CONTACT: Brad White
Marketing and Publicity Manager
Center for the Arts, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90263
(310) 506-4055
brad.white@pepperdine.edu
BOX OFFICE: (310) 506-4522
http://arts.pepperdine.edu

Photos are available upon request

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
President's Choice Series

presents vocalist

AL JARREAU

Saturday, January 22, 2011, 8 p.m.
Smothers Theatre, Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA

Al Jarreau, who has won Grammy Awards in the jazz, pop, and R&B categories and is considered by many to be the greatest living jazz vocalist, performs at Pepperdine University's Smothers Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, January 22.

Limited tickets, priced at $65 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522. Tickets are also available through Ticketmaster at (800) 982-2787. More information: http://arts.pepperdine.edu/ or http://www.aljarreau.com/

Jarreau is one of the world's musical treasures. With his unique vocal style, seven Grammys, scores of international music awards, and popular accolades worldwide, he is one of the most exciting and critically acclaimed performers of our time.

He has been singing since the age of four, harmonizing with his brothers and performing solo at a variety of local events in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Music, however, was not always the major force in his life. He excelled in sports and was an above-average student throughout high school and college.

Enrolling at Ripon College in Wisconsin, Jarreau continued singing for fun, performing locally with a group called the Indigos during weekends and on holidays. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. After moving on to the University of Iowa to earn his master's degree in vocational rehabilitation, Jarreau subsequently relocated to San Francisco to begin a career in rehabilitation counseling.

In San Francisco, Jarreau's natural musical gifts began to shape his future. He found himself performing at a small jazz club with a trio headed by George Duke, and by the late '60s he knew without a doubt that he would make singing his life. Relocating to Los Angeles, he began his apprenticeship in such famed nightspots as Dino's, the Troubadour, and the Bitter End West.

Shortly thereafter he branched out to New York City, where he gained national network television exposure with Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, David Frost, and Mike Douglas. Jarreau teamed with guitarist Julio Martinez to "spell" up-and-coming comics John Belushi, Bette Midler, Robert Klein, David Brenner, Jimmie Walker, and others at famed comedy venue The Improv.

In 1975, following an extended stint at the Bla-Bla Cafe in Los Angeles, he was spotted by Warner Bros. Records talent scouts and signed to a recording contract. His debut album for the label, We Got By, was released to unanimous acclaim. It was a reception that spread across the continent and over the Atlantic when Jarreau was awarded a German Grammy for Best New International Soloist that same year. A second German Grammy came his way with the release of his follow-up album, Glow.

Jarreau's career breakthrough came in 1977 when Warner Bros. Records released Look to the Rainbow, his live double album, which was culled from his first world tour from that same year and earned the vocalist his first Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance.

His fourth album, All Fly Home, was released in 1978 to further accolades and a second Grammy for Best Jazz Vocalist. It was followed by a string of innovative and original offerings, including 1980's This Time and the million-selling Breakin' Away, which brought him a broader audience and two more Grammys with awards for Best Male Pop Vocalist and Best Male Jazz Vocalist.

In 1983 Jarreau was released, followed closely the following year by High Crime. Both albums spawned a string of R&B and pop hits, further cementing him as an international superstar. Al Jarreau--Live in London, recorded before a standing-room-only crowd at Wembley Arena in 1985, continued to solidify his reputation as a world-class master of both studio and stage. Following the live album, Jarreau teamed with top producer Nile Rodgers for L Is for Lover, which brought some new styles and sounds to the singer's repertoire.

He continued to top the stateside charts in 1987 and became a weekly guest in America's living rooms by singing the Grammy-nominated theme song for the hit television series Moonlighting.

With hardly time to breathe, he launched into the recording of the Heart's Horizon album, which contained the No. 2 R&B smash "So Good" and earned him another Grammy nomination, this time for Best R&B Album. After touring the globe for nearly two years, he returned to the studio--this time with Narada Michael Walden--to fashion the sound that would launch him into his third decade of music making. The result was 1992's Heaven and Earth, for which he received his fifth Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance. With this, he became one of the rare artists to have won Grammys in the three categories of jazz, pop, and R&B.

In 1994 Tenderness was released. On this Marcus Miller-produced gem, Jarreau was joined by an all-star cast--David Sanborn, Kathleen Battle, Joe Sample, and Steve Gadd, to name a few--to bring us a host of familiar contemporary compositions and revisit a few Jarreau classics.

1996 brought some exciting career challenges. While on a break from touring, Jarreau accepted a three-month stint on Broadway playing the role of Teen Angel in the hit musical Grease. Other recent credits include guest-star appearances on New York Undercover, Touched By an Angel, and a national McDonald's commercial with R&B sensation Vesta Williams.

In 1999, for the first time, Jarreau teamed up with symphony orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe, performing his most popular hits as never heard before as well as some favorites from Broadway and the classics. He continues to perform symphony shows on a regular basis.

Called "the voice of versatility" by the Chicago Tribune and "one of the world's greatest natural resources" by the Detroit News, Jarreau added a new chapter to his 25-year recording career with Tomorrow Today (2001), his GRP Records debut.

Jarreau received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2001, commemorating his status as one of the best singers of his generation. He spent the remainder of 2001 touring the U.S., Europe, and South Africa and working on his next album, All I Got (2002), where he teamed up with Verizon Telecom as a "Champion for Literacy." This was followed by the Grammy-nominated Accentuate the Positive (2004) on GRP Records/Universal Music Group.

Jarreau's 30th year in the music business saw another landmark with his pairing up with legendary R&B guitarist and singer George Benson for the album Givin' It Up. Recorded in 2006, this CD featured many guest artists and musical veterans, including Herbie Hancock, Sir Paul McCartney, Jill Scott, Chris Botti, and Patti Austin. Givin' It Up was released to critical acclaim by Concord Music Group/Monster Music and garnered a Grammy nomination, for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Breezin'," and two wins, one for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "God Bless the Child" and another for Best Pop Instrumental for "Mornin'."

Early in 2008 Jarreau handpicked his favorite romantic tunes spanning three decades for his Love Songs, a 14-track compilation that was released in January 2008 on Rhino/Warner Music Group. He also helped the Playboy Jazz Festival celebrate its 30-year anniversary by headlining a sold-out opening night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

In October 2008 Jarreau released his first-ever Yuletide album, Christmas. The album features his warm and inimitable voice interpreting a dozen holiday classics, including "The Christmas Song," "Winter Wonderland," and "Carol of the Bells."

Still one of the hardest-working men in show business, Jarreau embarked on a six-week European tour in spring 2009, visiting theatres and festivals in Germany, France, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and North America. In the midst of all this, he also found time to put together The Very Best of Al Jarreau: An Excellent Adventure. The 16-song collection highlights some of his best-known songs, alongside one new track, "Excellent Adventure," which was produced by Richard Nichols and the Randy Watson Experience.

After more than 30 years, Jarreau is undoubtedly one of the greatest performers and innovative vocalists the music world has ever known. Time magazine called him "the greatest jazz singer alive," and Excellent Adventure illustrates perfectly the reason why.

Jarreau continues to tour extensively worldwide with his sextet and symphony shows. He is currently working on a new album.

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