I had the privilege and honor to interview American Jazz great, Dianne Reeves at the 36th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival. Dianne has to date won four Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for her albums:
- 2001: In the Moment – Live In Concert
- 2002: The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
- 2004: A Little Moonlight
- 2006: Good Night, and Good Luck (Soundtrack)
We sat down a few hours before she was to go on stage [June 14, 2014].
FestPop
Okay, here we go. Scotty Moore, FestPop, with Dianne Reeves
FestPop
And we are at the Playboy Jazz Festival.
Dianne
Yes.
FestPop
so, tell me, your first music festival that you went to
Dianne
The first one?
FestPop
All the way back, yeah. First music festival.
Dianne
Oh, the first one was in my hometown at, in De-
FestPop
Detroit.
Dianne
No, in, uh, I was born-
FestPop
I thought you were born in Detroit.
Dianne
I was born in Detroit but raised in Denver, Colorado, and DU Campus gave a festival, and the first group that I saw at that festival was, uh, Funkadelic, before they were calling them the Funkadelic.
FestPop
(laughs)
Dianne
And it was, um-
FestPop
I’m 47, too. So, I, uh-
Dianne
Oh, okay. So, it was in-
FestPop
I grew up on Earth, Wind & Fire.
Dianne
Oh, okay. Yeah.
FestPop
Smokey. (laughs)
Dianne
Yeah. And, uh, members of the, the founding members of Earth, Wind & Fire are from Denver.
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
I used to see them too. But my first festival was Funkadelic.
FestPop
Funkadelic.
Dianne
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
FestPop
Nice. Um, so tell me some other festivals that you’ve played at throughout the world.
Dianne
Oh, I’ve played-
FestPop
That just were memorable.
Dianne
Yeah. I, I played at, um, the Wien Festival, the Marciac Festival, the Montreux Festival, the Saratoga Festival, of course the Playboy Festival
FestPop
Any overseas, the overseas ones, anything different from overseas, about Europe festivals or typical in that-
Dianne
People, you know, people who are festival-goers around the world go to hear the music and have a good time. and I find that a common link with all, you know, music festivals. Yeah.
FestPop
Yes.
Dianne
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
FestPop
Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. It’s not just the music, but it’s also the whole experience, right?
Dianne
Yeah.
FestPop
Are you still a fan of going to music festivals?
Dianne
Oh, yeah. Very much so. I was here last year. I wasn’t on the show. I just came and hung out for 2 days.
FestPop
Nice. What about the New Orleans Jazz Festival?
Dianne
I’ve gone down there to just hang out. I’ve done that festival many times, and sometimes I just go. (laughs)
FestPop
Okay, what about a festival you would love to play at but you haven’t been, gotten an invite yet?
Dianne
Oh.
FestPop
What-
Dianne
Um, wow. Let’s see. Let’s see, I’ve hung out at Coachella.
FestPop
(laughs)
Dianne
I’ve done, you know-
FestPop
You’ve done Coachella? (laughs)
Dianne
No, I haven’t done it. I hung out there.
FestPop
Okay.
Dianne
Um, you know, the thing is, my music is really, really broad.
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
And so, I would like to play at festivals that people wouldn’t ordinarily think that I would fit, but I would fit very well because-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
My music, while my foundation is Jazz, is very broad. I mean I came up-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
Listening to, like, great music.
FestPop
Other music genres?
Dianne
Um, uh, (thinking) shoot. More, uh, soul music.
FestPop
Mm-hmm. (affirmative)
Dianne
Um, uh, there’s some rock elements in mine. So there’s, um-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
You could take almost every record I’ve done and great a, a Brazilian record. Which I go to Brazil a lot.
FestPop
Nice.
Dianne
So, I like all kind of stuff. Blues, everything.
FestPop
Got it.
Dianne
Mm-hmm.
FestPop
Okay, um, when did you start performing?
Dianne
When did I start?
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
Oh, I was 12. Probably, actually earlier than that, um, with my family, you know.
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
But, um, when I started doin’ my first gigs, I was 12 years old.
FestPop
Wow. That’s awesome. Is your family musical?
