Jazzman Al Jarreau cancels French tour dates

US jazz singer Al Jarreau has cancelled three concerts in France that were scheduled for June after contracting pneumonia, his press office said on Monday. 

But the 72-year-old, whose jazz, pop and soul songs have won him seven Grammy awards, will resume the French tour on June 28 with a gig in the city of Orleans, it said in a statement.

Jarreau was about to begin a festival concert in July 2010 in the southern French Alps when he was taken ill with an unduly rapid heart beat.

He was in a critical condition when he was transported by helicopter to an intensive care unit in nearby Gap but his condition later stabilised.

The Milwaukee-born singer's lengthy career has encompassed many musical styles.

He has won Grammy Awards in the genres of jazz, pop and rhythm and blues and released more than 20 albums between 1975 and 2009.