Ledisi / Esperanza Spalding & Jonathan Batiste June 28, 2009

Two sensual jazz-fusion vocalists share this dynamic co-bill; accompanied by an on-the-rise pianist.

A modern day siren known for her jazz influenced vocals and flowing rhythms, Ledisi brings her Southern-inspired soul sound to the stage. In 2000, Ledisi released her first solo album Soulsinger: The Revival, featuring the breakout singles, "Soulsinger" and "Get Outta My Kitchen.” Since then, she has released three other albums including It’s Christmas, which led to her very own TV special, "Ledisi Christmas,” that aired in December 2008. Currently, Ledisi is writing new music for her fifth studio album.

An American bassist and singer who discovered the bass at age fourteen and started writing lyrics at fifteen, Spalding has honed her talents and is regarded as one of the world’s best living upright bass players. She has recorded two solo albums Junjo (2006) and Esperanza (2008) and is currently working on her third studio effort.

New Orleans-born piano man Jonathan Batiste burst onto the scene when he released his debut album Times In New Orleans (featuring such name talent as Jason Marsalis, Donald Harrison, and Christian Scott) at the age of seventeen. In 2005, at just eighteen years old, he made his Carnegie Hall debut and is currently one of the hottest, up and coming jazz artists performing today. A flame on the New York City scene, Batiste has been invited to play with such luminary musicians as Abbey Lincoln, Wynton Marsalis, Lenny Kravitz, Jimmy Buffet, Cassandra Wilson, Curtis Fuller, David “Fathead” Newman, Maraca, Louis Hayes, and Goapele.

Official Website: http://www.summerstage.org