Customer Reviews

In the Moment: Live in Concert

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Once again Dianne Reeves demonstrates with her music she's one of a kind, one of the very few vocalist that relly say something new and, no matter what the critics say about her not focusing on pure jazz, SHE IS the perfect incarnation of what the spirits of jazz is: challenging the boundaries of music, pursuing freedom,improvisation, cultivating an exquisite taste with a sensibility that goes deep down into gospel, soul, r&b, afro, reggae to find a reveal new treasures. Above all this, naturally, stands her voice: warm, deep, rich in coulour and expression contralto,a voice guided by a sense of rythm and technical mastership going from moaning, caressing, soaring, roaring, culminating with an ability to scat that leaves you speechles. This time Diane's been caught in the rapture of a live performance, possibly her best dimension. She sing her heart out and kills you with a brilliant Brasilian trip: the acoustic reading of "Triste" is magnificient, matched by Nacimentos' "Bridges" that is already "the definitive cover" of this beautiful song. Then, she and her extraordinary band sweep you away with a salsa-latin flavoured "Love for sale" that will have even Cole Porter surely nodding with satisfaction from high above. What a voyage.. and then he comes George Duke playing the piano and dressing an old Dianne's hit "Come in" new, soulful and smooth and caressing and... beautiful... Each of the the songs of this superb set are simply stunning: a perfect collection to appreciate the art of Dianne Reeves, indeed. After her first, sensational "New Morning" live in Paris, this is the second chance to travel on the wings of real live jazz with one of the truest and best artists on the music scene today : when you're done, you just want to stand up and cry: Bravissima Dianne!

("M.D." in this case stands for musical doctor...) Those of us who have seen DR live know it is an experience unlike any other. Onstage, she makes her own rules and then breaks them-- seeming to constantly reinvent her songs/voice/ musical identity, all the while maintaining an intimacy with the audience that is as easeful as it is proufound/magical. I think that she does a number of very radical things with her music in general, and that her particularly radical style is exemplified by her performances on stage, and here in this album. When I say radical, I mean: somehow during the creative process of performing, she makes the radical choice to include the listener/audience over and over again EXPLICITLY in her creation. She has, I think, an innate and extremely rare understanding of the nexxus of human emotion and art (who else would dare put forth an album as raw and complex and contradicory as "Art and Survival'?) and is able to use her talent to make the final product far more than the sum of its parts. She goes beyond her role and status as an entertainer, giving medicine to her audience, medicine that lives on in the human heart long after the concert is over. Ironically, it's this, the most astounding aspect of her musicianship, that makes her most vulnerable to criticism. Most will agree on the dazzling voice, but: one reviewer of this album called "5 Chapters" "self-indulgent"; others have claimed she is too experimental and not a "true" jazz singer. I, myself, referred to some songs on "Bridges" as "didactic" (see review). It was listening to this live album that made it click: refrains "Testify" and "Mista" now are embedded in my consciousness, self-activating affirmation chants that I hold dear in times of spiritual/emotional crisis. These songs annoyed me when I first heard them! Now I understand what she's doing: disobeying the sacred unspoken tenet of the European sensibility, that says we must "show but not tell" in art. The tenet the enforces the division between the experience and the expression. In the live world with DR, there is no division: when she greets the audience, she's singing; when she introduces each and every member of the band, telling stories all the way [left out on this album :( ], she's singing; when she talks about her start in the music business, her love of singing, her family, her heart being broken, she's doing this singing-talking thing that as far as I know is completely original to her, at least to the extent that she does it. And the singing is beautiful, and the talking is interesting-- thus, again-- more than the sum of their parts: the synergy of her miraculous presence and talent. Unmatched. She's THE singer for this millenium. I'm running out of room here but the truth is that Dianne is the queen of jazz...and the doctor of our broken hearts. Let us praise her...

This is the CD that made the world take notice. This is not her best body of work. She has giving loving fans better then this and never won a Grammy. This just tells you what a big talent the world has been missing. On studio recordings, Miss Reeves is above the game. Her live shows as this, can never be surpassed. I would love to see her make another live CD covering some of her other favorites. But, if you never saw her live shows this is a treat.

