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.
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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)
Nine
Dianne Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As if it were yesterday
I can hear my friends outside of my window
Say, "Can you come out and play?"
Anna brought a bag of her mama's cooking spoons
So we could dig a big hole, to try to reach China
And get there by early noon
Across a sky filled with dreams
Any child could wear a paper crown
And be a king or queen at nine
I remember days of playing without a care
Then coming home with sniffles and clothes hanging off me
With leaves in my hair
Everybody's child belonged to the neighborhood
You could tell your troubles to old Aunt Savannah
Cause she always understood
Running endless through a field
Of emerald green beneath a broad
Open sky
I will treasure all my days when
I was innocent and free at nine
Runnin' and jumpin' and skippin' and laughin'
Rollin' and shakin' and jokin' and hidin'
Mother may I, Simon says, you're it, you spit
Hide and seek, you peeked, no I didn't, yes you did
You're not fair, I don't care, I saw Sammy's underwear
Double dutch, kick ball, hop scotch, bobby socks
Mary Mack all dressed in black
Who is that? Can she play jacks?
I'm the doctor, you're the nurse
Whatchu' mean, I was first
Shovin' and pushin'
Cryin' and screamin'
Dreamin' and beamin' and dancin' in a line
You show me yours, I'll show you mine
Ah uh I'm going home it's dinner time... nine
The song "Nine" by Dianne Reeves is a nostalgic reflection on childhood, specifically the age of nine. In the first verse, the singer reminisces about playing outside with friends, and attempting to dig a hole to reach China with cooking spoons. The second verse highlights the carefree nature of childhood, where kids could play without a care in the world and return home with clothes hanging off them and leaves in their hair. The chorus discusses the endless possibilities and imagination of being a child, where any child could "wear a paper crown and be a king or queen."
Throughout the song, Reeves lists off various childhood games and activities, such as "Mother may I," "Simon says," and "hide and seek." The lyrics paint a picture of endless running, jumping, and laughing, as well as occasional fighting and crying. Overall, "Nine" portrays a sense of innocence, freedom, and joy that comes with being a child.
One interesting fact about "Nine" is that it was co-written by Reeves and her longtime collaborator, pianist and guitarist Russell Ferrante. Additionally, the song was produced by Reeves' cousin, George Duke, who was a well-known jazz musician in his own right. "Nine" was released in 1994 as part of Reeves' album "Quiet After the Storm," and it received critical acclaim for its nostalgic themes and Reeves' soulful vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember nine
I can vividly remember when I was nine years old
As if it were yesterday
My memory is still so fresh that it feels like it happened just yesterday
I can hear my friends outside of my window
I can still hear the voices of my childhood friends playing outside my window
Say, "Can you come out and play?"
They would ask me to come out and join in their games
Anna brought a bag of her mama's cooking spoons
One of my friends, Anna, brought a bag of her mother's cooking spoons to use for digging a hole
So we could dig a big hole, to try to reach China
We had the aim of trying to dig our way to reach China
And get there by early noon
We were so determined to reach China that we aimed to get there by early noon
Our imaginations soared on golden wings
We had such great imaginations and ideas that there was no limit to what we could dream of
Across a sky filled with dreams
We saw our future full of many possibilities and couldn't wait to reach it
Any child could wear a paper crown
We believed that as children, we could be anything we wanted to be and nothing was impossible
And be a king or queen at nine
At nine years old, we all thought of ourselves as being royalty
I remember days of playing without a care
We were carefree and spent our days playing and having fun
Then coming home with sniffles and clothes hanging off me
After our playtime, I would often come home with a runny nose and my clothes were usually worn out
With leaves in my hair
I would also have leaves in my hair from playing outside in nature
Everybody's child belonged to the neighborhood
As kids, we all belonged to the community and looked out for each other
You could tell your troubles to old Aunt Savannah
We all had someone like Aunt Savannah in our community; someone to go to when we needed to talk or share our troubles
Cause she always understood
Our elders in the community were always compassionate and empathetic and understood our problems
Running endless through a field
We would run and play endlessly through the fields
Of emerald green beneath a broad
The fields were always lush and green and wide open for us to run around in
Open sky
The sky was always open and bright with sunshine and blue skies
I will treasure all my days when
I will always treasure the memories from those days when I was nine years old
I was innocent and free at nine
At nine years old, I was innocent and carefree with my whole life ahead of me
Runnin' and jumpin' and skippin' and laughin'
We would run, jump, skip and laugh as kids and have fun with our friends
Rollin' and shakin' and jokin' and hidin'
We would also roll, shake, joke and hide from each other, having fun while doing it
Mother may I, Simon says, you're it, you spit
We would play games like Simon says, or Mother May I? or tag and run away from the one who was 'it.' We would even play games like 'you spit.'
Hide and seek, you peeked, no I didn't, yes you did
We would play hide and seek and accuse each other of peeking when we weren't supposed to
You're not fair, I don't care, I saw Sammy's underwear
We would argue about things and accuse each other of being unfair. We would also make fun of each other and tease one another about things like seeing someone's underwear
Double dutch, kick ball, hop scotch, bobby socks
We would also play games that were popular during that time period, including Double Dutch or games played on the street like kickball or hopscotch. We would also wear bobby socks.
Mary Mack all dressed in black
We would add additional verses to popular songs, such as Mary Mack, and make them silly or add additional dance moves
Who is that? Can she play jacks?
We would ask questions about people in the community and also play old fashioned games like jacks.
I'm the doctor, you're the nurse
We would imagine that we were doctors and nurses and play that game
Whatchu' mean, I was first
We would argue about who was first at something
Shovin' and pushin'
We would also shove and push each other, while playing and having fun
Cryin' and screamin'
Sometimes our games would result in crying and screaming, but it was all part of having fun
Dreamin' and beamin' and dancin' in a line
We would dream of the future and dance in line formations like they did on TV shows.
You show me yours, I'll show you mine
We were curious and would show each other things as we explored growing up
Ah uh I'm going home it's dinner time... nine
We knew our boundaries and would heed the call of dinner time and head on home.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DIANNE REEVES, EDUARDO DEL BARRIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind