DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER “We Exist!”

Seasons pass, new talents emerge, yet she remains firmly on the throne: the queen of jazz singing is still, unmistakably, Dee Dee Bridgewater. And a great diva never does anything by chance: her current touring band is an all-female, international lineup, assembled to launch a rallying cry—“We Exist!”. The project brings together protest songs such as Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” Gene McDaniels’ “Compared to What,” James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good),” Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody,” and others that are far more than melodies with socially conscious lyrics—they are true musical manifestos, carriers of powerful messages that speak to everyone. Art and activism thus take shape in the multifaceted, refined, and powerful voice of a legend not only of jazz.

Winner of three Grammy Awards and a Tony Award for Best Actress, Dee Dee Bridgewater was born in Memphis as Denise Eileen Garrett, later taking the surname of trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, to whom she was married in the early 1970s. That same period saw her first appearances in jazz’s top tier, performing with the orchestras and ensembles of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, as well as with Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Sonny Rollins.

Her full artistic maturity, however, came in the 1980s, after moving to France. Alongside refining her jazz interpretations, she also ventured into pop music, forging a strong bond with audiences that has never faded. In Italy, in particular, she won over the general public thanks to her duet with Ray Charles at the 1989 Sanremo Festival and her victory there in 1990, performing with the band Pooh.

In recent decades, the singer has focused on projects that highlight and celebrate the many shades of her voice: from the French chansons of J’ai deux amours (2005) to the music of Mali in Red Earth (2007), from her engagement with the repertoire of Billie Holiday in Eleanora Fagan (2010) to her tributes to New Orleans and Memphis in Dee Dee’s Feathers (2015) and Memphis… Yes, I’m Ready (2017). We Exist! reaffirms the versatility, authenticity, and authority of a truly timeless performer.