Jazz / Vocal, Soft Rock, Crossover Jazz
Al Jarreau - Vocals, Vocal Arrangement, Vocals (Background), Rhythm Arrangements
Abraham Laboriel Bass
Bernie Grundman Mastering
Bill Champlin Vocals (Background)
Bill Reichenbach Jr. Trombone
Billy Byers String Arrangements
Christine Sauers Art Direction, Design
Chuck Findley Trumpet
Csaba Petocz Engineer
David Foster String Arrangements, Synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, Piano
Dean Parks Guitar (Electric)
Debbie Thompson Engineer
George Duke Fender Rhodes
Humberto Gatica Engineer
Jay Graydon Songwriter, Vocal Arrangement, Producer, Rhythm Arrangements, Synthesizer, Engineer, Guitar (Electric)
Jeff Porcaro Drums
Jerry Hey Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Horn Arrangements
Joe Bogan Engineer
Larry Williams Synthesizer
Lawrence Brown Engineer
Lon Price Sax (Alto)
Michael Boddicker Synthesizer
Michael Omartian Synthesizer, Fender Rhodes
Mikey Davis Engineer
Milcho Leviev Keyboards, Piano, Rhythm Arrangements
Neil Steubenhaus Bass
Neil Stubenhaus Bass
Peter Robinson Synthesizer
Richard Page Vocals (Background)
Robert Zimmitti Percussion
Steve Gadd Drums
Steve George Vocals (Background)
Steve Lukather Guitar (Electric)
Tom Canning Synthesizer, Piano, Rhythm Arrangements, Vocal Arrangement, Fender Rhodes, Producer
Tom Scott Horn
Released in 1981, Breakin' Away is not only a great follow-up to This Time, it all but perfected the effort. With an amazing batch of songs, producer/artist chemistry, and top-level players, Breakin' Away became the standard bearer of the L.A. pop and r&b sound. "Closer to Your Love" comes off as a tougher, more confident version of the songs from the previous album. However, in short order, Breakin' Away assumes its own identity with brilliant results. Everything works so well here that the hit, the pleasing "We're in This Love Together," comes off as the weak link. "Easy," with its gorgeous and subtle latin flourishes, has Jarreau's purposeful delivery coming off oddly poignant in its joy and beauty. The bittersweet "My Old Friend" has him giving a charming and understated reading with gorgeous synth signatures that speak volumes. Most of Breakin' Away has Jarreau in great spirits and giving one great performance after another, like the powerful and melody-rich title song. Like his best albums, this gives Jarreau plenty of room to exercise his chops. He struts through the funky and elegant "Roof Garden," and on the impressive "(Round, Round, Round) Blue Rondo a la Turk" he offers great scats and whimsical lyrics. For the final track, Jarreau brings new life to "Teach Me Tonight" and it has a sweeping, dreamy arrangement. Produced by Jay Graydon, Breakin' Away is a great album and informed a lot of Jarreau's subsequent efforts. ~ Jason Elias, All Music Guide
Al Jarreau
Active Decades: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Mar 12, 1940 in Milwaukee, WI
Genre: Vocal
Styles: Pop, Soft Rock, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Smooth Jazz, AM Pop
The only vocalist in history to net Grammy Awards in three different categories (jazz, pop, and R&B, respectively), Al Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 12, 1940. The son of a vicar, he earned his first performing experience singing in the church choir. After receiving his master's degree in psychology, Jarreau pursued a career as a social worker, but eventually he decided to relocate to Los Angeles and try his hand in show business, playing small clubs throughout the West Coast.
He recorded an LP in the mid-'60s, but largely remained an unknown, not reentering the studio for another decade. Upon signing to Reprise, Jarreau resurfaced in 1975 with We Got By, earning acclaim for his sophisticated brand of vocalese and winning positive comparison to the likes of Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis. After 1976's Glow, Jarreau issued the following year's Look to the Rainbow, a two-disc live set that reached the Top 50 on the U.S. album charts. With 1981's Breakin' Away, he entered the Top Ten, scoring a pair of hits with "We're in This Love Together" and the title track. After recording 1986's L Is for Lover with producer Nile Rodgers, Jarreau scored a hit with the theme to the popular television program Moonlighting, but his mainstream pop success was on the wane, and subsequent efforts like 1992's Heaven and Earth and 1994's Tenderness found greater success with adult contemporary audiences.
A string of budget compilations and original albums hit the shelves at the end of the decade, but into the turn of the century his original output slowed down. That was until he signed with the VerveGRP label in 1998 and reunited with producer Tommy LiPuma. LiPuma had produced Jarreau's ostensible 1975 debut, We Got By, and the pairing seemed to reinvigorate Jarreau, who went on to release three stellar albums under LiPuma's guidance, including 2000's Tomorrow Today, 2002's All I Got, and 2004's Accentuate the Positive. Givin' It Up, recorded with George Benson and released in 2006, was nominated for three Grammy Awards -- each one for a different song. Jarreau returned with his first ever full-length holiday-themed album, Christmas, in 2008.
---Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide |
