Meshell Ndegeocello has survived the best and worst of what a career in music has to offer. She eschewed genre for originality, celebrity for longevity, and musical trends for musical truths. Fans have come to expect the unexpected and follow her on sojourns into soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, rock, all bound by the search for love, justice, respect, and resolution. Those sonic investigations have defied and redefined the expectations for women, for queer artists, and for black music for over 30 years and she remains one of few women who write the music, sing the songs, and lead the band.

A bass player above all else, Meshell brings her warm, fat, and melodic groove to everything she does. She has earned a Grammy award along with numerous nominations, and has played alongside the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Alanis Morrisette, James Blood Ulmer, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tony Allen, John Medeski, Billy Preston, and Chaka Khan. As for her own bass-playing influences, she credits Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Family Man Barrett, and Stevie Wonder. Meshell is always grateful for the opportunity to share the stage and believes music is a fellowship. She looks to spread that gospel with every creation and collaboration.

Hailing from Chicago, Chris Bruce has been forging an illustrious career in music since 1989. Working with diverse artists such as Seal, Lizz Wright, Sheryl Crow, and My Brightest Diamond. Notably collaborating with Meshell Ndegeocello since 2007, co-produced her 2024 Grammy winning No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin

Jebin Bruni is a Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist/composer who has worked with Meshell Ndegeocello since 2011. He is honored to have been a part of The Gospel Of James Baldwin since its very first performances in 2016. Other artists he has worked with include Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, Tears For Fears, Public Image Ltd., Liz Phair, Marianne Faithfull and Draco Rosa. His band Snow & Voices has released three albums and is currently working on its fourth.

Carl Hancock Rux (/ˈrʌks/) is an American poet, playwright, singer-songwriter, novelist, essayist, multidisciplinary performance installation artist and award winning Public radio host/producer. He is the author of the award winning collection of poetry, Pagan Operetta (SemioText) , a novel, Asphalt (Simon & Schuster) and the OBIEç award winning play Talk,. Rux is also a singer-songwriter who has recorded several albums, singles, and mixed tapes since the release of his Sony 550 debut, Rux Revue.Rux’s mixed media works (with frequent collaborator, visual artist and sculptor, Dianne Smith) have been included in the Uptown Triennale at the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery as well as the Park Avenue Armory. He is also a recurrent collaborator with artist Carrie Mae Weems.  Rux is co-artistic director of Mabou Mines theater; a resident artist at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where annually he conceives and stages its campus-wide Juneteenth festival; multidisciplinary editor at The Massachusetts Review.; and the former associate artistic director at Harlem Stage The Gate House. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts.

Justin Hicks is a songwriter, vocalist, and sound artist who has collaborated with numerous musicians and artists, including Abigail DeVille, Kaneza Schaal, Cauleen Smith, Meshell Ndegeocello, Hilton Als, Darius Jones, Steffani Jemison, Charlotte Brathwaite, Sunder Ganglani, June Cross, Janani Balasubrumanian, and Toshi Reagon. Spanning conceptual art, alternative jazz, experimental opera, avant-garde theater, sound installation, and design, his work has been presented by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Public Theater, Baryshnikov Art Center, Festival steirischer herbst (Graz, AT), Symphony Space, JACK, The Bushwick Starr, and in the permanent collection at The Albertinum in Dresden. Hicks was a member of Kara Walker’s 6-8 Months Space and holds a culinary diploma from ICE in New York City.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Abe’s musical journey began at just one year old when he first picked up the drums. Now based in Los Angeles, he has built a career as a Grammy-winning musician, producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is a core member of Meshell Ndegeocello’s band and has collaborated with artists including Joni Mitchell, Seal, Andrew Bird, Rick Rubin, Lizzo, Blake Mills, Pino Palladino and Mark Ronson. In 2024, Abe accepted a Grammy for his work as a co-producer, writer, and performer on Meshell Ndegeocello’s Omni Chord Real Book, which took home Best Alternative Jazz Album. That same year, he joined the legendary Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl, performing alongside Joni Mitchell as her percussionist and drummer. In 2025, he contributed to yet another Grammy-winning project, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin. Beyond performance and recording, Abe has made an impact in film and television, composing for multiple projects, including all seven seasons of Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar on the OWN network. His drumming and percussion work have also been featured in major films, including Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, where he played alongside the late Robbie Robertson. In 2021, Abe released his debut solo record on Colorfield Records, offering an intimate look into his own artistry. His music is deeply influenced by his heritage—an ancestry that traces to Fiji, Tonga, Hungary, and Iraq—informing a creative voice that bridges cultures, histories, and sound.

Chanelle Ignant is a sought after guitarist and music educator based in Oakland, CA. Playing alongside artists such as Artelia Green and the Bandanas, Be Steadwell, Jay Marie is Holy, and countless others, she has developed a style that blends elements of jazz, R&B, funk, and acoustic soul. As a 2025 Next Jazz Legacy Awardee she has the privilege of apprenticing with Meshell Ndgegeocello.

Bio to come.