This week I’ve had Dianne Reeves’ song, “Tango,” #OnRepeat. I’ve actually been listening to Dianne and have been aware of her for awhile, but it wasn’t until I heard the recording and saw a live performance of this song, that I really started to take notice of her voice and performance style.
Dianne Reeves is a Jazz vocalist from Detroit, Michigan. She has performed and toured with musicians such as Billy Childs, Harry Belafonte, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Robert Glasper, Gregory Porter, and Lala Hathaway. She has won several Grammys and some of her most well-known songs are “River,””You Go To My Head,””How High the Moon.”
The song, “Tango,” consists mostly of riffs, licks and scatting performed by Dianne. The song starts out with Dianne singing a cappella in free rhythm, but in a flamenco-inspired style of singing, and slowly, other instruments join her. There are no lyrics for this song–more of a theme that Dianne and the other musicians return to throughout the piece–but Dianne’s musical choices make the song very interesting. I was truly impressed with her range and how effortless her improvising appears.
Take a listen below:
If you have a new musician or group that you can’t stop listening to, leave a comment below!