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" 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. "

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" I came up at a time in the late '60s, early '70s where music was without boundaries. You'd go into a music store, and the music was in alphabetical order. I hadn't heard of that word 'genre.' "

Dianne Reeves

Early

You

" Nina Simone is a musical genius and a rich and precious treasure who paid a heavy price for her artistic freedom. "

" 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 come from a family of storytellers. My grandmother was great at telling stories, and my mother was an amazing storyteller. "

" When I first heard Nina Simone, her naked truth shocked me. Whenever she sang, it felt like lightning bolts in my soul. Every song was like a movie, a unique and very different vignette. "

" When I moved to Los Angeles, right away I met all kinds of musicians. "

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

" I've dated a few musicians in my life, and it's kind of always been that way for me. You unite through creativity and share that process and more together. "

" 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. "

" The Confederate flag is a divisive presence - it's the opposite of everything my artistry means and represents. "

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

" Some people think that all you do is record, and it's not the case. You take on other projects as well, and you have to live a little bit because it inspires your work. "

" 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. "

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

" When I found out how music made me feel and how my singing made other people feel, that's when I decided this is what I wanted to do. "

Dianne Reeves

Singing

Feel

" I grew up listening to all kinds of music. When I came up, you would hear people like Marvin Gaye talking about Sarah Vaughan. You would go to a show and see Ella Fitzgerald performing the music of the Beatles. "

" Each project that you do is something you believe in for that moment in time. "

" There is a certain kind of fire that happens when you fall in love with a musician. I guess you understand one another because you're connected by a creative desire. "

" My junior high school teacher, Bennie Williams, was really more than a music teacher. She taught us poetry. She helped us put on school shows. She did all these kinds of things to help us stand in each other's shoes, and it was a really powerful time. That's when I discovered that I could sing. "

" Oh my gosh, I love Jon Hendricks. "

Dianne Reeves

Gosh

I Love

" Art is a direct reflection of the life you live. What you experience comes out in your work. "

" When I was in junior high school, I knew I really wanted to sing. "

" Brazilian music has been a part of almost every record I've done, and I'd eventually like to record an entire album of Brazilian music. "

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

" I'm a great cook. People have asked me to do a cookbook. "

" I have one closet that's just shoes. The woman go, 'Amen,' and the men go, 'Oh my God.' It's color-coordinated from the ceiling to the floor, from evening to casual. "

" I grew up with great mentors in my life who helped me become the singer I am today. "

Dianne Reeves

Today

My Life

" I lived in Los Angeles for a long time, and in a lot of ways, I felt like I lived in my car. "

" 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 never looked or really believed that music should be categorized into particular genres. "