Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note debut with June 16 release of 'The Omnichord Real Book'

Listen to ‘Virgo’ featuring Brandee Younger & Julius Rodriguez

Acclaimed Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note Records debut with the June 16 release of “The Omnichord Real Book” a visionary and deeply jazz-influenced album that marks the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing career.

Following her 2018 covers album “Ventriloquism,” Meshell returns with an album of new original material that taps into a broad spectrum of her musical roots. “The Omnichord Real Book” was produced by Josh Johnson and features a wide range of guest artists including Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez, Mark Guiliana, Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman, and Thandiswa.

“The Omnichord Real Book” was introduced today by the expansive lead single “Virgo,” the mind-altering, eight-minute centerpiece of the album, which features Meshell on vocals, key bass and keyboards, Younger on harp, Rodriguez on Farfisa organ, Chris Bruce on guitar, Jebin Bruni on keyboards, drums by Abe Rounds, Deantoni Parks, and Andrya Ambro, and additional vocals by Kenita Miller and Marsha DeBoe.

“The Omnichord Real Book” is available for preorder now on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digital.

“It’s a little bit of all of me, my travels, my life,” Meshell said. “My first record I made at 22, and it’s over 30 years from then, so I have a lot of stored information to share.”

Reflecting on the impact that the forced stillness of the pandemic lockdown had on her, she said, “I must admit it was a beautiful time for me. I got to really sit and reacquaint myself with music. Music is a gift.”

“This album is about the way we see old things in new ways,” Meshell explained. “Everything moved so quickly when my parents died. Changed my view of everything and myself in the blink of an eye. As I sifted through the remains of their life together, I found my first ‘Real Book,’ the one my father gave me. I took their records, the ones I grew up hearing, learning, remembering. My mother gifted me with her ache. I carry the melancholy that defined her experience and, in turn, my experience of this thing called life calls me to disappear into my imagination and to hear the music.”

Meshell first appeared on a Blue Note record a decade ago with her feature on “The Consequences of Jealousy” from Robert Glasper’s Grammy-winning 2012 album “Black Radio.” Two years later she collaborated with Jason Moran on “ALL RISE,” a vibrant reimagination of Fats Waller’s music where Meshell was both featured vocalist and producer.

Reflecting upon time spent with her parents’ record collection during her childhood, Meshell said, “I loved going through the records and seeing the Blue Note insignia. I stay away from the word ‘jazz,’ it’s a really heavy word, but I am so moved to be on a label that is about self-expression.”

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Cover illustration by Meshell Ndegeocello