Today, acclaimed vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and pianist Bill Charlap, two of the most highly respected figures in the world of jazz, released their collaborative new album "Elemental", under exclusive license to Mack Avenue Records by DDB Records.
On the album, Bridgewater and Charlap curate a repertoire that only they can present: exploring a deep understanding of jazz tradition alongside impeccable phrasing and a once-in-a-generation dynamic range. Lead single “Honeysuckle Rose” is the perfect introduction to this unique pairing, showcasing their natural chemistry as Bridgwater’s gravity-defying vocal leaps dance atop Charlap’s jaunty, percolating piano lines.
Listen To "Elemental" HERE
The initial idea for the Elemental collaboration was Bridgewater’s, and appropriately for a project that has taken on such a mystical aura, it arrived like a bolt out of the blue. “I hear voices,” the singer explains. “I woke one morning and a voice said, ‘Bill Charlap.’ I was really quite dumbfounded because it seemed like such an unlikely pairing for me.”
Charlap of course is no stranger to working with incredible singers. He won a GRAMMY® Award in 2016 for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, his acclaimed album with one of the all-time greats, Tony Bennett. He’s also recorded with Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Ann Hampton Callaway, Freddy Cole, Carol Sloane, and two beloved albums with his mother, cabaret and jazz singer Sandy Stewart.
The pair scheduled a few exploratory concerts to determine whether they in fact did possess that ever-elusive chemistry. The results were more exhilarating than the two had dared hope.
Elemental hints at the profound, virtually subatomic level on which these two brilliant GRAMMY® Award-winning artists connect. In a relatively short but fruitful period of time – interrupted but not derailed by the pandemic – they have forged a camaraderie that soars past the chemical to the alchemical.
“The two of us have discovered a kind of musical melding that is completely inexplicable to the untrained ear,” says Bridgewater. “We’ve become a gentle force of nature, and people are astounded when they encounter it.”
That force was on full display at the duo’s recent performance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, where they captivated audiences and critics alike. Bridgewater and Charlap will be celebrating the album’s release with a show tomorrow night at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and with shows at Yoshi’s in Oakland on June 16 and 17, before Bridgewater heads out on her We Exist! Tour across Europe. See full list of EU our dates below
Dee Dee Bridgewater’s We Exist! Tour:
- July 1 – Vienne, France – Jazz à Vienne
- July 3 – Toulouse, France – Toulouse Festival
- July 4 – Santa Cruz, Canary Islands, Spain – Tenerife Auditorium
- July 5 – Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain – Jameos del Agua Auditorium
- July 6 – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain – Pérez Galdós Theatre
- July 8 – Oestrich-Winkel, Germany – Seebühne Schloss Vollrads
- July 9 – Vannes, France – Vannes Echos Jazz
- July 11 – Merano, Italy – KIMM + Master Class
- July 12 – Marseille, France – Marseille Jazz Des Cinq Continents
- July 16 – Weimar, Germany – Schallkultur Festival
- July 19 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Kurpark Wiesbaden
- July 20 – Freiburg, Germany – Zelt Musik Festival
- July 23 – Vilnius, Lithuania – Midsummer Vilnius Fest
- July 25 – San Sebastian, Spain – San Sebastien
- July 26 – Barcelona, Spain – Palau de la Musica Catalana
- July 27 – Gdynia, Poland – Ladies Festival
- July 29 – Fano, Italy – Jazz by the Sea