Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet – We exist! / 67. Jazz festival Ljubljana

by #vednoaktualno | Mar 15, 2026

𝗗𝗲𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘁 – 𝗪𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁!

📅 2. julij ob 19. uri / 2 July at 7PM
📍Gallusova dvorana, Cankarjev dom / Gallus Hall, Cankarjev dom
🎟️ www.ljubljanajazz.si
🎶 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWHNexCCTfI

Od malega je želela svoj notranji glas izraziti navzven. In od takrat, ko je prvič stopila na oder, je to počela samozavestno, samosvoje, neukrotljivo in brezkompromisno. V šestih desetletjih je zamenjala več žanrov, nastopila na festivalu Sanremo, posnela več kot dvajset albumov, igrala v gledališču in filmih – vse to, ker je sledila svojemu srcu, kakor pravi. Prejela je tri grammyje in enega tonyja za vlogo dobre čarovnice v broadwayskem musicalu The Wiz. Ves ta čas je glasbeni uspeh krojila na osebni integriteti, profesionalni avtonomiji in kreativni brezmejnosti. Kot ambasadorka dobre volje Združenih narodov je dajala glas neslišanim, pred dvajsetimi leti je ustanovila svojo založbo DDB Records in postala producentka. Prestižne glasbene univerze so ji podelile častni doktorat, nato jo je doletela še inavguracija v dvorani slavnih v Memphisu. Seznam njenih glasbenih sodelovanj je parada velikanov: Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Ray Charles, B. B. King …

Tako kot je nekoč nasvete dobivala od svojih vzornic Elle Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan in Betty Carter, od katere se je naučila neustrašnosti in odrske prezence, zdaj izkušnje in znanje podaja mlajši generaciji. Modrost, kako kot ženska preživeti v moškem svetu glasbene industrije ter se zoperstaviti diskriminaciji in mizoginiji, zadnja leta deli z mladimi jazzistkami v okviru svojega mentorskega programa Woodshed Network. Med njenimi »varovankami« sta denimo tudi Jazzmeia Horn in Lakecia Benjamin.

V tem duhu in kot neposreden odziv na vojno v Gazi je nastal kvartet We exist!, v katerem je okoli sebe zbrala mlade glasbenice, pianistko Carmen Staaf, basistko Roso Brunello, bobnarki Shirazette Tinnin in Evito Polidoro. Repertoar zasedbe, ki se zoperstavlja patriarhatu in družbenim krivicam, je kot sprehod skozi zgodovino pesmi upora ali pač svarila iz minulih dni, ki smo ga preslišali. Dee Dee Bridgewater, danes sama glasbena ikona, se pokloni večnim Roberti Flack, Nini Simone, Billie Holiday in Abbey Lincoln ter poseže po najbolj presunljivih pesmih jazzovske zakladnice, kot so Tryin’ Times, Danger Zone, Strange Fruit, Mississippi Goddam, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free … in pozove občinstvo, naj prisluhne besedilu. Zares prisluhne.

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From an early age, she has felt an urge to express her inner voice through performance. The moment she first stepped onto the stage, she did so with total confidence, forging her own style – uncompromising and unrestrained. Over six decades, she has moved effortlessly across genres, performing at the Sanremo Festival, recording over 20 albums, and acting in theatre and film – all by following her heart, in her own words. She has received three Grammy Awards and a Tony Award for her role as the Good Witch in the Broadway musical The Wiz.
Throughout her career, she has been driven by personal integrity, professional autonomy, and boundless creativity, and has also given a voice to the voiceless as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Twenty years ago, she founded her own record label, DDB Records, and became a producer. She holds honorary doctorates from prestigious music universities and was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. Her musical credentials read like a who’s who of jazz royalty: Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Ray Charles, B. B. King…

Just as she once received advice from her role models Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Betty Carter, who taught her to be fearless and command the stage, she now passes on her experience and knowledge to younger generations. Through her Woodshed Network programme, Dee Dee has recently mentored young female jazz musicians, sharing her wisdom on surviving in the male-dominated music industry and standing up to discrimination and misogyny. Her protégées include Jazzmeia Horn and Lakecia Benjamin.

In this spirit, and as a direct response to the Gaza war, she formed the quartet We Exist!, bringing together young female musicians – pianist Carmen Staaf, bassist Rosa Brunello, as well as drummers Shirazette Tinnin and Evita Polidoro. The band’s repertoire, opposing patriarchy and social injustice, is like a journey through the history of songs of rebellion and long-unheeded warnings from the past. Dee Dee Bridgewater, now a musical icon herself, pays tribute to the timeless luminaries Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Abbey Lincoln, reaching for the most haunting songs in the jazz canon, such as Tryin’ Times, Danger Zone, Strange Fruit, Mississippi Goddam, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free – all the while inviting the audience to listen to the lyrics. Truly listen.

www.ljubljanajazz.si