An Evening with Diane Schuur “American Songbook” With Special Guest Ernie Watts

Members who give $500+ annually receive 10% off concert tickets.

One of contemporary jazz’s leading vocalists and her ace trio are joined by legendary tenor sax player Ernie Watts, whose career has ranged from performing with Charlie Haden’s Quartet West to touring with the Rolling Stones.

Diane Schuur is both brilliant and eclectic. Blind from birth, she was gifted with perfect pitch and initially taught herself to play the piano by ear. With a distinguished recording career that spans three decades, including two GRAMMY Awards as well as three additional GRAMMY nominations, Schuur has explored almost every corner of the twentieth-century musical landscape.

She has worked with the Count Basie Orchestra, Barry Manilow, B. B. King, Ray Charles, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, and Mark Knopfler, among countless others. She has had chart-topping recordings, including two number-one Billboard albums with B. B. King, and appearances on many television specials and shows, including Sesame Street. She has also performed at the White House on multiple occasions and was one of the select musical guests invited to perform at the Kennedy Center Honors when Stevie Wonder received his award.

Schuur’s voice is, to put it very mildly, beautiful. She has a vocal range that can deliver low, grumbly laments and high, crooning wails with equal effectiveness, and wonderful vibrato.

—CMJ

Her voice is impressive in its size, range and brightness. A song can suddenly fly up an octave into little-girl squeals, then make a swan dive into the murky depths. She uses her twirling vibrato as rhythmic punctuation. After drawing out a note, she dispenses that vibrato like the cherry on a sundae.

—New York Times