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)
Smile
Dianne Reeves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even fill an empty space
And it feels just like sunshine baby
When that smile lights up your face
I'm so glad we're together
I can't dream of a better place
That I'd rather be
With a smile that makes the angels start to sing
La la la la la la...
La la la la la la...
And I know there's no better place
That I'd rather be
When you hold me close in your arms
I can feel your heart beat inside of me
I have found my oasis
A treasure island in the sea
Waves of love and understanding
With a smile that captivated me
I will cherish the day
That you chased all my storm clouds away
With your smile
The lyrics to Dianne Reeves's song Smile are about the transformative power of a smile. The song suggests that a smile can fill any empty space and even make storm clouds disappear. The singer feels like sunshine when she sees her lover smile, and she says she can't imagine a better place than being with her partner. The song is a celebration of the happiness and joy that can come from a loving relationship.
The lyrics also suggest that the singer has found her "oasis" in her partner. She describes their love as a "treasure island in the sea," and says that with her partner's smile, she feels waves of love and understanding. The song is a tribute to the transformative power of love and the joy that comes from being in a happy relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You could smile away the storm clouds
Your smile can have a powerful effect on the negative situations in my life.
Even fill an empty space
Your presence alone can be enough to bring joy and happiness to my life.
And it feels just like sunshine baby
Being around you feels like a warm and sunny day - it fills me with light and happiness.
When that smile lights up your face
The sight of your smile is incredibly uplifting and beautiful to me.
I'm so glad we're together
I feel incredibly lucky to be with you and grateful for every moment we share together.
I can't dream of a better place
Simply being with you is the best place I could ever imagine being.
That I'd rather be
There is nowhere else I would rather be than with you.
Than right here with you loving me
I am so happy to be sharing this moment with you, feeling your love and affection.
With a smile that makes the angels start to sing
Your smile is so radiant and joyful that it feels like a heavenly experience to be around you.
I know there's no better place
There is truly nowhere else I would rather be than here, right now, with you.
When you hold me close in your arms
Feeling your embrace is one of my favorite things in the world, and fills me with comfort and love.
I can feel your heart beat inside of me
Being so close to you and feeling your heartbeat makes me feel connected to you in the most intimate way possible.
I have found my oasis
Being with you feels like I have reached a paradise - a safe and beautiful place where I can be myself.
A treasure island in the sea
You are a rare and special treasure, and being with you is like being on an island of love and joy in a vast sea of the mundane.
Waves of love and understanding
Our love is like the tide of the ocean, always moving and changing, but always full of warmth and understanding.
With a smile that captivated me
One of the things that first drew me to you was your incredible smile, which captured my heart and has stayed with me ever since.
I will cherish the day
I will always hold in my heart the day that you brought light and happiness into my life with your smile and love.
That you chased all my storm clouds away
You have an incredible ability to make the difficult times in my life seem brighter and more manageable - like you are chasing away the storm clouds with your smile.
With your smile
Your smile is one of the most precious things in the world to me, and brings me joy and happiness every time I see it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEJAN KRALJ, GORAN KRALJ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deborah Steele
"Soft jazz at its very best" ... " My heart music, indeed" ... Blessings always, Ms. Deborah Steele - 6/3/21
Antoino Parker
love the lyric and her singing is wonderful !
Tatjana Trobec
beautiful sunny song...full of optimism and joy.....wonderful vioce....perfect !
NavVet
A "smile" can change Sooooo many things...Beautiful!!!!! :)
Saakhu Tarrer
I know this song word by word and i'm only a teen and this is music youths and teens of my age should be listening to
Jim Rich
The woman can put a song over!!! Unique and alluring! LOVE her........
andrea yates
Beautiful! This songs lifts you.
Girlshine
This song is wonderful!
Jerry Johnson
Ms Diane Reeves...that's a singer right there. Blessings
lalita vajra
she sure is, beautiful