Ledisi's Dinah Washington Tribute

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – Ledisi's Dinah Washington Tribute

Date: October 29, 2025
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Guest: Ledisi (Grammy Award-Winning Vocalist)
Episode Theme: Ledisi discusses her tribute album to Dinah Washington, the legacy of a jazz icon, the art of reinterpretation, and creative risk-taking in modern music.

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on Ledisi's deep admiration for Dinah Washington and the release of her tribute album, For Dinah. Through candid conversation and select performances, Ledisi illuminates Washington’s influence on her artistry, her approach to reimagining classics, and the unique challenges of paying homage without losing one's own voice. The episode is an exploration of cultural lineage, representation, and authenticity in the music industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ledisi’s Motivation for Tribute Albums

• Documenting Musical History:

  • Ledisi describes her passion for “reminding the newer generation of history” and amplifying the voices of often overlooked Black women in music.
  • “We hear [Dinah’s] voice a lot in film and television, but we'd never hear her name. So, like, to me, she should be spoken up like Aretha all the time.” (01:43–02:23)

• Personal Connection and Representation:

  • The first time Ledisi heard Dinah Washington (“Teach Me Tonight”) made her feel seen:
  • “She looks like me, she feels like me. She gave me permission to just be myself and not worry about what other people think of how I approach a song.” (02:35–03:15)

Dinah Washington’s Technique & Impact

• Signature Vocal “Dynaisms”:
  • Church-influenced vocalizations, bouncy word attacks, and a powerful first note are elements Ledisi admires.
  • “Her first note, just like Aretha. The first phrase... should get your attention.” (03:16–03:58)
• On Lyrics & Delivery:
  • “Her voice gave every word a feeling. And that's why I paid attention to lyric.” (04:05–04:29)

Taking Creative Risks and Leadership

• Leadership through Expression:
  • Dinah as a model for creative freedom and risk, inspiring Ledisi’s own daring career moves.
  • “Taking risk. Yeah, took a lot of risk. Uncertainty of two albums in one year, that's crazy... I'm more than [just R&B]... I'm gonna do whatever feels good to me. She did what felt good to her.” (04:46–05:39)
  • The power of asserting boundaries as an artist:
    • “No, it’s a full sentence and it’s joyful.” (05:39–05:43)

The Making of For Dinah

• Song Selection & Adaptation:
  • Shrinking a list from 32 to just 8 tracks was both difficult and necessary to maintain album coherence. (10:32–11:16)
• Musical Collaborations:
  • Christian McBride (arrangements) and Rex Rideout (vocal production) played pivotal roles.
  • “Rex made sure I was Letisi throughout and not so much Dinah... You're just tributing. You're not trying to be her.” (09:18–09:56)
• Staying Authentic While Honoring:
  • Finding the line between tribute and mimicry—with Rex providing necessary reminders:
    • “When I get emotional and involved in the song so much, I just leave myself. And he reminds me, hey, hey, don’t forget about you.” (09:56–10:24)

Example: "You Go To My Head"

• Arrangement Approach:
  • More mellow and acoustic than Dinah’s original, with a relaxed “brown liquor” vibe to match the song’s mood.
  • (08:05–09:13)
• Producer’s Guardrails:
  • Rex Rideout helps Ledisi maintain her unique voice, preventing complete immersion into the subject of the tribute. (09:18–09:56)

Example: "Caravan"

• Technical Challenges:

  • “The hardest song was to record was Caravan... The pitches. Where to go. Ellington is like... Like when you're studying Mozart or, you know, Bach.” (11:18–11:54)
  • Ledisi channeled a trumpet’s approach to nail the performance. (11:55–12:00)

• Importance of Vocal Technique:

  • “All my opera training came in good... You want to make it sound effortless, but it’s not. It’s work.” (13:24–13:42)

Representation & Industry Realities

• On Dinah’s Visibility:

