SA MOURNS PASSING OF AL JARREAU

The Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi  Mthethwa, has expressed sadness  on  the  passing of legendary jazz and R&B singer and seven time Grammy winner, Al Jarreau.

Jarreau  passed on 13 February, at a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 76, just days after announcing his retirement from touring because of exhaustion.

He was hospitalised for exhaustion  last  week  and  was forced  to  cancel  his  remaining tour dates for 2017.

“We are shocked and saddened at  the  passing  of  legendary  Jazz and  R&B  singer  and  seven-time Grammy  winner,  Al  Jarreau.  A great master has left our midst.

“We  have  embraced  him  as belonging also to us as a creative son  of  the  African  Diaspora.  His music has given us joy over decades and his songs have instilled us with power to change our lives.

“We can never forget songs like ‘We’re in this love together’, which stays in our minds. I remember his performance so well at the 2015 Cape Town International  Jazz  Festival, where he wooed us with his all-time greats  and  thanked  South  Africa  for inspiring the world.

“This is a sore loss for jazz lovers all over the world. Al Jarreau’s versatility as an artist who crossed musical barriers meant that his music was loved by a range of different audiences. His music is popular music at its best, inspirational and tuneful, with a voice that could harmonise well and thus gave us strength and confidence in ourselves,” said Minister Mthethwa.

Source: SAnews.gov.za

Full speech by Minister Mthethwa

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