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Dianne
Reeves
The Grand Encounter
By Steven Fullwood
Ancestry
means a lot to Dianne Reeves. In fact, it just might mean everything.
The Grand Encounter is more than a collection of jazz standards; it is
a gesture that deepens this artist's legacy. Three generations of jazz
musicians come together to make musical history and illuminate the
importance of Reeves who admirably serves as a bridge from all that
came before her to the future.
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She enlists heavyweights Harry
"Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Phil Woods (alto sax), James
Moody (tenor sax), Al Grey (trombone), Kenny Baron (piano), Rodney
Wittaker (bass), Herlin Riley (drums), Toots Thielemans (harmonica),
Joe Williams (vocals) and Germaine Bazzle (vocals). The album also
features trumpeter Clark Terry, widely credited with encouraging Reeves
who, while in college, performed with his band.
Familiar standards appear here such as
"Side by Side," "Tenderly," "Old
Country," and "I'm Okay." "Side by Side"
reveals a playful side of Reeves, one often sees in concert, but
rarely on wax. On it, she sings "beside herself," playing
her own foil on the classic.
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"I'm Okay," which originally appeared on
her eponymous album, is re-recorded to excellent effect. Crisp and
bare, accompanied only by piano, bass and drums, her treatment of the
song is slower, more intimate. After several albums and countless
concerts, Reeves' voice resonates with experience that makes the song
more relevant to her and, subsequently, to her listeners.
M
June 2002
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