November 10, 2023
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 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.
Meshell has also released the new single “Virgo (King Britt’s Sirius B Remix),” King Britt’s vibrant reimagining of the expansive lead single from The Omnichord Real Book. King Britt is an electronic music producer, composer, performer, and educator who has collaborated with the likes of De La Soul and Madlib, remixed Miles Davis, Solange, and Dua Lipa, curated for MoMA PS1, MoCA LA, and Carnegie Hall, and was the original DJ for the Digable Planets.
See what the critics had to say about The Omnichord Real Book:
“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
“With ‘The Omnichord Real Book,’ the irrepressibly adventurous Meshell Ndegeocello further dissolves the musical divisions she’s been toying with for the last three decades… Consciously aware of the breadth of Black American musical expression, Ndegeocello and company simultaneously flex their freedom to flout boundaries as if they never existed. Over time, she’s grown into a stalwart musical explorer who embodies a kind of infinite vision for what pop music can be. With ‘The Omnichord Real Book,’ she draws even closer to realizing that vision.”—PASTE
“…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
“The songs on Meshell Ndegeocello’s magnificent new album, The Omnichord Real Book, are always in flux”—The New York Times
