A bass player above all else, Meshell Ndegeocello brings her warm, fat and melodic groove to the stage. The D.C. area native 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 and rock, all bound by the search for love, justice, respect and resolution. Those sonic investigations have defied and redefined the expectations for women, queer artists and Black music for more than 30 years, and she remains one of few women who write the music, sing the songs and lead the band. 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.