Diane Schuur

Dubbed “The New First Lady of Jazz,” Diane Schuur has been praised by none less than Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and B.B. King. The former protégé of Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz has earned two Grammies and two appearances at the White House. She will appear at Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 West Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood on Friday, December 1st through Sunday, December 3rd.

A native of Tacoma, WA, Diane Schuur was blind from birth due to a hospital accident. Nicknamed “Deedles,” she began imitating singers in early childhood and had her first professional experience at age 9, singing country tunes at the local Holiday Inn. As a student at the Washington State School for the Blind, she sang and played piano, impressing audiences with her original compositions and style. At her 1975 Monterey Jazz Festival debut, she captured the attention of Stan Getz, who became a significant mentor as well as employer. Her career was further pushed into the spotlight when she recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1987.

Diane Schuur

Over her career, Schuur has toured the globe, playing nearly every major venue with most of the elite of jazz. Although sometimes criticized for bland, pop-oriented performances, she nevertheless garnered five Grammy nominations, receiving two awards for Best Vocal Jazz Performance (1986 and 1987), and appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show 11 times. In 2000, she received the prestigious Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award. With nearly 30 albums to her credit, Schuur has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, from Getz and Basie to Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King and Dave Samuels’ Caribbean Jazz Project, as well as with the late Ray Charles and Maynard Ferguson. This past weekend she headlined the Detroit Jazz Festival.

With her forays into pop, Schuur’s reputation as a jazz artist had dimmed somewhat in the 1990s. However, a series of acclaimed recordings in the past few years, including the new Diane Schuur Live in London, are bringing back the attention her artistry deserves. Released this past June, the album, recorded at Ronnie Scott’s, debuted at #8 on Jazz Radio charts. Notes Vincent Stephens (All About Jazz), “Schuur’s clear tone, superb diction and pitch-perfect piano scats illuminate the material with aplomb.” And in her early 50s, her legendary three-and-one-half octave range is still intact.

Diane Schuur will appear at Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 West Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood on Friday, December 1st through Sunday, December 3rd.

Click here for a streaming audio preview the CD "Schuur Fire".