Jazz singer Dianne Reeves has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.
Still, the playlist for her show in Salt Lake City Saturday night — which opens the 21st season of the JazzSLC series at the Capitol Theatre — probably won't sound like a conventional standards songbook collection.
It's more like Reeves' life soundtrack.
Her latest album, "Beautiful Life," veers from traditional jazz into tango, soul and reggae. The collection, released in 2014, includes covers of everything from Ani DeFranco's "32 Flavors" to Marvin Gaye's "I Want You."
"I always loved Marvin Gaye," Reeves said in a statement. "Not just because he was a great singer, but because his music was soul steeped in jazz."
JazzSLC founder and producer Gordon Hanks says Reeves' show is a "very special" kickoff.
"Dianne Reeves is the premier jazz singer on the scene today," he said. "She's the classic jazz singer. She has a five-piece band with her. Everything about it is really phenomenal."
And Reeves finds new jazz inspiration in an 8-minute version of "Stormy Weather" reminiscent of Lena Horne's as well as her own take on the Bob Marley classic "Waiting in Vain."
The album also includes a few original songs — "Tango," "Satiated" and "Cold." She dedicates a nostalgic closer, "Long Road Ahead," to her mother, who died last year.
The recording earned Reeves the 2015 Grammy for Jazz Vocalist of the Year — her fifth.
Born in Detroit, but raised in Denver, Reeves studied music at the University of Colorado before moving to Los Angeles. In the 1980s, she cemented her Latin cred, touring with Sergio Mendes and Harry Belafonte.
Reeves, who sang at the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, lives in Denver.
Hanks predicts a diverse, eight-concert run for the rest of the series.
"We've got a really great mix of artists," he said.
In October, the series continues with the SFJazz Collective — which Hanks calls the "Lincoln Center of the West" — performing the music of Michael Jackson. The Jeff Hamilton Trio plays in December. And in May, Frank Vignola & Friends — "seven great guitarists all under the age of 30," Hanks says — round out the year-long concert series sponsored by the GAM Foundation.
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Dianne Reeves
When • Saturday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $25-$35; ArtTix
Coming up • The GAM Foundation will present six more concerts in the Capitol Theatre: SFJAZZ Collective, playing the music of Michael Jackson, Oct. 19; Jeff Hamilton Trio, Dec. 5; John Pizzarelli Quartet with special guest Jessica Molaskey, Jan. 2; Trio Da Paz & Friends, Feb. 8; ,the Strayhorn Project with the Juilliard Jazz Players, March 21; the Fred Hersch Trio, April 29; and Frank Vignola & Friends, May 16. There is also a special add-on concert by tap virtuoso Savion Glover and drummer Jack DeJohnette, Dec. 14 in the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall; tickets for that one are at utahpresents.org.
Information • For more details on the JazzSLC season and ticket packages, visit jazzslc.com
| Courtesy Diane Reeves opens the 2015-2016 JazzSLC season on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City.