2010 MJF PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: WHEN: Saturday Night Sept. 18, 2010 / 9:20pm WHERE: Arena / Jimmy Lyons Stage WHEN: Sunday Afternoon Sept. 19, 2010 / 1:00pm WHERE: Arena / Jimmy Lyons Stage Next Generation Jazz Orchestra with special guest Dianne Reeves WHEN: Sunday Night Sept. 19, 2010 / 7:30pm WHERE: Dizzy's Den "Strings Attached" MJF HISTORY: 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2006, 2010!

A Blue Note recording artist since 1987, Dianne Reeves is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world today. As a result of her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves was awarded the Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for three consecutive recordings (In The Moment: Live in Concert (2000); The Calling (2001), and A Little Moonlight in 2003)  -- a Grammy first in any vocal category. Her debut, Welcome to My Love, was released 1977, and since then, she has recorded eighteen albums as a leader, and has appeared on dozens of others with such artists ranging from Stanley Turrentine, Steps Ahead, Lou Rawls, McCoy Tyner, George Duke, T.S. Monk, Lenny White, Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard, and many more.

Born in Detroit on October 23, 1956, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Reeves has additionally recorded and performed extensively with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; recorded with Chicago Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Daniel Barenboim); and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2002, Reeves performed at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, and also made an appearance and performance on the season finale of HBO's Sex and the City. In 2003, Reeves was appointed to be first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and became the first singer to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Reeves worked with legendary producer Arif Mardin (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin) on the Grammy winning A Little Moonlight, an intimate collection of ten standards featuring her touring trio. When Reeves’ first holiday collection, Christmas Time is Here was released in 2004, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, “Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously; this is one of the best jazz Christmas CDs I've heard.”

Continuing to blend screen and song, in 2005, Reeves appeared and performed in George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck, the Academy Award-nominated film that chronicles Edward R. Murrow’s confrontation with Senator Joseph McCarthy. The soundtrack recording of Good Night, and Good Luck provided Reeves her fourth Best Jazz Vocal Grammy in 2006.

In 2007, Reeves was featured in Robert Levi’s Emmy, Peabody and Writers Guild Award-winning documentary Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life. In 2008, she released her first Blue Note album of new material in five years, When You Know.

When You Know emerged following a period of intense touring for Reeves. Creatively revitalized during a break at home in Denver, she suddenly announced a desire to get into the studio right away, teaming once again with producer George Duke (Natalie Cole, Anita Baker), Reeves’ cousin and producer of two of her Grammy-winning albums: 2001’s In the Moment and 2002’s The Calling.

This album’s uniqueness can be attributed to Reeves having performed in an unusual musical context over the past year: two guitars and voice. Conceived by her manager, Darryl Pitt, for Europe’s Jazz Baltica Festival, the setting enabled her to discover new ways for her voice to both soar and seduce. Guitar masters Russell Malone and Romero Lubambo joined Reeves for the performance and the result was magical. As a result, a 25-date European “Strings Attached” tour was booked—concerts that are still being talked about.

“What a wonderful experience,” enthused Reeves. “Every night I couldn’t wait to get onstage. Romero and Russell come from such different places, with different textures and colors, and there I was sitting between them. The music just took hold of me and I discovered new ways in which to sing. They gave me so much love and this record came out of that.”

In addition to Lubambo and Malone, joining Reeves on When You Know are a cast of familiar faces from past albums, including pianist Billy Childs and saxophonist Steve Wilson as well as new collaborators pianist Geoffrey Keezer and drummer Antonio Sanchez. Veterans of Reeves’ bands who appear include bassists Reuben Rogers and Reginald Veal and drummer Greg Hutchinson.

2010 MJF will be her ninth performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival -- she has previously appeared in 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2000, and 2006.