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A Conversation with Jazz Legend Al Jarreau

Jasper / flickr

Jazz legend and vocalist Al Jarreau will headline the Iowa City Soul Festival this weekendwith a free performance. 

Jarreau, who has been awarded Grammys for Jazz, Pop and R & B vocal performance will play Friday, September 19, at 8:30 p.m. in Iowa City.

He says he got his start performing at a locally owned jazz club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa called “The Tender Trap,” while studying rehabilitation counseling in Iowa City. Shortly after he left Iowa, he started playing with his voice and developed his skill for sound imitation and scat singing that made him famous.

During this River to River interview, Jarreau talks with host Ben Kieffer about how his time in Iowa influenced his career and why he left counseling to pursue music. 

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River
Lindsey Moon is IPR's Senior Digital Producer