The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation will present “Chanteuse: Celebrating New Orleans Women in Music.” This six-week concert series on Saturday nights will showcase local talents and concludes with a concert by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, a triple Grammy-winning and Tony award-winning vocalist who serves as UN ambassador. “Chanteuse” is part of an ongoing effort by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation to address inequities in the music industry.
The concerts will take place outdoors at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center, located at 1225 N. Rampart Street. Doors will open at 6 p.m. prior to the start of the performance at 7 p.m. Admission is free to all six concerts, but attendees must RSVP at jazzandheritage.org to reserve tickets. Safety protocols, including face mask requirements, are also available at the website.
May 29 | Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns
Hailed by WWOZ as “some of the finest performers in New Orleans today,” Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns offer inimitable trad jazz performances. Their most recent release is Bad Kid’s Club. Read more about Lake at meschiyalake.com.
June 5 | Caren Green
A native New Orleanian, Caren Caren is an accomplished singer with a powerful voice and illuminating stage presence. From her background and foundation as a singer in the church she has transformed into an inspirational, soulful, classical, Hip Hop, and Jazz inspired singer who stands firm on her beliefs. Read more about Green at epresskitz.com.
June 12 | Cyrille Aimée
An accomplished musician, Cyrille Aimée is the winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival Competition (2007) and the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition (2012). Aimée’s most recent album is Move On, a collection of songs by Stephen Sondheim. Read more about Aimée at cyrillemusic.com.
June 26 | Maggie Koerner
Maggie Koerner’s powerful pop vocals can be heard on the singer’s solo albums, Quarter Life (2011) and The Neutral Ground (2013). On the heels of the latter, Koerner was recruited by Galactic and was the funk band’s lead singer from 2013-2014. More about Koerner can be found online at www.maggiekoerner.com.
July 2 (rescheduled date) | Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph
Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph is best known for her work with the Grammy-nominated band Tank and the Bangas, but her diverse career doesn’t stop there. A top 48 finalist on American Idol, lead singer of Galactic, singer/songwriter in the Speakerbox Experiment, lead singer with the Original Pinettes, and more—it’s no surprise that Joseph is known by locals as a powerfully eclectic singer with homegrown raw talent.
July 3 | Dee Dee Bridgewater
NEA Jazz Master, triple Grammy Award winner, Tony Award winner, philanthropist and UN Ambassador, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s unbounded creativity, contagious exuberance, undeniable confidence, and joyous spirit have earned her a place as one of the premier vocalists in jazz. With multiple award wins and nominations to her credit, the veteran vocalist continues to forge her own unique creative path. In 1969, she hit the road with the University of Illinois big band, touring the Soviet Union. The following year she leapt into the world of jazz, moving to New York and becoming lead vocalist for the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. She also began performing and recording with major jazz artists like Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dexter Gordon.
Bridgewater was named Ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization in 1999, joining the battle against world hunger and using her status as a performer to encourage others to become involved. In 2001, she became the host of JazzSet, NPR’s award-winning radio program. In 2007, Bridgewater received her seventh Grammy nomination for her album Red Earth. Her latest release, Eleanora Faga (1917-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee brings Bridgewater back to familiar territory with new interpretations of songs associated with Billie Holiday. The album features what she describes as her “dream band” including Christian McBride, Lewis Nash, Edsel Gomez, and James Carter. Bridgewater’s most recent album, Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready, is available for pre-order now. Read more about Bridgewater at deedeebridgewater.com.
