Melanie Charles with Ignabu and Paul Wilson Bae is a collective of 3 New York Natives who came together in 2019 to record a rehearsal for a performance at the 41st annual Wall to Wall concert series at Symphony Space, spotlighting all things Rev John Coltrane. The trio curated a body of work exploring his legacy via found footage, interviews and samples of his contemporaries to create a 4 movement ceremony. The pre-pandemic concert and recording coincided with the untimely passing of prolific drummer Lawrece Leathers setting a tone of reverence for the musicians that tirelessly explored the possibilities of this music. The recording was never intended to be released to the public but as time has gone by, this musical artifact serves as a conversation with our musical ancestors while discovering new modes.

Melanie Charles

“Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.” —NPR

There are very few artists whose sound can capture the sentiments of a generation. The Brooklyn born and raised, 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, especially the youth and is focused on taking jazz from the museum to the streets. “I love jazz, I really fell in love with it deeply. But I was interested in young people interacting with it,” Charles says. The album Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women is reflective of Charles’ tremendous versatility and imagination as an artist but of also her deep care for community.