UCLA Performing Arts Captivating vocalist Dianne
Reeves will be performing at UCLA’s Royce Hall
tonight.
By Chris Young
Daily Bruin Contributor
When artists explain how they use color in their work,
it’s usually related to painting. But as Grammy-winning
vocalist Dianne Reeves shows, color isn’t restricted to a
canvas. In her case, she brings color and vibrancy to music.
Dianne Reeves brings her palette to Royce Hall tonight for an
evening of jazz, pop and world culture music. Her quintet with
pianist Otmaro Ruiz, bassist Reginald Veal, drummer Greg Hutchinson
and percussionist Munyungo Jackson explores a musical canvas with
Reeves’ voice at the helm.
“The color and timbre I use are part of my voice,”
Reeves said in a phone interview during her current tour.
“It’s your spirit, who you are inside, the unique thing
you try to tap into when you perform.”
Reeves’ quintet has an eclectic style that uses jazz as
its foundation. In jazz performance style, a song is never played
the same way twice ““ with each rendition, the musicians
spontaneously alter the music to create a new piece.
“My group has an amazing amount of freedom when we
perform,” Reeves said. “They’re like co-creators.
The music is alive, in the moment.”
Reeves doesn’t define her music as one style or another.
Although her music borrows from jazz, she also incorporates
American pop music and music from around the world. Reeves believes
that her music should be without boundaries, a sentiment echoed by
her group.
“I like the spontaneity of our music, the idea of
approaching a song with only a blueprint in mind of how it will be
played, and developing upon that blueprint in whatever ways we
choose,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz added that Reeves likes the challenge of playing the same
material in as many different ways as possible at every
performance, making each one different and exciting.
“The beauty of what she does, besides being a fantastic
singer, is her ability to improvise wherever she wants,” Ruiz
said. “She is always ready to go for anything, structured or
not.”
The members of the quintet enjoy the freedom to experiment with
their music, learning from each other as they play.
“I like having fun, watching the magic coming out of the
music,” Jackson said. “Playing music is like having a
conversation, listening to each other, responding.”
Ruiz said that Reeves, in addition to singing solo parts, can
also sing as an accompanist as part of the ensemble.
“I never thought of Dianne as a singer in the traditional
way,” Ruiz said. “Most singers are different ““
they’ll sing their part but that’s it. Dianne could
become a horn player because she can manipulate the melody like a
horn player. She could become an accompanist and add in
contrapuntal lines because she knows the harmony.”
Reeves’ unique talents as both a soloist and as part of
the ensemble show in her albums. Her latest, “The
Calling,” is a tribute to one of her idols, vocalist Sarah
Vaughan. Featuring Reeves with her current group and a 36-piece
orchestra, “The Calling” spotlights songs that were
once part of Vaughan’s repertoire. She will perform
selections from this album at Royce Hall.
“This is my understanding of Sarah and a celebration for
me of the things I learned from her,” Reeves said. “For
instance, through color and range you view the voice more as the
instrument that it is. She left a 60-year musical legacy
that’s pretty amazing. To me she is a treasure.”
Reeves strongly believes that artists must develop their own
unique approach to their art. Part of her own musical journey put
her at odds with critics.
“Embrace who you are and develop, respect and protect
it,” Reeves said. “If you have a vision of what you
want to do, and critical people take you off your path, you might
not ever find it again.”
Because Reeves’ quintet works well together and has fun
while it plays, the audience responds to its energy. Naturally,
when the crowd gives it a positive reaction, the quintet gives more
back.
“At a concert we played in Dallas, Texas the crowd gave us
a standing ovation during the song,” Jackson said.
“That inspired us to play even better.”
MUSIC: Dianne Reeves performs at Royce Hall
Friday, March 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45, $35, $25 and $12 for
UCLA students at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. For tickets call
(310) 825-2101