Diane Schuur
Jazz singer
Schuur and sassy
She plays Blaisdell
By Tim Ryan
tomorrow and Saturday
Star-BulletinIt hadn't been a good morning for jazz vocalist Diane Schuur.
A reporter called her Houston hotel room an hour earlier than the scheduled interview and her breakfast arrived on the cool side.
"Why did (the reporter) call so early?" Schuur yelled to her phone-holding husband, who suggests, "Maybe this isn't a such good time after all."
Two hours later, Schuur answers the phone far more pleasantly but still not in the mood to suffer fools or foolish questions. Tomorrow and Saturday nights she will be at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, belting out jazz tunes singing "The Great Ladies of Jazz" as few others can.
The music of the two-time Grammy Award-winning artist is difficult to pigeonhole. Her name is frequently mentioned with revered jazz matriarchs like Ella Fitzgerald, for her scat phrasing, and Dinah Washington, for her clarity and quality.
Schuur has been singing, since age 2, to the records of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, to whom she is often compared. Schuur was shy growing up, having been blind since birth when excessive oxygen in her incubator damaged her eyes. She found her voice to be a bridge to the world, and her first gig came at age 9, eventually giving rise to an incredible career.
Asked to elaborate on who influenced her and why, Schuur reminds the reporter "all that information" is in her press kit biography. When the reporter mentions that he wants to ensure that the information is accurate, Schuur says, "Well, I do appreciate that. So many reporters never read the bios or listen to my music before an interview. Very frustrating."
Fitzgerald and Washington "are just quality artists, they enunciate well and are very melodic," Schuur finally says. "They've had obstacles to overcome in their lives, like I've had in mine -- you just try to do the best you can any way."
"And I really do enjoy the act of performing," says Schuur, who has homes in southern California and Washington state, where she was born. "Though being away for (as many as nine months a year) can be very tiring."
She continues to tour regularly in Europe, Malaysia, South America and Japan as well as record, and perform on television.
Asked why jazz is only popular with some audiences, Schuur turns the tables and asks the reporter the same question.
Is jazz too intellectual?
"It shouldn't be thought of like that; it's emotional, something to feel."
Perhaps its black origins turn some people off? Schuur explodes.
"That's total bull--," she says.
Schuur's musical accomplishments seem to rival any name in the jazz singing business. She's performed at top venues around the world, received numerous awards, and gotten tremendous acclaim for that 3-1/2 octave range.
Twice, Schuur has performed at the White House, the first time with Stan Getz in 1982. The national exposure she got from the performance put Schuur on the map, including getting her a contract on the GRP label.
"It was my first national exposure and we did an all-star jazz concert."
Schuur performed again at the White House two years later.
She was discovered by Dizzy Gillespie, who brought her on stage at the 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival.
What else would she like to do in her career? "Well, it has nothing to do with my career," Schuur said. "Sky diving. I want to go sky diving."
"Why?" the reporter asks.
"Oh God, why! Come on, the thrill," Schuur says, "The thrill, what else?"
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Sings with the Honolulu Symphony: Dianne Schuur
Concert time: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday
