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| The Berklee Concert Series Presents Me'Shell NdegéOcello The Berklee 2005-2006 Concert Series continues November 3 at the Berklee Performance Center with acclaimed bassist Me'Shell NdegéOcello. NdegéOcello, whose constantly evolving stylistic repertoire has earned her the reputation as one of the most fearless artists in contemporary music, will be performing her songbook with a Berklee student band, directed by faculty guitarist David Fiuczynski. Fiuczynski is bandleader and primary songwriter for the Screaming Headless Torsos, and has performed and recorded with artists including John Zorn, Vernon Reid, Branford Marsalis, Stewart Copeland, and many others. A talented singer, bassist, and multi-instrumentalist, NdegéOcello was born in Berlin, and raised in Washington, D.C., Meshell Suihailia Bashir Shakur adopted the name NdegéOcello, which means “free like a bird, ” while in her teens. Incorporating funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, rock, and jazz, she has been hailed in the music press as a redeemer of soul music, and has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards. NdegéOcello's new album, The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel, featuring Jack DeJohnette, Don Byron, Kenny Garrett, Cassandra Wilson, and Lalah Hathaway, was released in the summer of 2005. NdegéOcello honed her chops on the D.C. Go-Go circuit in the late 1980's before emerging as a solo artist with her 1993 debut, Plantation Lullabies, on Maverick/Sire Records. Her music has been featured on a number of film soundtracks, including How Stella Got Her Groove Back and Batman and Robin, and on recordings by Basement Jaxx and The Blind Boys of Alabama, among others. NdegéOcello hit big with the song “Wild Night, ” a duet with John Mellencamp, which reached #3 on the Billboard charts. Her singles “If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night), ” “Leviticus: Faggot, ” and “Who Is He and What Is He To You?” have all charted in the Billboard Top 20. She also sang backup vocals on Madonna's song “I'd Rather be Your Lover, ” on the album Bedtime Stories. NdegéOcello, Patty Larkin, and the Yellowjackets are among the featured artists in the eight-part Berklee 2005 – 2006 Concert Series, which showcases a variety of music genres, including jazz, rock, gospel, R&B, and folk. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |