E-mail a friendAl Jarreau
original airdate September 10, 2004
Critically acclaimed vocalist Al Jarreau is one of the rare artists to have won Grammy Awards in three different categories (jazz, pop and R&B). However, music wasn't always the major force in his life. Jarreau excelled in sports and received his master's degree in vocational rehabilitation. He began a career as a rehab counselor, but eventually gave in to his passion for performing. Seven Grammy wins later, he has several new projects, including "Love Songs"—a compilation of music celebrating romance.
Al Jarreau
Tavis: When we started this program back in January of this year, I was honored to have the great voice of Al Jarreau as part of our first night here on PBS, and I am pleased to welcome the multiple-Grammy-winner back to this show tonight--Grammy-winner in 3 different categories. I ain't mad at him. He's just released his 13th album. This one called 'Accentuate the Positive.' Later on, he'll perform a medley of some of the songs from the disc. I know you want to hear that, so stick around. Al Jarreau sings in a moment, but he also talks, believe it or not. Al?
Al Jarreau: I'm so happy and proud to be here with you again, man.
Tavis: I'm laughing because this is your 13th album--
Al: Actually, 16.
Tavis: 16. Where'd I get 13 from?
Al: I don't know.
Tavis: I'm cuttin' you short, but you did win Grammys in 3 different categories, was I right about that?
Al: Yeah, that's right.
Tavis: Speaking of discrepancies, there's another discrepancy here--and I'm not trying to start anything--but Verve, your new record label, says this is your first jazz record in 27 years. I think they're tracking back to 'We Got By.'
Al: I think what they're actually talking about is the 'Look to the Rainbow' album, which was a live performance, and in live performance, I'm scatting and doing a lot of jazzy singing. But those are all, uh, pop songs, and even a show tune, 'Look to the Rainbow.'
It's a show tune. So I think this is really the first real true jazz album that I've done. Those were Al being a bit jazzy, but this is really a jazz album. It's still very accessible. I think it's easy to listen to.
Tavis: It is indeed. You've got standards on this thing you're doing.
Al: Yes, that's right, standards.
Tavis: Why now? Why a 'jazz' album now?
Al: It's time. I owe it to myself. I owe it to my listeners. I owe it to jazz people who've been standing there pattin' their foot and looking at me like this, 'Al. Come on, Al.' I owe it to that genre of music ‘cause I can do this stuff, and I haven't done it like this yet, and the other thing is that I'd like this as a kickoff to the second half of my career.
Tavis: I ain't mad at ya.
Al: Yes!
Tavis: I ask you that respectfully because I can't imagine you getting any better at what you--I don't know why you even get up and go to work every day ‘cause you can't improve on what you've done. It is so spectacular.
Al: Oh, Tavis, thank you. God bless your heart. But, man, I learned some stuff this summer singing that I didn't know before.
Tavis: What did Al Jarreau just learn this summer?
Al: To let go in a different way. Larry Williams, who will play with me, will attest that, with the group, I let go in a certain kind of way and just--and--and--and--it's important to not think too much while you're doin' it. I'm learning to not think too much and just let it happen, even between songs. Letting that happen. And I think that's a big step for me. I get too controlling, you know? You get--you want to guide it all the time, and if you just let it go and coast on its own, you'll find something that you didn't do before.
Tavis: I have seen you perform around the world, as you know. Every chance I get to see you, I'm stalkin' Al Jarreau. I'm stalkin' Al Jarreau. I'm stalkin' Prince every chance I get. So I've seen you a thousand times, and people always have a great time when they come see you. You never hear this ‘cause you're always backstage, but there's always murmurings out in the foyer when people are leaving, 'But he didn't sing this. But he didn't sing this. I wish he had done that. I wish he had done this.' Your catalogue is so deep, you can't make people happy all the time, so are you ever concerned that some of your fans leave just not happy that you didn't do A,B,C,D, or E?
Al: They meet me at the hotel.
Tavis: And they tell you about it!
Al: 'You know, you have to sing it now. My wife is with me, and we're gonna hear ‘After All' now.'
Tavis: Right now, yeah.
Al, singing: After all...
So we go on and do it. That's a wonderful thing to have a catalogue of material that people pick from. And I can't do it all in one evening, so we try to do things from the beginning of my career, middle, and later part of the career, and we're doing things already from this new CD, and it's getting a warm reception. But, yes, you're right, I can't do it all in one evening, but that's kinda good, you know, to have a wealth of material that always at the end of the evening, there's something that you wish you had done.
Tavis: It's gotta feel good, also, to have been around all of these years and to have the opportunity to still put out a record that people respond to. This record has got a lot of buzz on it. I was laying in my bed the other night. I've got one of those TV systems that's got all those music channels, and I go to bed sometimes listening to jazz or smooth jazz. I was laying in the bed, trying to doze off, and all of a sudden, I hear Al Jarreau singing one of the cuts off this new CD, coming through the jazz channel on my television. I'm, like, they're still playing Al Jarreau all these years later.