  • Washington’s struggles in an industry biased against fuller-figured Black women are deeply personal for Ledisi.
  • “The world said ... you’re not pretty enough, you’re not good enough... Or that my voice and my talent wasn’t enough, you know, how I looked was more important than who I am as a person. And she fought for all of that space.” (14:55–15:59)

• Personal Empowerment:

  • Ledisi is inspired to love herself at every stage, battling against industry pressures for a specific look.
  • (15:59–16:32)
  • “I'm so glad I stayed. I've tried to quit several times. ... I'm glad I stayed.” (16:43–17:13)

Special Moments and Notable Quotes

“You Go To My Head” Performance

• (06:44–08:05)
• Soft, acoustic reinterpretation, with Letisi’s “mellow” phrasing.

Insight on “Bitter Earth”

• Elton John’s praise for her arrangement and her own surprise at the track’s global impact:
  • “And Elton John called me and was like, I love the song. I love what you did. ... I never knew this one little song that I've been listening to Dinah sing in every film... Now I get to do my version in a more relevant version of it.” (17:22–18:07)

“What a Difference a Day Makes” as Outro

• (22:10–23:10)
• Ledisi brings the episode home with her take on a Dinah classic.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:43] Motivation for Dinah tribute; representation in pop culture
• [02:35] First time Ledisi heard Dinah and its impact
• [03:16] The “dynaisms” of Dinah’s voice: technical marvels
• [04:46] How Dinah’s example inspired Ledisi’s risks and independence
• [06:26] Introduction to “You Go To My Head” performance
• [08:05] Comparing Ledisi’s and Dinah’s versions: arranging for self-expression
• [09:18] How Rex Rideout kept Ledisi anchored in her own voice
• [10:32] The difficulty of narrowing down song selections
• [11:18] Why “Caravan” was the hardest to record
• [13:24] The use of opera training in approaching jazz standards
• [14:55] Discussion of Dinah’s boldness and representation; impact on Ledisi
• [17:22] “Bitter Earth” arrangement and Elton John’s recognition
• [21:13] Upcoming performances and revisiting her album "Wild Card"
• [22:10] “What a Difference a Day Makes” performance outro

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Memorable Quotes with Attributions

• “We hear her voice a lot in film and television, but we'd never hear her name. So, like, to me, she should be spoken up like Aretha all the time.”
  — Ledisi (01:43)

• “She gave me permission to just be myself and not worry about what other people think of how I approach a song.”
  — Ledisi (02:43)

• “Her voice gave every word a feeling.”
  — Ledisi (04:05)

• “No, it’s a full sentence and it’s joyful. It has glee along with it.”
  — Ledisi (05:39)

• “Tributes can come off kind of campy and try too hard. This one I didn't want. I wanted to be myself.”
  — Ledisi (11:16)

• “The world said something different… You're not pretty enough, you're not good enough, you'll never make it in this industry.”
  — Ledisi (15:00)

• “I'm so glad I stayed. I've tried to quit several times. ... I'm glad I stayed.”
  — Ledisi (16:43)

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Takeaways

• Ledisi’s For Dinah is an act of reclamation and veneration, bringing Dinah Washington’s brilliance to new audiences while asserting the contemporary artist’s own identity.
• The episode underscores the persistence required to overcome industry biases and remain authentic as a Black woman artist.
• Collaborative artistry (with Christian McBride, Rex Rideout, etc.) can safeguard a performer’s originality even in homage projects.
• The conversation is filled with warmth, laughter, technical insight, and reverence—a moving blend of history and present-day artistry.

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For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode offers an intimate look into how jazz legacies are both preserved and transformed by artists determined to “say her name loud and clear.”

