Royal Festival Hall, London
Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau brings together several genres: scat, vocalese, the great American songbook, funk and soul. A late starter, his career took off in the sizzling 1980s, when he made his mark with slick hits such as We're in This Love Together and Boogie Down; he also co-wrote and crooned the theme to Moonlighting (the TV show that launched Bruce Willis's career).
He's always retained jazz credibility, however, with a sensitive vocal style that can sweep across several octaves without missing the tricky intervals and syncopations of jazz virtuosity. The selection of tunes he's written lyrics for ? Paul Desmond's Take Five, Joe Zawinul's A Remark You Made, Chick Corea's Spain ? demonstrate his good taste.
Yet this Greatest Hits event ? part of the London Jazz and Blues festival ? isn't a jazz concert, or an R&B gig: it's an Al Jarreau lovefest. He spends an age telling us how much he loves us and thanks us for listening to him on the radio and for going downtown to buy his records. He delivers the chat in comedy Sprechstimme over piano chords, and introduces the band in a similarly sing-songy way, stretching their surnames across several notes.
There are some nice moments, such as a guest appearance by guitarist Earl Klugh for their song This Time, and his backing band do great harmony vocals. But he hits rock bottom with a maudlin, overwrought version of Bernie Taupin and Elton John's Your Song. And he digs a deeper hole by mangling the Beatles' She's Leaving Home, whose lyric he dismembers with bizarre changes of tone, volume and intonation. A woman yells: "We love you, Al."
On the positive side are breezy versions of Easy, Double Face (written with Eumir Deodato) and Take Five. He encores with the thrilling Spain. Ultimately, this is about Jarreau's fans, who adore every syllable.
Ehrinn Cummings Sienna Miller Cindy Taylor Halle Berry Catherine Bell
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