Al: Oh...you, man, you--you--I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I wake up talking about, 'Thank you, God.' I walk, I see, I feel pretty good, and I still have this music that I'm doing, and people are comin' to concerts, and this is the third album in 4 years with Verve/Universal, and that's amazing. And you know, I'm not, uh, you know, I'm gonna be 40 next year, you know?
Tavis: One of my best friends has more talent in his one finger than I have in my entire body. What I mean to suggest by that is that he can do so many things well. I have only been able to do one thing well my entire life--reasonably well--and that's run my mouth. That's all I can do is run my mouth. I ain't skilled, gifted, talented in no other arena, no other way, except running my mouth. Is it a curse to be able to do so many different things?
Al: I only can do one thing, and that is run my mouth with the music goin'.
Tavis: But you do it in so many different categories, so many different ways, so many different styles, so many different genres. You ever just feel like, 'Eh, eh, eh, eh'?
Al: Well, I hear you, Tavis. The one thing that I regret about the format today in music is that young people don't get to listen to a lot of different stuff. It's so profit-driven radio and all that you don't get a lot of different things. So I listen to a lot of different music. I still got a polka album in me. I'm from Milwaukee. I know more polkas than--
Tavis: Al Jarreau does polka!
Yeah. I'm lookin' forward to that. I'm serious now. You may have been serious about that. Is there anything you have not yet done?
Al: Yeah. There's a--there's a--I must do a big band album. And I've been doing this symphony show now for--we're about 8 years in. This is Gershwin music and Leonard Bernstein music. I'm even doing a little piece of Bach, of course, my music, too, and got the orchestra violinist playing a jazz solo in the middle of 'Spain,' so I need to record that music. So, yeah, there's a lot to do yet.
Tavis: One of my favorites. 'Spain,' I can recall. Love that piece.
Al: Yes. Thank you.
Tavis: They must go crazy when you do that in Spain.
Al: Oh. Oh, yeah, they do.
Tavis: I'm sure they do.
Al: Oh, they go crazy in Spain when we do that. I mean, and I like to surprise them with it, you know, sometimes down at the end of the show or coming right out and go, 'Bap!'
Aah!
Tavis, laughing: I love you.
Al: I love you.
Tavis: I'm delighted to have you here.
Al: Thank you so much.
Tavis: I am so much looking forward to this performance of yours.
Al: What you do is very important. Even if we are Johnny One-Notes, what you're doing is very important, and I hope what I'm doing is the same.
Tavis: We better stop. We better stop. This ain't nothin' but a mutual admiration society up in here. Up in here, up next, a special performance by Al Jarreau, accompanied by Larry Williams. The new CD is all that--'Accentuate the Positive.' A medley coming up in just a moment. Stay with us.
Here's Al Jarreau, accompanied by Larry Williams, performing a medley of songs from the new CD, 'Accentuate the Positive.' Enjoy. Good night. Break a leg, Al. And keep the faith.
Al: Keep the faith. Yeah.
Beautiful funk from a hole in a horn,
Burnin' it up, burnin' it down,
Burnin' so hot, melt the snow on the ground,
You better pass the cold duck around.
Eddie got the cold duck down,
Yo, what was that?
Eddie load up, Eddie low down,
Beautiful funk from a hole in a horn,
Burnin' it up, burnin' it down,
Burnin' so hot, melt the snow on the ground,
You better pass the cold duck around,
So now, Eddie got the cold duck--got it down.
One more time.
Eddie got the cold duck down.
Now this.
Boom, dah,
Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice,
warmer than the summer night,
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
Rising to a starry height,
Each star its own aurora borealis,
Suddenly you held me tight,
And I saw the midnight sun, the midnight sun,
Was there such a night?
It's a thrill, I still don't quite believe,
Yes, it's hard to conceal,
But after you were gone,
There was still some stardust on my sleeve,
Ooh, the flame of it may dwindle to an ember,
And stars forget to shine,
Or I may see the meadow in December,
Icy white and crystalline,
But, oh, my darling,
Always I'll remember
When your lips were pressing mine
And I saw the midnight sun, I saw the midnight sun,
Suddenly, we were flying, laughing, crying,
‘Cause the sun was shinin' bright at midnight.
Bucket o' fish.
Dizzie Gillespie.
Be silent and listen,
The summer night has got something to say,
Honey, be silent and listen,
A little whisper like a preacher would pray,
HH oney, be silent and listen, slow down a moment,
We been talkin' all day what wonderful story it's tellin',
We'll hear it if we stop the yellin',
So, honey, be silent and listen,
The night'll whisper little things in your ear,
Honey, be silent, and listen,
It's gonna whisper things that you wanna hear,
Honey, be silent and listen,
And when you've heard it and it's ever so clear,
Define every meaning, ‘cause I will be dreaming away,
Hey, no, don't you scream that way,
Don't scream that way-eeh...
Get off the roof, dude.
Tavis: Whoo!
Back to September 10, 2004