printAl Jarreau retired from performing last week. And then he died. Poetic.
Al Jarreau was perfection. A giant of music, in general, and of the soul-jazz genre, in particular.
By comparison, Gaga (who is indubitably the best in a bad bunch), Beyonce and Madonna are circus animals—nothing more than crass entertainers, who more often than not assault the ear.
You realize how rotten popular music is when you listen to this man.
Young in Spain:
Older in Spain. Al Jarreau is still perfection, as is Steve Gadd, both are sublime, better than anything that ululates and twerks on stage these days, and is nothing without the almighty Auto-Tune.
What a sweet sweet soul.
UPDATE (2/14): Facebook thread.