Uptown Nights: Melanie Charles

UPTOWN NIGHTS

MELANIE CHARLES

Y’ALL DON’T (REALLY) CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN

Saturday, Decemeber 11 2021, 7:30PM Harlem Stage Gatehouse Address: 150 Convent Avenue at West 135 Street, New York, NY 10031 Phone: 212.281.9240 ext. 19 | Website: www.harlemstage.org

@harlemstage

@myharlemstage

Photo by Meredith Truax Photo by Wil Pierce

ABOUT THE EVENT There are very few artists whose sound can capture the sentiments of a generation. The Brooklyn born and raised vocalist and flautist, Melanie Charles, is one of these artists. Over the past couple 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, and The Roots. In 2021, she appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and stunned audiences with her eclectic style. Through it all, she has remained committed to making music that pushes listeners to consider new possibilities—both sonicly and politically.

Harlem Stage is thrilled to present Melanie Charles as part of our Uptown Nights series and as the final event of our fall season Tonight she performs works from her new album Y’all Don’t (Really) Care About Black Women (Verve Records). She is joined by her band featuring Axel Tosca on rhodes and keyboard, Jonathan Michel on the upright/electric bass, Cinque Kemp on drums, and Rogerst Charles on the alto saxophone.

Thank you for joining us.

PERFORMERS

Photo by Ebru Yildiz

Melanie Charles Axel Tosca Jonathan Michel Cinque Kemp Rogerst Charles

Vocal, Samples, and Flute Rhodes and Keyboard Upright/Electric Bass Drums Alto Saxophone

BIOGRAPHIES

ARTIST GALLERY MELANIE CHARLES

VOCALIST, FLAUTIST

Melanie Charles is a Brooklyn-born singer, songwriter, bandleader, producer, actress and flautist of Haitian descent, with a creative fluidity spanning jazz, soul, experimental and roots music.

Charles was raised by a Haitian mother in Brooklyn where the sound waves in their home was filled with artists like Johnny Hodges, Frank Sinatra, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, John Coltrane and Nat King Cole.

As a teen, she attended the famed LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts where she studied flute and vocals. Eventually, she Photo by Meredith Truax landed at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music at The New School where she met artists like singer, songwriter and record producer Jesse Boykins III and alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin.

Charles’ genre-bending style has been embraced by a wide range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, Mach-Hommy, Gorillaz and The Roots. Throughout her career 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. Earlier this year, Charles’ Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debuted on NPR Music, who proclaimed, “Melanie Charles takes us on a journey that embodies the soul of jazz: exploration.”

AXEL TOSCA

JONATHAN MICHEL

CINQUE KEMP

ROGERST CHARLES

RHODES AND KEYBOARD

DRUMS

UPRIGHT/ELECTRIC BASS

ALTO SAXOPHONE

OUR SUPPORTERS

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council.

Harlem Stage’s Programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

ABOUT HARLEM STAGE Harlem Stage is the performing arts center that bridges Harlem’s cultural legacy to contemporary artists of color and dares to provide the artistic freedom that gives birth to new ideas.

For nearly 40 years our singular mission has been to perpetuate and celebrate the unique and diverse artistic legacy of Harlem and the indelible impression it has made on American culture.

We provide opportunity, commissioning, and support for artists of color, make performances easily accessible to all audiences, and introduce children to the rich diversity, excitement, and inspiration of the performing arts.

We fulfill our mission through commissioning, incubating, and presenting innovative and vital work that responds to the historical and contemporary conditions that shape our lives and the communities we serve.

Board of Directors Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President Jamie Cannon, Vice President Michael Young, Secretary Mark Thomas, Treasurer Neal Baer Stefany Bergson Angela Glover Blackwell

JoAnn K. Chase Patricia Cruz Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes Trevor Gale Jenette Kahn LaChanze Sapp-Gooding Tamara Tunie

Administration Staff Patricia Cruz, Artistic Director & CEO MANAGEMENT Eric Oberstein, Managing Director DEVELOPMENT Shamar Hill, Director of Development Shanté Skyers, Associate Director of Development Julia Marrero, Development Associate PROGRAMMING Carl Hancock Rux, Associate Artistic Director/Curator-in-Residence Yunie Mojica, Programming Manager MARKETING Deirdre May, Senior Director of Digital Content and Marketing Andre Padayhag, Marketing Manager and Graphic Designer BOX OFFICE Daniel Im, Box Office Manager PRODUCTION Amanda K. Ringger, Director of Production Yolanda Royster, Stage Manager Clarence Taylor, Lighting Operator Orlando Alvarado, Audio Engineer David Barrett, Deck Crew OPERATIONS Rodney Bissessar, Director of Operations Lamont Askins, Operations Assistant Acey Anderson Sr., Maintenance

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE Ncheng LLC, Accountants/Advisors Michelle Blankenship, Principal Aaron Lam, Supervising Senior

Accountant CONSULTANTS Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY) Claudia Kaufman, Insurance Digital Video Services—BriGuel Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C. —Lisa Davis Itelagen, IT Consultant Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants Madison Consulting Group, —Matt Laurence Manchester Benefits—Greg Martin Marc Millman Photography Digital Video Services —Jess Medenbach PR Canvas Public Relations & Marketing RL Stein Group—Robyn L. Stein Development Consultant The Whelan Group Incorporated —Charles Whelan USHERS Toma Carthen, Nobar Deleon, Miriam Hernandez, Chloe Wilson