Jazz News: Airport music series at DEN; Remembering the Four Tops’ Duke Fakir; Ndegeocello’s tribute to James Baldwin

This is Jazz News, a look at what’s news in jazz, music, and the arts.

We’re always on the lookout for new and interesting music venues. The Sunday afternoon series at Denver International Airport is back again this summer, each Sunday through Labor Day weekend. Yesterday’s event was the first of six concerts, taking place on the open-air plaza between the South Security TSA Checkpoint and The Westin Denver International Airport Hotel and Transit Center.

DJs open the 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. sets, followed by two bands that cross all the KUVO genres. On the lineup, are The Motet, Dotsero, Los Mocochetes, Chris Daniels and the Kings, and more. Details at FlyDenver/Events. (SOURCE: Fly Denver / Music Takes Flight)

We mentioned the passing of the last surviving original member of the Four Tops Duke Fakir last week, and I wanted to pass on a story about Duke from Lex Morris, who is the lead singer of the current Four Tops. He says until shortly before his passing at age 88, Fakir was active and fully involved, managing, mentoring, and singing with the Four Tops.

Eminent bassist and multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter/producer Meshell Ndegeocello tackles the weighty literary mountain that is James Baldwin on her latest album, her second on the Blue Note label. The project is rich with rhythms and layers, and in keeping with the topic, bold lyrical and spoken word content that suggests church service, testimonial, and call to action.

There isn’t much subtlety in this project, and is, therefore, true to its muse, the great Baldwin. You will hear conflict and resolution in spoken word offerings from Staceyann Chin and Hilton Als, and KUVO’s Andy O’ will be visiting this work on his Sunday night jazz and poetry show, “The Nightside.”

Meshell Ndegeocello’s new release “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” hits the street on the centennial of James Baldwin’s birth, this coming August 2. (SOURCE: Blue Note/Meshell Ndegeocello/No More Water – The Gospel of James Baldwin)

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