Melanie Charles w/ special guest Marquis Hill
Saturday, September 23
TIME: 4:45-6:00pm
VENUE: west stage. midway plaisance at south ellis ave.
A close up of Melanie Charles with her eyes closed with an olive green scarf wrapped around her head, followed by two images of Melanie Charles sitting on a red couch wearing all black.
melanie charles
There are very few artists whose sound can capture the sentiments of a generation. Brooklyn native Melanie Charles is one of these artists. Over the past few decades, she has made a name for herself through dynamic engagements with jazz, soul, and R&B. Her bold, genre-bending style has been embraced by a range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz, and The Roots. In 2021, she appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and stunned with her eclectic style. Through it all, she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities, both sonically and politically. Make Jazz Trill Again, a project that she launched in 2016, demonstrates her allegiance to everyday people, particularly youth, and her commitment to taking jazz from the museums to the streets. The album Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women is reflective of Charles’ tremendous versatility and imagination as an artist, as well as her deep care for community.
The musicians:
Melanie Charles - vocals, flute, electronics
Marquis Hill - trumpet
Zacchae’us Paul - keyboard, piano
Jonathan Michel - bass
Miguel Russell - drums