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" I did a project called 'Sing The Truth,' which was a lot of fun. It started out being a celebration of the music of Nina Simone, and it was me and Lizz Wright and Angelique Kidjo. "

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" In high school, we had a really great jazz program that I finally was able to be a part of. They only wanted instrumentalists; they didn't want any singers. But I made my way in, and I remember the conductor of the band wrote a lot of arrangements and asked me what I wanted to sing. "

Dianne Reeves

Remember

Great

High School

" People think jazz music is all standards and the Great American Songbook. But it's really about the sensibility, the feel you bring to the music. "

" The biggest thing is to just keep your voice in shape so that when the emotion hits, it's there to have the colors to paint those pictures with the lyrics as well as the sound. "

" I never called myself a jazz singer. I just call myself a vocalist because I love to sing all kinds of things. "

" I've always liked a lot of different kinds of music. "

" I knew what the story behind 'Dreams' was. It was about Stevie Knicks' relationship. But when I sing it, it's about sharing some sage advice with somebody. "

" I feel proud of my journey. I wouldn't change it. "

" My life has been going in ways I never could have dreamed of - doing the closing celebration for the Olympic Games and being appointed the creative chair for jazz at the L.A. Philharmonic. So I've just decided I'll go with my flow and be very prepared. "

" My mother would say, 'Stay ready so you don't have to get ready.' I spent a lot of my early years preparing for beautiful moments that have unfolded in my life so far. "

" My friend Harry Belafonte is an activist and musician, an extraordinary man who has dedicated his life to human rights. He taught me the power of words and that music can be used to heal and educate people. "

" I think people have come to know that I am not comfortable in a box, you know, and that I love music. "

" I remember my grandmother used to always say, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.' But when I realized that music was inside of me, I decided I'm putting all my eggs in one basket. "

Dianne Reeves

Say

Grandmother

" My foundation is jazz. I do all the things jazz musicians do. "

" Herb Wong was an incredible man. We met when I was performing with Clark Terry at the Wichita Jazz Festival around 1974. "

" My demographic is very broad. Once they come, they had an idea about jazz, and then they hear me, and they come back with sisters, brothers, and kids. My audience looks like America to me. "

Dianne Reeves

Jazz

Looks

" Music is a conversation between the audience and me, and I love that about my profession. "

" When I worked with my uncle, I loved the fact that jazz music demanded that you use your own unique approach. "

" I never wanted to do anything else, really. I left home at an early age trying to find my voice, my niche in music. "

" My mother was really amazing and left me with a whole lot of treasures. I miss her terribly. "

Dianne Reeves

Mother

Amazing

" Art and culture and all of these things - they really matter. They shape your individuality. "

" I had a few celebrity crushes when I was growing up, including Eddie Kendricks from the Temptations. And I loved Marvin Gaye - I thought he was everything and instantly fell for his voice. "

Dianne Reeves

Loved

Thought

" I come from a family of musicians. "

" The music we do is weaved together through stories and life experiences. When people come to hear us, I hope they are are uplifted and that we give them a lot to take home. "

" Even in a world with much sadness, at its essence, life is beautiful. "

" I love to create something new every night onstage; that makes a big difference. "

" I like coming home and sharing things I've tasted or seen. "

Dianne Reeves

Things

Sharing

" I look back at Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, and especially Betty Carter, whom I admire the most, and I say, OK, they set a standard of excellence. I listen to them not for what they are doing, but to study where they are coming from because, for me, jazz is life experience. "

" I'm a chameleon. When you put me in certain soils, musically speaking, I will be in that place. "

" Too many people judge a singer like Beyonce by what they see on the surface. Knowing the musicians she's worked with and how she works, I have a lot of respect for her. "

" Now, jazz institutions are more readily available for young people, but for me, the institutions were the bands that I was in. When I worked with Clark Terry, that was the beginning of school for me, and Harry Belafonte and Sergio Mendes, they were all my universities. "