Dianne Reeves

Considered the greatest living voice in jazz, five-time Grammy award winner, Dianne Reeves will raise the curtain to this year's Sani Festival, which returns this summer stronger than ever before.

The singer’s masterful technique, stupendous improvisational skills, and unique blend of jazz and R&B led to Reeves being awarded the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal for three consecutive recordings from 2000 to 2002: an impressive feat and a first in the history of the awards in any category. In 2006, she once again received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal - this time for the movie soundtrack of the Oscar-nominated film ‘Good Night and Good Luck’, directed by George Clooney. Most recently she was awarded the prestigious award for her album ‘Beautiful Life’ in 2015.

Reeves also holds honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music and the Juilliard School, and in 2018 she was appointed a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts - the highest honour the United States bestows upon jazz artists. Over the course of her career the musician has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, as well as recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim, and having been a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Furthermore, she was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first singer to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Added to which, she has performed at the White House on multiple occasions, including at President Obama's State Dinner for heads of state and the Governors’ Ball.

On Saturday July 15, Dianne Reeves will take to the stage on Sani Hill to fill the star-cloaked night sky with her outstanding voice. Performing with her will be John Beasley (piano), Romero Lubambo (guitar), Reuben Rogers (bass) and Terreon Gully (drums).