Having picked up seven Grammy Awards and collaborated with the likes of Miles Davis and George Benson, Al Jarreau is the proud owner of some of the most prolific and respected vocal chords in the business. Even at 71, he’s still breaking new ground, as he performs his first UAE show as part of Abu Dhabi Festival on Sunday.
You’re into the sixth decade of your career. What’s been the most memorable period?
Getting things off the ground is a really significant time for any of us who get a career going. When things happen in this industry, it’s lightning striking. Then when you sit over on the other side of it like I am these days, it’s sweeter and sweeter the longer it persists. Just that there’s a magazine that wants to do an interview with Al Jarreau, that’s a pretty heavy thing man! That’s wonderful stuff. But yeah it’s been an amazing ride.
A big part of the success must be down to the people you’ve worked with. Is there anyone who you’ve found particularly inspiring?
Well, every day and all the time – I’ve got a band that collaborates with me every time we get on stage. Sometimes we’ll have these little occurrences that happen tonight that didn’t happen last night, just because the bass player looked at me and caught my eye when he played something just especially wonderful and funky, so we share this little moment and it inspires the next moment. That’s the stuff, man. That is the stuff. In the moment.
You appeared on American Idol a couple of years ago. What’s your opinion of the increasingly commercial nature of the music industry in the 21st century?
I love what that show has done, I think it’s been an encouragement to young, would-be singers. To see them getting out there and really tearing up a song, getting in there and wailing is a wonderful thing for me to see and hear. So I’m kind of standing up and giving the show an ovation; it’s causing that new kind of interest in young people who are watching and being inspired. The industry is really quite different these days. There isn’t that mothering influence of the record company so much anymore, so they’ve got to be their own record company. It’s a whole set of other skills that have nothing to do with performing. It’s different, but I’m not convinced it’s better.
You’ve spent a lot of time at awards ceremonies – who’s the biggest person you’ve found yourself standing next to in the men’s room?
Ha ha ha! I’m always running into Chic Corea and Herbie Hancock at these affairs, Billy Dee Williams too. I met Joni Mitchell just last year, too. What a thrill that was.
Is there any one award that means more to you than any of the rest?
One of the really thrilling moments was getting the R&B Grammy for best male vocal performance in 1993. That was very satisfying, since it filled out my collection. I already had a pop Grammy and a jazz Grammy, so to have one in all three is really quite something for me. Me and Michael Jackson are the only ones who’ve won in all three categories.
How does it feel to be on a level with him in that way?
It’s the only way I’ll ever be on a level with Michael Jackson! Michael was a super talent. What a loss.
Ever meet him?
Well yeah, because the year I got my R&B Grammy I beat Michael to it! He also invited me to perform at the big Jacksons reunion show at Madison Square Garden in 2001, but sadly it was just a few days before 9/11 so the show kind of got overshadowed.
How long do you intend to keep on performing? Do you still get the same buzz when you step on stage?
I’ll keep on going until they throw me out of the joint, close the door and tell me I can’t come back. As long as I’ve got an audience that’s still interested in hearing what I do, I’ll still be doing it in another 10 years. Every time we touch a pencil to a piece of paper, something special has happened. That magic has always been the basic thing, and that’s the message for the young kids. Fall in love with the craft. Go paint. Plant flowers. Find something that you would do for free and try to make a little money out of it, and if you can’t then do it for free because you love it.
Al Jarreau performs at Emirates Palace Auditorium on April 3 as part of Abu Dhabi Festival. Tickets Dhs295-Dhs495 from www.timeouttickets.com
