Jazz was home. It created a hunger within me.
I've always had really wonderful people around me. But early on, I remember I would walk into a session or go do something with some musicians, and they viewed me, basically, as their chick singer.
I come from a family of musicians.
The biggest thing is to just keep your voice in shape so that when the emotion hits, it's there to have the colors to paint those pictures with the lyrics as well as the sound.
When I found out how music made me feel and how my singing made other people feel, that's when I decided this is what I wanted to do.
When I worked with my uncle, I loved the fact that jazz music demanded that you use your own unique approach.
You can't get to no better days Unless you make it through the night
I think people have come to know that I am not comfortable in a box, you know, and that I love music.
Anything that had to do with music is what I wanted to do.
I've dated a few musicians in my life, and it's kind of always been that way for me. You unite through creativity and share that process and more together.
I had aunts who played piano and sang and also were entertainers, so music was very much a part of my life.
I think that when I started singing, I didn't know what I wanted to do; I only knew what I didn't want to do.
Your voice is not your instrument. Your voice is the character that you build, your innermost feelings, the things that you want to say, and your instrument is the vehicle that you use to carry the message.
I never looked or really believed that music should be categorized into particular genres.
I feel proud of my journey. I wouldn't change it.
The biggest thing is, when I was coming up, the thing that made you wonderful was your uniqueness. People celebrated that.
I did a project called 'Sing The Truth,' which was a lot of fun. It started out being a celebration of the music of Nina Simone, and it was me and Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo.
Music is a conversation between the audience and me, and I love that about my profession.
I believe that music should really be without boundaries.
I knew what the story behind 'Dreams' was. It was about Stevie Knicks' relationship. But when I sing it, it's about sharing some sage advice with somebody.
I've always respected and taken care of my instrument.
People think jazz music is all standards and the Great American Songbook. But it's really about the sensibility, the feel you bring to the music.
When I first heard Nina Simone, her naked truth shocked me. Whenever she sang, it felt like lightning bolts in my soul. Every song was like a movie, a unique and very different vignette.
I'm a great cook. People have asked me to do a cookbook.
When I sing a song, I want someone to recognize 'Now that's Dianne singing that song.'
There is a certain kind of fire that happens when you fall in love with a musician. I guess you understand one another because you're connected by a creative desire.
In any event, I'm proud to wear the badge of jazz vocalist if that's what people want to call me; but at the same time, there are many other things I like to do.
I'm always inspired to push forward.
My life has been going in ways I never could have dreamed of - doing the closing celebration for the Olympic Games and being appointed the creative chair for jazz at the L.A. Philharmonic. So I've just decided I'll go with my flow and be very prepared.
Jazz musicians have always tended to have cult followings, which is pretty wonderful.
The music industry is changing. You only hear a sprinkling of big names, but there are a lot of really wonderful young musicians with great voices and lyrical content who have refined their sound. They're up in here, so don't think they're not. There's this wealth of talent below the surface that's ready to explode.
I always say that improvisation is the utterance of one's spirit, and it dictates your life experience, and that's how you find your concepts and your way for painting your musical picture.
My junior high school teacher, Bennie Williams, was really more than a music teacher. She taught us poetry. She helped us put on school shows. She did all these kinds of things to help us stand in each other's shoes, and it was a really powerful time. That's when I discovered that I could sing.
Even in a world with much sadness, at its essence, life is beautiful.
I lived in Los Angeles for a long time, and in a lot of ways, I felt like I lived in my car.
Dianne Elizabeth Reeves is an American jazz singer.
