Schuur feeling

Within two minutes of our interview, American jazz musician Diane Schuur was doing what she's famous for: laughing and singing.

"They've got a Great Wall in China, it's a thousand miles long," she crooned in lyrical reference to Paul Simon's "Something So Right" over the phone from Shanghai. "Going there is huge for me. A lot of work went into this. I can't wait to sing those lyrics on the Wall."　

Making her first appearance in the capital since 1988, the two-time Grammy Award-winning pianist/vocalist will perform rare, free concerts with her group on Thursday and Saturday at the Fairmont Beijing Hotel.

Known as "Deedles" to friends and fans, the jovial 58-year-old has played everywhere from the Blue Note to the White House. Blind from birth, Schuur has recorded over 20 albums and shared the stage with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Ray Charles.

All of this added to her shock when I informed her the Grammy category she won (Best Female Jazz Vocal Performance 1986, 1987), had been eliminated along with 30 other jazz, blues and gospel categories this year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

"That's a travesty. It's cutting the jugular vein for those of us who are in jazz," she lamented. "It's like cutting the branches off a tall tree. Without gospel, rhythm and blues, almost all those categories wouldn't exist."

This is part of the reason why Schuur feels there's a more earnest appreciation for jazz abroad. "A prophet is never known in one's country, so it's very natural that jazz is appreciated elsewhere," she noted, adding that her gigs this year have taken her to Shanghai and Tokyo. "I just want to be a good ambassador of music, and spread love wherever I go throughout the world."

Inevitably, our interview turned to late songstress Whitney Houston, whose category (Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) has also been eliminated from the Grammys. Schuur, a spiritual person and a fan of TV supernatural drama The Ghost Whisperer, explained her soul "felt heavy" the night before she learned of Houston's passing. She explained she was all too familiar with the superstar's struggle with addiction.　

"I've been in recovery from drugs and alcohol, but I was able to get help," she admitted, candidly recalling two suicide attempts during her darkest days. "People like [Houston] appear happy onstage, but they don't know what to do off it."　

Celebrating 22 years of sobriety, Schuur attributes clean living to sparking a revival in her music.

"Believe it or not, I was very nervous onstage. I had all those crutches to lean on," she said of her reliance on drugs. "Sobriety brings a patience I didn't know I had. I have a lot more clarity and creativity."

This led Schuur to record latest album The Gathering (2011) where she joined up with jazz chanteuse Alison Krauss, country star Vince Gil and ex-Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler in a return to country roots.

"I felt the transition of things in my own life," she said of her crossover album. "Living life on stage, when playing and working through a tune, we're living in pivotal moments. For this, I have learned to trust my intuition. It has served me very well."

Although she is looking for another label and is apprehensive of the future, she is also filled with optimism.

"There is lots of movement in my life, but I know it's going to be OK," she said, reflecting on her past achievements. "Success doesn't create happiness. Happiness creates success."

When: Thursday, Saturday, Feb. 23, 25, 8 pm

Where: Fairmont Beijing Hotel, Yong'an Dongli, Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district

Admission: Free

Contact: 8507-3630/beijing.sounds@fairmont.com