South Africa
14. February 2017
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
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