Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet

A restless explorer who has collaborated with master musicians of Mali, interpreted the cabaret of Kurt Weill, and embraced the hard bop of Horace Silver, 2017 NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater brings a powerful new program she calls We Exist!, accompanied by a stellar rhythm section including pianist Alexis Lombre, bassist Liany Mateo, and drummer Shirazette Tinnin.  

Since she first gained recognition in the early 1970s with the great Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Bridgewater has thrived wherever she’s landed, and this show stands as a revelatory statement of purpose. Built as a “rallying cry” that connects past and present struggles, the program reimagines songs of protest such as Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam” and Roberta Flack’s “Trying Times,” tracing the ongoing fight for justice and equality. 

Taking a cue from drummer and activist Max Roach’s landmark 1961 protest album We Insist!: Freedom Now Suite, the project confronts issues of racial oppression and civil rights while also championing female empowerment in a historically male-dominated jazz world. Bridgewater reinforces this message through an all-female ensemble, transforming the band itself into a living symbol of representation and change. It is a celebration of resilience, a platform for women in jazz, and a reminder—delivered with power and elegance—that music can still be a force for cultural and social transformation.