Meshell Ndegeocello

The New Mexico Jazz Festival is a collaborative project between the Lensic and Outpost Performance Space. See the full festival schedule here. 

Acclaimed Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello’s career is one of originality, longevity, and musical truths. Fans have come to expect the unexpected from her through her journeys into soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and rock, all “bound by the search for love, justice, respect, and resolution.”

She has defied and redefined the expectations for women, queer artists, and for black music for over 30 years and remains one of few women who write the music, sing the songs, and lead the band. A bass player above all else, Ndegeocello’s “warm, fat, and melodic groove” is her signature and she has played alongside the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, The Blind Boys of Alabama, John Medeski, Chaka Khan and many others. She credits Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Family Man Barrett, and Stevie Wonder as her bass-playing influences.

Ndegeocello made her Blue Note Records debut in 2023 with The Omnichord Real Book, “a visionary, expansive, and deeply jazz-influenced album” that marked the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing career. The album won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Alternative Jazz Album.

Her second Blue Note album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, an homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin, is set for release on his Centennial—August 2, 2024— and was described as “a visionary work that is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a testimonial . . . a call to action and a prophetic musical odyssey that transcends boundaries and genres, delving headfirst into race, sexuality, religion, and other recurring themes explored in Baldwin’s canon.” The album’s origins began in 2016 during a performance at The Harlem Stage Gatehouse as part of their annual showcase honoring Baldwin. The previous year, Ndegeocello had delved into Baldwin’s seminal nonfiction work The Fire Next Time, which she considers “life-changing” and carries with her as a “spiritual text.” She notes, “It was just a revelation to me, and it softened my heart in so many ways.”

Meshell Ndegeocello bass, keys, and vocals
Abraham Rounds drums, vocals
Jebin Bruni keyboards and vocals
Chris Bruce guitars
Kyle Miles bass
Jake Sherman organ
Justin Hicks vocals

Event Sponsors Jack Kotz and Jean McCray & Phyllis Subin

Major New Mexico Jazz Festival Support City of Albuquerque—Mayor Tim Keller & the Arts & Cultural Department; Albuquerque City Council; Dino’s Safe Haven Concert Series; Heritage Hotels & Resorts; Hutton Broadcasting; Kaman Foundation; Jack Kotz; La Cumbre Brewing Company; Jean McCray & Phyllis Subin; Miriam Ray in memory of Marcus Ray; National Endowment for the Arts; Southwest Gastroenterology Associates; Western Jazz Presenters (WJPN); and more.