Uhuru Jazz Sessions: Vanisha Gould

Vanisha Gould came to New York in 2015 from Simi Valley, California. Inspired by artists like Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald – Vanisha has successfully curated her own sound as a composer and band leader. Performing originals and music from the Great American Songbook on several groundbreaking stages both in New York and overseas, she aspires to continue sharing her voice with audiences in New York and beyond.

Named for the Swahili word that translates to “freedom,” the Uhuru Jazz Series pays homage to jazz as the embodiment of freedom, improvisation, discovery, liberation, and promise. Supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the series features monthly performances at the AWAACC. The series continues with multi award-winning violinist Regina Carter, who presents her latest project, Gone in a Phrase of Air, on Wednesday, December 14. Other concerts in the series include vocalist Vanisha Gould, who returns to AWAACC on Friday, February 10, 2023 after thrilling fans in two sets at this year’s Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, and the multi-instrumentalist Georgia Anne Muldrow throwing down her dynamic blend of jazz, R&B, hip hop, electronica, rock and funk on Thursday, June 22.

To celebrate the Uhuru Jazz Series and its powerful meaning, AWAACC commissioned Pittsburgh visual artist Makeba Rainey to create an original work of art to complement each concert. Rainey says her “art practice centers marginalized voices within the Black community to provide a fuller, more nuanced view of the whole community and empower individuals by giving them autonomy over how their stories are told thus providing alternative potentialities for Black Liberation.”