Twiddle enough knobs and almost anyone can sound good on a record. Echo chambers, vocal layers, and pitch modification are old studio tricks at this point in technology. But a live performance is where an artist can prove what he or she is truly made of, and "In the Moment" proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Dianne Reeves is a technically astute artist of remarkable pitch, tasteful inflection, and skillful improvisation.

The set opens with an elegant reading of "Morning Has Broken," and from the first wordless vocal that she sings it's clear that Reeves is in full control, both technically and emotionally. Her vocals cast a seductive spell on a fiery rendition of "Afro Blue," and the Cole Porter chestnut "Love for Sale" gets such a spirited arrangement and vocal that, at seven minutes, it doesn't seem nearly long enough.

Longtime fans of Reeves will no doubt eagerly anticipate the Brazilian classic "Triste," a song she seems long-overdue to include on record, considering her career-long affection for Bossa Nova; the resulting smooth-as-silk duet between Dianne and guitarist Romero Lumbambo is even better than you dare hope for. But the most impressive arrangement herein is "Come In," a song which, in its original incarnation, was an Anita-Baker-friendly pop/soul number on her "Never Too Far" album. Here the song gets a shift in key and rhythm, and ends up being the most sophisticated of jazz numbers. Producer George Duke steps in as guest pianist for the song and works his usual magic, and the vocal Reeves turns in, when compared with the original, is a thrilling account of her evolution and growth as a vocalist.

Throw in a crytal-clear recording and immaculate mix and the only possible complaint you could have is that the bluesy, hip-hop flavored "Mista" comes to an end just when things reach a boiling point...but even this fact illustrates the level of performance we're treated to here. For those of us who haven't had the pleasure of witnessing Dianne Reeves live and in concert, "In the Moment" is indeed a generous consolation prize.

Dianne Reeves has shown us once again why she is, indeed, this century's lady of song. Her rendition of Morning has Broken leaves open the simple yet intricate voicings of the instrumentation as her pure sound floats over the melody in an interpretation that could only be hers. Of special note and completely unique is her interpretation of "Travessia", called "Bridges", by Brazilian composer Milton Nascimento. This song was one of the first of his compositions that Milton ever performed live, but was well imprinted upon the minds of Brazilian fans by Elis Regina's passionately haunting rendition. Never before has so much justice been done to the bleedingly evocative cultural portrait that is Milton's music. The interpretation is reminiscent of Dianne's "Yemanja" off her "Quiet after the storm album". This album is a treasure for any distinctive collection. I'll stake my name to it.

To all Dianne Reeves fans: this is one of her very best of all times. For those of us fortunate enough to experience Reeves and her band live, this is an album that will bring back memories of the magic she always manages to bring forth.

To all you other music fans: Dianne Reeves is one of the greater female vocalists on the scene today. Her voice is unmatched in its clearity and nerve, so clear and so beautiful it strikes everybody. She has gospel roots, has made pop albums, jazz albums, even soul-like albums, but through the last decade she has been in a league of her own when it comes to bringing the jazz out to a greater audience without compromising. She is a real singer/actor - you believe in Ms Reeves. This woman is for real, and she emphasizes her being a woman in her songs - she gets close to the listener, really delivers herself.

Dianne Reeeves' last album, Bridges, brought back some of her gospel roots, and they are also evident on this live album, as most of the repertoire comes from Bridges. Also included on this disc are personal, and great, takes on Love For Sale and Afro Blue.

Go buy it!

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! How's everybody doing tonight? You're my guests and this is my living room!" Hearing this, you know you're in for a real treat and Dianne does not disappoint.

This is such a great live CD and Dianne's voice is so pure and clear. Every song is masterfully sung with beautiful twists and turns. The music is just awesome. My favorites are Suzanne, Afro Blue, and Morning Has Broken. Take this wonderful live journey with Dianne - sit back and enjoy. If you like this CD and you've never seen her live, you've got to check her out. The sista is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!