Meshell Ndegeocello No More Water- The Gospel of James Baldwin 2/6/26 Sprague Hall

 Grammy winning electric bassist Ndegeocello presents a wonderful Baldwin tribute as part of the Ellington Jazz Series. The show was highly anticipated and was sold out months in advance. As the first woman to be featured on the cover of Bass Player Magazine, Meshell is an uncompromising artist that refuses to be pigeonholed. An in-demand bass player, she has played with a wide array of artists including The Rolling Stones, Madonna,  James Blood Ulmer, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Chaka Khan. Her projects include works related to Sun Ra, Nina Simone, and on this evening James Baldwin. A pivotal voice in the Civil Rights Movement, Baldwin’s work seems just as pertinent in 2026. The show kicks off with an opening set by Jake and Abe. As part of Meshell’s band, Jake Sherman on organ and Abraham Rounds on drums played some cuts from their new album Finally, aptly named by Meshell cuz it took forever to be released. After some light opening tunes, the meat of the tomato ensued. Meshell, Jake, and Abe were joined by vocalist Justin Hicks and guitarist Christopher Bruce. Baldwin’s visceral take on the plight of African Americans is on full display. Meshell would read or recite some passages from a paper that resembled a newspaper. At one point, the page she held up read “I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do”. Topical in today’s information- rich but truth-deficient times. Vocalist Hicks had a wonderful haunting style that brought me to tears at several points. The interplay of male and female voice is always compelling, Justin and Meshell were no exception. I did not spend time with the recording prior to the show and was blown away by the performance. Songs like Travel, The Price of the Ticket, What Did I Do? , and Trouble were expertly delivered. For one tune Hatred, she quietly chanted  “ hatred, that which causes so much destruction, never fails to destroy the one who hates”, we can only hope. Disdain for “the other” is a well worn thread through our society, and Baldwin’s observations ring so true today. I notice that this group will soon be heading to Minneapolis, warriors on the current battle of love versus hate.