New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

The Vogel presents Melody Gardot

originally published: 02/28/2023


(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Vogel presents Melody Gardot on Tuesday, June 13th at 7:30pm. The story of vocalist, guitarist, and pianist Melody Gardot is remarkable; she’s persevered against abject adversity throughout her life.  Blessed with a beautiful alto voice and grand insight as a songwriter, Gardot overcame a life-threatening bicycle accident early in her career.

As amazing as her story is, what is more evident is that she possesses a blue, jazz-oriented style and dusky persona that reflect not only her afflictions, but conversely the hope and joy of making personalized music that marks her as an original.

Born in New Jersey in 1985, she took up piano and played as a youngster on the nightclub scene of Philadelphia, influenced by jazz, folk, rock, and pop music.  At age 19 she was a fashion student at the Community College of Philadelphia.  But, on a fateful day, while riding her bicycle, the driver of a Jeep made an illegal turn, hurtling into Gardot and leaving her in the street for dead. As she lay hospitalized for months with multiple head injuries and pelvic fractures, her love for music was the best therapy she could receive.  While in her hospital bed, she wrote and recorded songs that would become the EP Some Lessons.

Upon her eventual release from intensive care, Gardot found the strength and determination to further her career.  Hypersensitive to light and noise, she wore dark glasses.  On-stage she also required a special seating unit, and often wore a Transcutaneous Electro-Nerve Stimulator, a TENS device, to assist in alleviating her neuralgic muscle pain.  Despite these hurdles, she recorded her debut fulllength, Worrisome Heart, which was reissued in 2007 by the Verve label. Well-received, the album drew comparisons to Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, and Eva Cassidy.

In 2009, working with producer Larry Klein and arranger Vince Mendoza — both known for their work with Joni Mitchell — Gardot followed up her Verve debut with My One and Only Thrill.  The album peaked at number two on the Billboard U.S. Jazz Albums chart. She returned in 2012 with her third studio album, The Absence, featuring production from guitarist/composer Heitor Pereira.  The effort continued her upward trajectory, landing in the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 and reaching the top of the U.S. Jazz Albums chart.




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage



Gardot altered her musical direction when she returned to the recording studio. She reteamed with Klein and focused on music strongly influenced by R&B, blues, and jazz in a set of original, socially conscious songs.  Her first single/video, “Preacherman”, was inspired by the death of Emmett Till.  The second, “It Gonna Come”, was released as a docu-video a week prior to the album.  The full-length Currency of Man was released by Decca in June of 2015. In 2018, she delivered her first full-length concert album, Live in Europe. Recorded at a series of shows between 2012 and 2016, the album showcased Gardot backed by her adept touring ensemble.

In 2020, she again paired with Klein for ‘Sunset in the Blue’, which featured an all-star cast of studio contributors including Till Bronner, Antonio Zambujo, arranger Vince Mendoza and engineer Al Schmitt.  The first single from the album titled “From Paris With Love” featured a ‘Global Orchestra’ of musicians.  Hand assembled by Gardot from over 30 different countries and recorded in isolation during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the track was released with an accompanying video piece in order to raise charity money in support of health-care workers and public awareness for those struggling in the arts.  ‘Sunset in the Blue’ was released on October 23rd to critical acclaim as yet another benchmark record in the tradition of Jazz music.

On August 22 2021, Philippe Powell, composer pianist and son of Baden Powell, came to Melody’s studio in Paris to stay for two weeks.  Their mission: write a record.  Now she had heard Philippe before, and since that first crossing, many years ago, she was blown away by his talent.  Hearing his compositions and observing the way he played she knew he had something.  He’s like “The Bill Evans of Brazil”, Melody would screech to her colleagues, “… he’s just got that thing that goes so deep…”.  This led to the May 20, 2022 release of Entre eux deux.

Melody Gardot and Philippe Powell breathe a new life into the classic piano and voice format with their fresh perspectives.  Recorded in Paris, the album features ‘This Foolish Heart Could Love You’ and ‘A La Tour Eiffel’, and so much more. Sensual, romantic and intimate, ‘This Foolish Heart Could Love You’ is a love song reminiscent of a great jazz standard.  Written by Gardot and Powell, the song arrives alongside an iconic video, produced by 247 Productions and directed by Beki Mari, who has previously worked with the likes of Rita Ora, Glass Animals, Sigrid, Paloma Faith and Sting.  The video showcases the dancer étoile, Marie Agnes Gillot and her partner dancer étoile, Germain Louvet, interpreting this feeling of a feeling moment that just may escape one’s grasp, while paying hommage to Auguste Rodin’s love of dancers at the iconic Musée Rodin in Paris.

Tickets range from $99.50 to $129.50 and are available for purchase online. The Vogel is located at 99 Monmouth Street in Red Bank, New Jersey.

This show is presented by Count Basie Center for the Arts




Reach New Jersey's largest arts & entertainment audience, click here for info on how to advertise at NJ Stage




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

City

City Winery NYC presents Sly and the Vine: A Funkadelic Tasting Experience with Vernon Reid of Living Colour

(NEW YORK, NY) -- City Winery NYC presents Sly and the Vine: A Funkadelic Tasting Experience with Vernon Reid of Living Colour on Tuesday, July 15, 2025 at 7:00pm. Join them for an immersive 8-glass wine tasting perfectly paired with the revolutionary sounds of Sly & The Family Stone—featuring special guest Vernon Reid, legendary guitarist and founder of Living Colour. Get ready for a one-of-a-kind night where rhythm meets the vine.



Shemekia

Shemekia Copeland to Perform Free Concert in Atlantic City

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Award-winning vocalist Shemekia Copeland will give a free performance as part of Tony Mart's Mardi Gras on the Boardwalk concert series at the Kennedy Plaza in Atlantic City on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Copeland possesses one of the most instantly recognizable and deeply soulful roots music voices of our time. Showtime is 7:00pm.



State

State Theatre New Jersey presents Straight No Chaser - SUMMER: The 90's

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Straight No Chaser – SUMMER: The 90's Part 2 on Wednesday, July 16, 2025 at 7:30pm. Featuring their twist on 90s classics like Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)," "Everybody" by Backstreet Boys, "Linger" from The Cranberries, and Santana's "Maria Maria," Straight No Chaser brings audiences of all ages back to a simpler time, one unafraid of bright neons, loud prints, and cool boy bands.
 



A

A Chat with Jasper Smith of Straight No Chaser Which Brings its "Summer: The '90s Part 2" Tour to STNJ on July 16

Straight No Chaser is bringing its Summer: The '90s Part 2 Tour to State Theatre New Jersey on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. The nine-member a cappella group originated in 1996 at Indiana University in Bloomington and has gone on to sell three million albums, earn two gold records, and amass over 1 billion streams on Pandora.



Hoboken's

Hoboken's Sinatra Park to Host Concert by Freedy Johnson and Karyn Kuhl and the Gang

(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Local events organizer, Geri Fallo, who retired last year, is inviting you to celebrate with her, as she embraces new and exciting endeavors. Come enjoy a free evening of music in Hoboken's Sinatra Park (525 Sinatra Drive) on Thursday, July 17, 2025. The evening is presented by Mayor Ravi Bhalla, The Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs, and Geri Fallo. The event is free, and music starts at 6:30pm. Come early for the best seating.



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Indigenous

Indigenous

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

Straight

Straight No Chaser - SUMMER: The 90's Part 2

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Bria

Bria Skonberg

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
The Morris Museum Back Deck
6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music


 

KC

KC and the Sunshine Band

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

The

The Hit Men: The Ultimate Rock Concert

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC)
100 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
category: music