Dianne came from a very musical family. Her father, who died when she was two years old, was also a singer. Her mother, Vada Swanson, played trumpet. A cousin, George Duke is a well known piano and keyboard player and producer.
Dianne and her sister Sharon were raised by their grandmother in Denver, Colorado. As a child Dianne took piano lessons and sang at every opportunity. When she was 11 years old her interest in music was enhanced by an inspiring teacher who thought that music was the best way to bring students together. Dianne discovered a love of music and that she wanted to be a singer.
Her uncle, Charles Burell, a bass player with the Denver Symphony Orchestra, introduced her to the music of jazz singers, from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday. She was especially impressed by Sarah Vaughan.
1974
At the age of sixteen she was singing at the George Washington Highschool in Denver, in a highschool bigband. That same year the band played at a music festival (Convention of the National Association of Jazz Educators). Her Band won first place and it was there she met the trumpeter Clark Terry, who after discovering her became her mentor.
1975
A year later she began studying music at the University of Denver, before she moving in 1976 to Los Angeles. In L.A. her interest in Latin-American music grew, and she began experimenting with different kinds of vocal music and finally decided to pursue a career as a singer. She met Eduardo del Barrio, and she toured with his group "Caldera" and sang in Billy Child's jazz band "Night Flights". Later she tour with Sergio Mendes.
From 1983 until 1986 she toured with Harry Belafonte as a lead singer. This period saw her first experiences with world music. In 1987 she became the first vocalist to sign with Blue Note records. She moved back to Denver from Los Angeles in 1992. She sang at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.
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Grammy Awards
She has currently won 3 Grammy Awards for "Best Jazz Vocal Performance" for her albums
2001 In the Moment
2002 The Calling
2003 A Little Moonlight
2006 Good Night, And Good Luck (Soundtrack)
She is the only singer to have won this Grammy in three consecutive years.
[edit]
Discography
1977 - Welcome to My Love
1987 - Better Days
1988 - I Remember
1990 - Never Too Far
1991 - Dianne Reeves (same as Better Days)
1993 - Art & Survival
1994 - Quiet After the Storm
1996 - The Grand Encounter
1996 - Palo Alto Sessions
1997 - That Day
1997 - New Morning (live)
1999 - Bridges... produced by George Duke.
2000 - In The Moment (live)
2001 - The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
2002 - Best of Dianne Reeves
2003 - A Little Moonlight
2004 - Christmas Time is Here
2005 - Good Night, And Good Luck (Soundtrack)
Afro Blue
Dianne Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hear a hand stroke on a drum
Elegant boy
Beautiful girl
Dancing for joy
Elegant whirl
Shades of delight
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Two young lovers dance face to face
With undulating grace
They gently sway
Then slip away
To some secluded place
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Whispering trees
Echo their sighs
Passionate pleas
Tender replies
Lovers in flight
Upward they glide
Burst at the height
Slowly subside
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
And my slumbering fantasy assumes reality
Until it seems it's not a dream
The two are you and me
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Oh shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
The lyrics to Dianne Reeves’ song “Afro Blue” portray a vivid picture of the African culture in which an individual affirms their connection to a land their soul is from. The hand stroke on a drum, as we know, is a significant aspect of African tribal music. Therefore, this opening line represents the singer's awakening of the African spirit within. The lines “Elegant boy, beautiful girl, dancing for joy, elegant whirl” depicts a beautiful picture of two young lovers dancing in harmonious delight with the beautiful rhythm of Afro music, and they do so with a cocoa hue that is rich as the night.
The second stanza showcases the passion between the two, the “passionate pleas" and "tender” replies, while the third stanza explains an onward progression of the lovers’ passion, their upward glide, climax, and subsequent descent. In the fourth stanza, the singer reveals that this beautiful interaction was, in fact, a fantasy, or rather, a dream perceived through slumber. In the end, the singer connects their experience of this alluring dream to their present reality, repeating the rich colors of “shades of delight, cocoa hue, rich as the night, Afro blue” once again. It’s in these lyrics that Dianne Reeves reiterates the significance of the color traits of Afro music, representing the richness and depth of it all.
