Al Jarreau

I was surprised to hear this week that jazz singer Al Jarreau was born of a Seventh-Day Adventist minister and church pianist in Milwaukee. I suppose everyone else in Milwaukee knew that. I am a transplant, being born 117 miles and 7 realities away in Baraboo, so I am not up on all the famous people who are from Milwaukee.

In 1962, Jarreau was a psychology student at University of Iowa. Ben Marcus hired him to sing in his lounge. He was billed as the "Singing Psychologist".


Jarreau returned to Milwaukee in November to performed for the 75th anniversary of the Marcus Corporation. This is what he said about the performance: "At the end of the dinner and presentations, the band and I—you know the guys—did a 50 minute burn that I would describe as one of the most intense and delightful performances of my life. It was ‘the zone’ where time slows down to the point where you can reach out and move the pieces on the chessboard at will and in slow motion. Athletes talk about it all the time."
Read the full diary entry here

"where times slows down to the point where you can ... move the pieces on the chess board ... in slow motion"
Cool.