Schuur and Manilow in the Studio

Diane Schuur (pictured) and Barry Manilow, two singers who walk the line between jazz and pop, are currently holed up in a Hollywood studio, working on a record for Concord, a jazz label if ever there was. The album, scheduled for an early 2003 release, will be a Diane Schuur album comprised of twelve Manilow-penned tunes. Manilow may sing on the CD as well, but all we’ve been told is that he’s co-producing the album with his longtime pal Eddie Arkin. Arkin has produced Manilow in the past and has also worked with Charles Earland and Stanley Clarke, playing keyboards, arranging and producing. In an apparent effort to make this one sound like a genuine jazz record, the musicians involved will record “the old-fashioned way,” with everyone in the room playing at the same time. Imagine that!

If you’re thinking the pairing of the sometimes screechy Schuur and the reserved, well-tempered Manilow is the product of a little too much bourbon in the Concord board room, think again. The singers met in 1987 when Stan Getz brought Schuur along to the sessions for Manilow’s acclaimed Swing Street and have remained friends ever since. And besides, Schuur gave up screeching in the ’80s; she’s mellow now.

Originally Published October 29, 2002