Line by Line Meaning
Dream of a land my soul is from
I imagine a place where my soul feels at home
I hear a hand stroke on a drum
I hear the sound of drums that transport me to that place
Elegant boy
A handsome young man
Beautiful girl
An attractive young woman
Dancing for joy
Dancing out of pure happiness
Elegant whirl
Graceful and fluid movements
Shades of delight
Various tones of pleasure
Cocoa hue
Brown color of the skin
Rich as the night
As deep and complex as the darkness of the night
Afro blue
A fusion of African rhythms and blues music
Two young lovers dance face to face
A couple dances in close proximity
With undulating grace
Moving their bodies gracefully in waves
They gently sway
Dancing with subtle movements
Then slip away
Move away from the public view
To some secluded place
To a private and intimate location
Whispering trees
Trees that speak softly
Echo their sighs
Their sighing sounds reverberate in the woods
Passionate pleas
Intense and emotional requests
Tender replies
Gentle and affectionate responses
Lovers in flight
Couple rising in the air
Upward they glide
Moving up effortlessly
Burst at the height
Reach a climax point and explode with joy
Slowly subside
Gradually return to the ground
And my slumbering fantasy assumes reality
My dream feels so real
Until it seems it's not a dream
It feels like reality
The two are you and me
We are the couple in the scene
Oh shades of delight
Oh, what a pleasurable experience
Cocoa hue
Brown color of the skin
Rich as the night
As deep and complex as the darkness of the night
Afro blue
A fusion of African rhythms and blues music
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Mongo Santamaria
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martinanocci3970
Dream of a land my soul is from
I hear a hand stroke on a drum
Elegant boy
Beautiful girl
Dancing for joy
Elegant whirl
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Two young lovers dance face to face
With undulating grace
They gently sway
Then slip away
To some secluded place
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Whispering trees
Echo their sighs
Passionate pleas
Tender replies
Lovers in flight
Upward they glide
Burst at the height
Slowly subside
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
And my slumbering fantasy assumes reality
Until it seems it's not a dream
The two are you and me
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Oh shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
@martinanocci3970
Dream of a land my soul is from
I hear a hand stroke on a drum
Elegant boy
Beautiful girl
Dancing for joy
Elegant whirl
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Two young lovers dance face to face
With undulating grace
They gently sway
Then slip away
To some secluded place
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Whispering trees
Echo their sighs
Passionate pleas
Tender replies
Lovers in flight
Upward they glide
Burst at the height
Slowly subside
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
And my slumbering fantasy assumes reality
Until it seems it's not a dream
The two are you and me
Shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
Oh shades of delight
Cocoa hue
Rich as the night
Afro blue
@morrisparrish76
We’ve lost sarah-Ella-Billie & Dinah but thank God we still have Dianne Reeves!
@megasoid
One of her best performances on record.
@propermuslimah2393
Somehow I just remembered this song 6/5/2020. I first heard it in DC as a teen. We had various summer jobs sponsored by the city in the 90's and we did different things like art programs or working with various summer camps. On this particular job my summer of 1993 we had to do a ballet and jazz piece and this was the song. I met a lot of great people but most of all this song, it was always somewhere in my subconscious.
@jellyfishj1
she perfectly expresses the tone, color and message of every tune she sings
@cathydew
That whole Remember album is stunning. It was my introduction to her, and just blew my mind.
@edgreen144
A songstress extraordinaire, and quite a good fisherman too. Met her when I lived in Denver. Went fishing with herand some mutual friends a couple time. A Phenomenal Woman, a whole lot of Woman, Body and Spirit.....Love Her
@ebonypamt
I love Dianne Reeves! This is an awesome song! I found a video of her performing this live in New Orleans. (Rmasai) Love it, love it, love it! One of those songs that take you away to a different place and just stirs your mind and soul at the same time, if that makes sense. Thanks for adding this awesome song, Baye.
@sizwendlanzi8181
I have about 5 versions of this piece, but Diana Reeves makes it a Afro-Cuban kinda grooving to it!
@LaJoieDuChant
I LOVE this song!!!
@toniofranks7992
I love ❤️ her music !!!!!!