MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO MAKES HER BLUE NOTE DEBUT WITH THE OMNICHORD REAL BOOK, VISIONARY NEW ALBUM OUT NOW
PHOTO BY CHARLIE GROSS | DOWNLOAD HI-RES
“Realness is a root position in ‘The Omnichord Real Book,’ Meshell Ndegeocello's expansive yet interior new album... Ndegeocello has made truth-telling her business, along with a sound and style fed by many tributaries of Black music... The funk is another thing that shan't be faked... a coolly transfixing album”
—NPR Music
“Bassist and vocalist Meshell Ndegeocello calls upon an impressive roster of friends for ‘The Omnichord Real Book,’ a sweeping and dense work that knits together jazz, soul, funk, rock, hip-hop, gospel, and even bits of children’s songs... Ndegeocello processes pain, doubt, and personal growth. She transforms her struggles into moody, spiritual meditations and passionate bursts of triumph... ‘The Omnichord Real Book’ asks for ample attention, but its rewards are so numerous that every minute is worth the investment.”
—Pitchfork
“…an invigorating palette of sound… Ndegeocello continues to augment our understanding of jazz as a modern musical language… It all sounds like pure Meshell.”
—DownBeat
16 JUNE 2023 (TORONTO, ON) - Acclaimed GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note Records debut with The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary and deeply jazz-influenced album out today that marks the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing career. Following her 2018 covers album Ventriloquism, Meshell returns with an album of new original material that taps into a broad spectrum of her musical roots. The Omnichord Real Book was produced by Josh Johnson and features a wide range of guest artists including Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez, Mark Guiliana, Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman, Thandiswa, and others.
“This album is about the way we see old things in new ways,” Meshell explains. “Everything moved so quickly when my parents died. Changed my view of everything and myself in the blink of an eye. As I sifted through the remains of their life together, I found my first Real Book, the one my father gave me. I took their records, the ones I grew up hearing, learning, remembering. My mother gifted me with her ache, I carry the melancholy that defined her experience and, in turn, my experience of this thing called life calls me to disappear into my imagination and to hear the music.”
WATCH A SHORT FILM ABOUT MESHELL’S ARTISTRY
WATCH MESHELL ON FIRST LOOK WITH DON WAS
WATCH A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “CLEAR WATER”
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO – 2023 TOUR DATES:
June 16: Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
June 18: Terrace Theater @ The Kennedy Center – Washington, DC
June 20: The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
June 21: Blue Note Jazz Festival @ Sony Hall – New York, NY
June 23: Wasfest @ Boch Center – Boston, MA
July 29: Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa – Napa, CA
Aug. 11: We Out Here Festival – Wimborne, UK
Nov. 19: City Winery Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
The track listing for The Omnichord Real Book is as follows:
- Georgia Ave (feat. Josh Johnson)
- An Invitation
- Call The Tune
- Good Good (feat. Jade Hicks, Josh Johnson)
- Omnipuss
- Clear Water (feat. Justin Hicks, Deantoni Parks, Jeff Parker)
- ASR (feat. Jeff Parker)
- Gatsby (feat. Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman)
- Towers (feat. Joel Ross)
- Perceptions (feat. Jason Moran)
- THA KING (feat. Thandiswa)
- Virgo (feat. Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez)
- Burn Progression (feat. Hanna Benn, Ambrose Akinmusire)
- oneelevensixteen
- Vuma (feat. Thandiswa, Joel Ross)
- The 5th Dimension (feat. The Hawtplates)
- Hole In The Bucket (feat. The Hawtplates)
- Virgo 3 (feat. Oliver Lake (Arr.), Mark Guiliana, Brandee Younger, Josh Johnson)
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO
Follow Meshell Ndegeocello:
Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram
Follow Blue Note Records:
Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Spotify • Apple Music • YouTube
For more information contact:
Cem Kurosman at Blue Note Records / cem.kurosman@umusic.com