Jazz Singer Diane Schuur Sings the Music of her Friends, Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz.
Even as a little girl, Diane Schuur had a passion—she loved to sing. As a toddler, “Deedles” (a nickname given to her in childhood) would sing in her bed at night, imitating Dinah Washington’s “What a Difference a Day Makes.”
At 10, she was getting professional gigs.
When Diane was 26 and legendary jazz saxophonist Stan Getz heard her singing “Amazing Grace” at the 1979 Monterey Jazz Festival, he became a lifelong friend and mentor.
“He taught me less is more when singing into the microphone,” Diane recalls. “The microphone can be your friend. You don’t have to shout out every note.”
Blind from birth, Diane was gifted with perfect pitch and a three-and-a-half octave vocal range. Her crystalline voice is tinged with tenderness and passion; her soulful interpretations creating a mood around each individual song.
In 1988, Diane received a call from Frank Sinatra, who invited her to join him at a benefit concert in Palm Springs.
“Frank and I had many deep conversations about life and my blindness. He painted a beautiful abstract canvas for me, which hangs in my home. He said to me, ‘I have seen so much beauty in my life, I wish I could give you my eyes for one day to see this beautiful world we live in.’ Then he realized I could see it, too, in my own way.”
Over the years, Diane has collaborated with countless jazz greats—the Count Basie Orchestra, B.B. King, Ray Charles—picked up two Grammy Awards and released 24 albums.
In January, she’ll appear at Irvine Barclay Theatre for the first time in a concert entitled, ”I Remember You.” She’ll sing the music from her catalogue of gems and pay tribute to the music of Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz—her mentors, friends…her kindred spirits.