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One of the greatest jazz vocalists of his generation and widely recognised as one of the greatest cross-over artists of all time, the seven-time Grammy Award winner Al Jarreau took the Emirates Palace audience on an incredible musical journey last night as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival 2011. With his trademark jazz improvisations and unique vocal talent, Jarreau treated the audience to a selection of his best-known classics from a career that has spanned five decades and a myriad of musical genres.
Only the second artist in the history of the Grammys to win in the jazz, pop and R&B categories (Michael Jackson was the first), Jarreau is famed for the sense of authenticity he brings to his performances with what has been described as his “uniquely eclectic voice”. The captivated audience enjoyed every minute of his electric performance of improvisations, which included hits ‘We Got By’, ‘Moonlighting’, ‘Your Song’ and an encore that included ‘Summertime’.
This is the second year that jazz has made an appearance at the Abu Dhabi Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and presented by the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation.
Founder and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, Her Excellency Mrs. Hoda I Al Khamis Kanoo, said: “The Abu Dhabi Festival is committed to providing a platform for the world’s greatest musicians and performers to entertain audiences. A true music legend, we are delighted to welcome Al Jarreau to the Festival and to Abu Dhabi this year. His performance was electrifying but beyond that he embodies everything that great music stands for and I believe the Festival made a great friend tonight.”
As part of his time in Abu Dhabi, Jarreau generously opened his pre-performance rehearsal to a group of students from a local school. This formed part of the Abu Dhabi Festival’s ‘Festival in Focus’ series that enables groups from across the community to attend open rehearsals by visiting performers.
Abu Dhabi Festival 2011
The Abu Dhabi Festival runs until the 4th April 2011. Over the last two weeks, the Festival has presented a diverse programme of activities right across the seven emirates aimed at giving people the opportunity to engage in and explore culture and the arts. The Festival will culminate with an Opera Gala on Tuesday, 5th April featuring opera stars Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Ekaterina Siurina. For ticket information, please visit www.timeouttickets.com or visit the Emirates Palace Box Office. More information about the Abu Dhabi Festival 2011 is available at www.abudhabifestival.ae or 050 907 6158.
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