot little jazz waltz, with a screaming alto solo by Feite. This is probably a new and challenging version of “I let a song” but it is so powerful that it carries you along and it works. It’s just about at this point when I look down at the first row and directly in front of me, there’s a lady who looks like the twin of  Angela Merkel.   I was convinced, and spent a lot of the evening addressing songs and comments to one of the great world leaders.

I rode the wave of that possibility all night long, and made comments to this Dortmund, Germany audience about so many things, like the importance of this national/international treasure, Nord Duetsche Rundfunk Big Band,  Pretty soon, we’re at “Take the A Train,” and close out the first half of an eight song set.

It’s somewhere into the second half that I look up and realize that there are three balconies. The third is so high up near the ceiling, that I hadn’t seen it ’til the lights were just right. And there were people up there. I began to look more toward the balconies during the second half. Frank Delle comes down front and blows the front doors off, with tenor sax at “Beginning to see the Light.” Claus plays the most blue and moody muted trumpet on “I got it Bad and that Ain’t Good”.

The spectrum of the concert takes more shape, and then another surprise, and then we close the evening with some Jarreau standards as encores. This was the seventh time doing this program, and the audience response has been wunderbar. Thank you, God. Thank you, Dortmund. See you in Vienna.

– Al Jarreau