Biography
Meshell Ndegeocello has survived the best and worst of what a career in music has to offer. She eschewed genre for originality, celebrity for longevity, and musical trends for musical truths. Fans have come to expect the unexpected and follow her on sojourns into soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, rock, all bound by the search for love, justice, respect, and resolution. Those sonic investigations have defied and redefined the expectations for women, for queer artists, and for black music for over 30 years and she remains one of few women who write the music, sing the songs, and lead the band. A bass player above all else, Meshell brings her warm, fat, and melodic groove to everything she does. She has earned a GRAMMY Award along with numerous nominations, and has played alongside the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, James Blood Ulmer, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tony Allen, John Medeski, Billy Preston, and Chaka Khan. As for her own bass-playing influences, she credits Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Family Man Barrett, and Stevie Wonder. Meshell is always grateful for the opportunity to share the stage and believes music is a fellowship. She looks to spread that gospel with every creation and collaboration.
Releases
No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin - Meshell Ndegeocello
The Omnichord Real Book - Meshell Ndegeocello
Videos
Meshell Ndegeocello On “Broken Record” With Guest Host Don Was: Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Series
Meshell Ndegeocello “Trouble” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello “First Look” With Don Was
Meshell Ndegeocello “Love” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello – NPR Tiny Desk Concert
Meshell Ndegeocello “The Atlantiques” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello “Towers” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello “Georgia Ave” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello “ASR” (Live)
Meshell Ndegeocello “First Look” with Don Was
SPOTLIGHT
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MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO “NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN”
By Shannon J. Effinger The prescience of James Baldwin is alive nearly forty years after his passing, a testament to his enduring impact. A prolific writer, his essays, novels, plays, and poetry have assessed and often reproached the human condition. As an activist, his oratory prowess in the 1960s was bar none, lending his outspoken views on Black oppression with profundity and eloquence.... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO “THE OMNICHORD REAL BOOK”
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 that marks the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing and unpredictable career. Following her 2018 covers album Ventriloquism, Meshell returns with an album of new original material... read more
News
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BLUE NOTE NOMINEES FOR THE 2025 GRAMMY AWARDS
Congratulations to all the Blue Note artists who received nominations for the 2025 GRAMMY Awards! BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM: Bill Frisell Orchestras The guitarist’s trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston collaborates with the Brussels Philharmonic and Umbria Jazz Orchestra on two... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO SHARES NEW SINGLE “THUS SAYETH THE LORDE”
Meshell Ndegeocello has shared “Thus Sayeth The Lorde,” the third song to be revealed from her forthcoming Blue Note album No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, an homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin to be released Aug. 2 on his Centennial. “Thus Sayeth The Lorde,” however, is a... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO SHARES NEW SINGLE “LOVE” FROM “NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN”
“Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.”—James Baldwin Meshell Ndegeocello has released the inspiriting new single “Love,” the second song to be revealed from her forthcoming Blue Note album No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, a striking homage... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO “NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN” OUT AUG. 2 ON EMINENT WRITER’S CENTENNIAL
Meshell Ndegeocello has announced her second Blue Note album No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, a striking homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin to be released on his Centennial: August 2, 2024. The visionary work is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO “THE OMNICHORD REAL BOOK” WINS GRAMMY FOR BEST ALTERNATIVE JAZZ ALBUM
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello won the inaugural award for Best Alternative Jazz Album at the 66th GRAMMY Awards for her acclaimed Blue Note debut The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary and deeply jazz influenced album that tapped into a broad spectrum of Meshell’s musical... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO RECEIVES GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR BEST ALTERNATIVE JAZZ ALBUM; “VIRGO (KING BRITT’S SIRIUS B REMIX)” OUT NOW
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello has been nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album at the 66th GRAMMY Awards for her acclaimed Blue Note debut The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary album that tapped into a broad spectrum of Meshell’s musical roots. The album was produced by... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO RELEASES NEW SINGLE & LIVE VIDEO FOR “THE ATLANTIQUES”
GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer Meshell Ndegeocello has released the new single “The Atlantiques,” a bonus track from her acclaimed Blue Note debut The Omnichord Real Book, which was released in June to wide critical acclaim. Fueled by an insistent Afrobeat groove “The... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO RELEASES NEW SINGLE & LIVE VIDEO FOR “CLEAR WATER”
Meshell Ndegeocello has released “Clear Water”—a soul-searching Sly Stone-inspired new song featuring Jeff Parker’s bluesy guitar lines and vocals by Justin Hicks—along with a live video of Ndegeocello’s band performing the song in the studio. It’s the latest single to be revealed from the... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO UNVEILS EXPANSIVE NEW SINGLE “THE 5th DIMENSION”
Meshell Ndegeocello has released “The 5th Dimension,” a sweeping new jazz-infused soul-psychedelic evocation featuring the HawtPlates, a vocal group consisting of Justin Hicks, Kenita-Miller Hicks, and Jade Hicks. It’s the latest single to be revealed from the multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and... read more
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO RELEASES VIBRANT NEW SINGLE “VUMA” FEATURING THANDISWA & JOEL ROSS
Meshell Ndegeocello has released the vibrant new single “Vuma,” a propulsive ode to the power of the human voice featuring the remarkable South African vocalist Thandiswa and jazz mallet master Joel Ross who is heard here on marimba. An acclaimed GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and... read more
Live Dates
Jan 10
Meshell Ndegeocello
City Winery St. Louis, St. Louis United States
Jan 11
Meshell Ndegeocello
Germantown Performing Arts Center, Germantown United States
Jan 14
Meshell Ndegeocello
Lodge Room Highland Park, Los Angeles United States
Jan 15
Meshell Ndegeocello
Lodge Room Highland Park, Los Angeles United States
Jan 20
Meshell Ndegeocello
Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz United States
Jan 22
Meshell Ndegeocello
Agora Theater & Ballroom, Cleveland United States
Jan 24
Meshell Ndegeocello
The Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati United States
Jan 27
Meshell Ndegeocello
Vivarium, Milwaukee United States
Feb 15
Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello - No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin , Princeton United States
Mar 21
Meshell Ndegeocello
Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock United States
Mar 25
Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water, Baltimore United States
Mar 25
Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water, Baltimore United States
Mar 26
Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water, Baltimore United States
Mar 26
Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello: No More Water, Baltimore United States
Apr 19
Meshell Ndegeocello
Variety Playhouse, Atlanta United States
