Bassist and neo-soul heavyweight Meshell Ndegeocello took almost five years to craft her debut offering on legendary American jazz label Blue Note. The Omnichord Real Book is, by her own admission, her most authentic and personal album to date — by the title alone once can already understand how her life experiences and deeply personal lyrics help anchor a barrage of jazz-tinged soul and electronic influences.
This complex yet approachable album is a representation of the whirlwind of emotions the music industry veteran felt after the passing of her parents. The real book refers to a volume of lead sheets passed on through many prints and editions in jazz circles since the early 1970s; Ndegeocello recently found a book that her father, a military jazz musician, had passed on to her, and she combined those emotions with her own experiences with the omnichord, a handheld digital harp, to represent her transition from electronic music production to a more traditional jazz landscape.
From soul, hip hop and afrobeat, all genres are explored on the album; the groovy, almost afropop 8-bit pluckings on "Omnipuss" is the perfect example of how Ndegeocello integrates the omnichord to break free from the rigid forms of jazz standards. That's not to say Ndegeocello isn't deeply invested in integrating traditional jazz modes, as the album is full of collaborations with the likes of pianist Jason Moran, harpist Brandee Younger and vibist and labelmate Joel Ross — this is a Blue Note project after all.
Albeit dense, The Omnichord Real Book is rife with interpretation, aiming for an afro-futuristic approach reminiscent of Sun Ra built on an approachable melodic foundation. After laying down soaring vocals on "Call the Tune" Ndegeocello explores different eras of black music from the funky Sly Stone-inspired "Clear Water" to the South African revolutionary jazz era on the intense "Vuma" featuring Johannesburg vocalist Thandiswa. As an experienced multi instrumentalist, Ndegeocello shares the spotlight and writing credits, allowing her collaborators to shine. Condensing her struggles into meditative lyrics and singing from the perspective of fictional characters, this is a jazz project in its purest and most unadulterated form, and a very solid start to Ndegeocello's tenure at Blue Note.
(Blue Note)This complex yet approachable album is a representation of the whirlwind of emotions the music industry veteran felt after the passing of her parents. The real book refers to a volume of lead sheets passed on through many prints and editions in jazz circles since the early 1970s; Ndegeocello recently found a book that her father, a military jazz musician, had passed on to her, and she combined those emotions with her own experiences with the omnichord, a handheld digital harp, to represent her transition from electronic music production to a more traditional jazz landscape.
From soul, hip hop and afrobeat, all genres are explored on the album; the groovy, almost afropop 8-bit pluckings on "Omnipuss" is the perfect example of how Ndegeocello integrates the omnichord to break free from the rigid forms of jazz standards. That's not to say Ndegeocello isn't deeply invested in integrating traditional jazz modes, as the album is full of collaborations with the likes of pianist Jason Moran, harpist Brandee Younger and vibist and labelmate Joel Ross — this is a Blue Note project after all.
Albeit dense, The Omnichord Real Book is rife with interpretation, aiming for an afro-futuristic approach reminiscent of Sun Ra built on an approachable melodic foundation. After laying down soaring vocals on "Call the Tune" Ndegeocello explores different eras of black music from the funky Sly Stone-inspired "Clear Water" to the South African revolutionary jazz era on the intense "Vuma" featuring Johannesburg vocalist Thandiswa. As an experienced multi instrumentalist, Ndegeocello shares the spotlight and writing credits, allowing her collaborators to shine. Condensing her struggles into meditative lyrics and singing from the perspective of fictional characters, this is a jazz project in its purest and most unadulterated form, and a very solid start to Ndegeocello's tenure at Blue Note.