By Markita C. Rowe
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Office of the Provost and the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences will co-host jazz extravaganza, “An Evening with Dianne Reeves,” Thursday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. in Harrison Auditorium, 1009 Bluford St.
Featuring the five-time Grammy winner and pre-eminent jazz vocalist, the event will also feature Reeves’ tuneful performances with the N.C. A&T Jazz Ensemble. Attendees also will have the opportunity to gain insight into her jazz process and hear her advice to aspiring music students.
The event is in partnership with Greensboro’s Music for a Great Space, which strives to feature an annual series of culturally diverse small ensemble and solo concerts. Established in 1990, Music for a Great Space brings world-class artists to Greensboro and offers enriching musical experiences and positive social impacts for audiences of all ages in the Piedmont Triad.
Renowned for her extraordinary talent, Reeves received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings – a remarkable feat in any vocal category. Featured in George Clooney’s Academy Award-nominated film “Good Night, and Good Luck,” Reeves won the Best Jazz Vocal Grammy for the soundtrack in 2006.
Throughout her career, Reeves has recorded and performed with jazz luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim, and the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. Reeves, recognized as the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, also made history as the first vocalist to perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In 2018, the National Endowment for the Arts honored Reeves with the title of Jazz Master, the highest accolade bestowed on jazz artists in the United States. Her most recent release, “Beautiful Life,” features collaborations with Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway and Esperanza Spalding. Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, the album won the 2015 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
The N.C. A&T Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Jonovan Cooper, DM, performs throughout the school year at various venues across the state and nation. Their repertoire varies from big band classics to be-bop to fusion. The Jazz Ensemble not only includes a large big band, but smaller jazz combos as well.