Dianne
I have a cousin that we were gonna celebrate tonight, George Duke, who passed away. Last year he was here at this festival. And he passed away in this last year, and, um- So, I have uncles that p- I have an uncle who played with the symphony up- Many, many musicians in my, my family. I grew up, you know, around really great musicians.
FestPop
That’s awesome. Um, let me get so- So, how is it workin’ out, the, uh, you’re other last Grammy? With, uh, George Clooney, right?
Dianne
Yeah.
FestPop
Did you get to- Did he, like, talk with you? You guys have dinner, sit down?
Dianne
I was with him because we did the film.
FestPop
Exactly.
Dianne
You know, and he directed the film.
FestPop
The music’s so important.
Dianne
We hung out. He was, like, so cool.
FestPop
But tell me that, like, whole- ‘Cause music is so- If you took out the music of a movie, it would be like nothing to me, personally.
Dianne
Yeah, but the thing that I- He even took it a step further. He-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
He said, you know, the music would, of this particular movie, was the late forties and fifties, and so it had to be done with that kind of, you know, um, understanding. And the thing that I loved, um, about George Clooney was, because of him hangin’ out with his aunt a lot, um, he understood the importance of live music. So,-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
When it came time to do it, I said, “Well, um, am I lip-synching?” He said, “No.” He said, “You’re gonna perform live in the film, just, you’re gonna do, give your lines just like the actors.”
FestPop
Wow.
Dianne
So, I loved that. ‘Cause that’s where I live, you know? So, he was very respectful of that.
FestPop
But in terms of the collaboration factor, did like he say, “Let’s have dinner. Come to-” You know. In terms of-
Dianne
We hung out.
FestPop
He’d come to your gigs and see you preform too?
Dianne
Uh-uh (negative), I haven’t seen him at any [crosstalk 05:15]
FestPop
(laughs) See, obviously a director doing his research. Okay, um, so you, you play instruments?
Dianne
Oh, prior to that? Yes.
FestPop
Yeah, prior to that, yeah, obviously. Sorry. Any instr-
Dianne
Yeah, yeah. And I sent him stuff.
FestPop
Any instruments?
Dianne
Piano.
FestPop
Fondest musical memories?
Dianne
Um, oh, my goodness. (pauses)
FestPop
Okay, maybe that’s too broad. Maybe that’s too broad.
Dianne
I think- Oh, no, no, no, no. The biggest- fondest
FestPop
Okay.
Dianne
The biggest, fondest, one of the fondest musical, uh, memories that I have is when I was, uh, given the opportunity to be the Creative Chair for Jazz for the L.A. Philharmonic.
FestPop
Nice.
Dianne
Yeah. So, that was great.
FestPop
Okay, um, do you still get nervous when you perform?
Dianne
Of course, you know. But I look at nerves as, uh, opp- as, as just rolled up, uh, excitement.
FestPop
Okay. And then tell me you, your practicing preparation? Like how long a day, like you’re, do you practice?
Dianne
My biggest thing that I do- When I’m at home, I work on my voice. But before a show, the biggest thing that I do is get together with my musicians. A lot of times we have dinner together.
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
And then, you know, we go and we break bread and then just make it. You know, so that, um-
FestPop
If I wanted to be you guitar player, how would I audition for you?
Dianne
Uh, first of all you’d have to have a very, you know, strong personality.
FestPop
Oh.
Dianne
On your guitar. And all of my musicians, you know, ’cause I change music constantly-
FestPop
Yeah.
Dianne
They have to be able to respond in kind. That’s the biggest thing.
FestPop
Yeah, okay. Do you teach music?
Dianne
I used to teach voice. I do master classes, you know.
FestPop
Wow!
Dianne
And, um, because I work a lot-
FestPop
You’d be invited to like-
Dianne
I don’t, I don’t teach, but eventually I’ll probably stop and teach.
FestPop
And, okay, last one. Uh, how do you balance the music life with everything else, family, friends-
Dianne
I plan everything. I didn’t used to, but now I do. You know, I know when I’m goin’ out and when I’m not. And I go and have opportunities to go, like I said, go to the festivals and do the things that I love to do.