Grace Jones performing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London on October 10, 1981.
Photographer: David Corio
"Back then the policy for a lot of shows was you had the first three songs to get the shot and then you were thrown out of the pit. But for this one I was allowed to shoot the whole show. The bassist came on with a Grace Jones mask so we all thought it was her. The drummer wore on too. And then Grace came on with a gorilla outfit. She ripped it off and just went into it. It was quite an epic performance. I guess it's the only time I've photographed an accordion player."
Mr. Jarreau’s eclectic vocal talents created a personal style that won him six Grammy Awards across three categories.
Feb. 12, 2017
Al Jarreau, a versatile vocalist who sold millions of records and won a string of Grammys for his work in pop and R&B as well as his first love, jazz, died on Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 76.
His death was announced by his manager, Joe Gordon, who said that Mr. Jarreau had been hospitalized for exhaustion two weeks ago. On the advice of his doctors, he had canceled his tour dates and retired from touring.
Mr. Jarreau did not begin a full-time musical career until he was nearly 30, but within a few years he had begun attracting notice for a vocal style that was both instantly appealing and highly unusual. Critics were particularly taken by his improvisational dexterity, in particular his virtuosic ability to produce an array of vocalizations ranging from delicious nonsense to clicks and growls to quasi-instrumental sounds.
Although he made his initial mark in the jazz world, Mr. Jarreau’s style, and his audience, crossed stylistic barriers. His music incorporated elements of pop, soul, gospel, Latin and other genres. It was a mark of his eclecticism that he won six Grammys across three different categories: jazz, pop and R&B. He was also among the performers on a Grammy-winning children’s album, “In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record.”
If Mr. Jarreau’s highly accessible, intensely personal style defied easy classification, that very accessibility — and, perhaps, the mere fact of his considerable commercial success — left some jazz purists skeptical.
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Photo credit: Al Jarreau, 1986 - photo by David Corlo
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