Dianne Reeves on Being Discovered by Clark Terry
DISCOVERED BY CLARK TERRY [:59]
NOW, A JAZZ MOMENT
That Old Black Magic under
IN THE EARLY 1970S, VETERAN TRUMPETER AND NEA JAZZ MASTER, CLARK TERRY DISCOVERED DIANNE REEVES. STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL, REEVES WENT ON TO SING WITH TERRY, AND LEARN ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF MUSIC.
“That Old Black Magic” written by Harold Arlen and John Mercer and performed by Clark Terry, from the album Serenade to a Bus Seat, and used courtesy of Concord Music Group and by permission of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, ASCAP.
Dianne Reeves: And it was extraordinary because through that experience, I realized that the music was a kind of language and that that there was a conversation going on on the stage musically that, at that time, I wasn’t a part of, and I—I knew I wanted to be a part of the conversation.
I’d hear Clark play something, and I would answer and I started to understand, like Abbey Lincoln said, “jazz is a spirit,” and it’s something that you feel inside and you don’t think about.
THIS JAZZ MOMENT WITH VOCALIST DIANNE REEVES WAS PRODUCED BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.
