tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52286436663547003042011-11-27T16:59:29.729-08:00Practically Speakingnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5228643666354700304.post-27853504398242119842009-04-11T16:22:00.000-07:002009-04-11T16:23:06.483-07:00Who is Ledisi?<br />Ledisi grew up in a musical family; her mother sang in a Louisiana R&B band, and Ledisi first began performing at age eight with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. She moved to Oakland, California, where she was nominated for a Shellie award in 1990 for her performance in a production of The Wiz and performed in an extended run with the San Francisco cabaret troupe, Beach Blanket Babylon.[1] She studied opera and piano for five years at University of California Berkeley in their Young Musicians Program.<br />In the 1990s, she formed a group called Anibade, alongside Sundra Manning (producer, keyboards, songwriting), Cedrickke Dennis (guitar), Nelson Braxton (bass), Wayne Braxton (sax), and Tommy Bradford (drums), playing a jazz and hip-hop influenced kind of soul.[1] The group won acclaim in the Bay Area, and recorded a demo which scored airplay on local stations. Ledisi tried to get the group signed to a major label, but had no luck, and the group released its first album, Soulsinger, independently in January of 2000.[1]<br />Her second album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, was also released independently in 2002, and is now a collector's item. During this time she also recorded commercials for the SCI FI Channel. In 2007, she signed with Verve, and her major-label debut, Lost & Found, was released on August 28, 2007. A single from this album, "Alright", has hit #65 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart.[2]<br />Ledisi is known for her jazz influenced vocals. She is often compared to Ella Fitzgerald and is known for her scat style of singing.<br />In December 2007 she received a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist.[3] Ledisi is slated to appear in the film Leatherheads opening April 4, 2008. She appeared on Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns soundtrack.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5228643666354700304-2785350439824211984?l=ledisi-live.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Practically Speakingnoreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5228643666354700304.post-6815681434477014122008-08-30T18:11:00.001-07:002008-08-30T18:11:48.760-07:00<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IvCN6GGSbXA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IvCN6GGSbXA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Ledisi Live at Madison Sq. Park NYC<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5228643666354700304-681568143447701412?l=ledisi-live.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Practically Speakingnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5228643666354700304.post-37492579889073241342008-08-30T18:09:00.000-07:002008-08-30T18:10:39.803-07:00<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4ZwkVJzCPI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O4ZwkVJzCPI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Ledisi at Michael Baisden Live in Atlanta<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5228643666354700304-3749257988907324134?l=ledisi-live.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Practically Speakingnoreply@blogger.com0