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

WNYC Studios is supported by AT&T, offering a guarantee covering both wireless and fiber Internet service that is all about having your back. Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on or they'll proactively make it right. That's the AT&T guarantee. Visit att.com guarantee to learn more. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.com guarantee for details. AT&T connecting changes everything. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. This has been a big year for Grammy Award winner Letici. She opened the super bowl in her hometown of New Orleans with rendition of Lift Every Voice AKA the National Black Anthem. She released two albums and is currently on tour. One of the albums is called For Dinah and it pays homage to Dinah Washington who died in 1963 at the age of only 39. She is Letici's all time favorite vocalists and her inspiration. Letici channels the late singer through renditions of popular songs like what a Difference a Day Makes. Oh, I just get excited when I say that. What a Difference a Day Makes and this Bitter Earth. And the album features collaborations with heavy hitters like Christian McBride and Gregory Porter. Today we're joined by Leticey, who will be previewing a bit of for us in the studio. Nice to meet you.

[Leticia]

Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

In the past, you've worked on albums with Nina Simone, now with Diana Washington. What do you like about immersing yourself fully into an artist's work?

[Leticia]

Well, I love documenting history and reminding the newer generation of history. And so that's probably why I just know I get it from somewhere. And not just my mother and all the music she listened, these were artists she listened to. So I gravitated towards and I just want to spread remind us of that. And you know, Dinah, Dinah, Dinah. Really, we hear her voice, you know, a lot in film and television, but we'd never hear her name. And so like, to me, she should be spoken up like Aretha all the time. But we're always calling on her for pivotal moments in film and television. So that's why I was like, no, no, no. Say her name loud and clear and here's the songs. And if I can be a vessel, a platform for that, I'm gonna do it.

[Alison Stewart]

Do you remember the first time you heard Dinah Washington?

[Leticia]

Absolutely. I heard Teach Me Tonight because I had to study vocalists and jazz band and I wanted to learn Teach Me Tonight. But I was wondering who else recorded it besides Al Jarreau and that took me down a whole thing of Dinah. When I heard her version, I said, ooh, this is sassy and fun. And then I was like, she looks like me, she feels like me. She gave me permission to just be myself and not worry about what other people think of how I approach a song. So, yeah, when you think about her technique, what made her voice special, I call them dynaisms. Her. She used laude a lot from her church upbringing.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Laude, laud.

[Leticia]

It's always there, and I love her. It's a little sound you. Well, you know, at the end of a phrase. And I love her attack on words, making the words bounce. You know, I call them 3D. They become alive and in your ear or in your face or touch on your heart. She means it, you know. And her first note, just like Aretha. The first phrase. Oat the first phrase. The first note should get your attention. So, yeah, those are the little dynaisms I love about her voice and her technique.

[Alison Stewart]

What does that do to the lyrics? That's interesting, all these different techniques she used. What does that do to the lyrics of a song?

[Leticia]

It makes it bounce, it makes it relevant, it makes it punch. I want your attention. I want you to get these words. They give them meaning. Her voice gave every word a feeling. And that's why I paid attention to lyric. There's a reason the songwriter writes a song, and she knew how to make sure it went across to the listener. And that's why she was loved in every genre.

[Alison Stewart]

You said that Dinah Washington gave you, quote, permission to move freely, create freely, and be a woman in leadership.

[Leticia]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

When you think about that, how has that permission affected your career or your decision making?

[Leticia]

Taking risk. Yeah, took a lot of risk. Uncertainty of two albums in one year, that's crazy. But my body said, it's worth it, do it. I don't know where it's gonna go, if it's gonna be heard or seen. Taking a risk. I'm doing my own music. Why would I stop and tribute Dinah? That's a risk. People want me to sing in certain genres, like R and B. But I'm more than that. I'm from New Orleans. I'm more than that. And I'm gonna do whatever feels good to me. She did what felt good to her. She loved freely. She invited people in her world freely. She said no and yes and, oh, wow, I can be loud like that. Okay. And I say no and yeah all the time. It's a lot of no's now because I'm over 50. Like, no. I don't wanna do that. I hear you.

[Alison Stewart]

Same way.

[Leticia]

No, it's a full sentence and it's joyful. It has glee along with it. But. No, but I love. I wish she lived longer. I would have loved to see her at 50 do what she did at such a short life. It was amazing reading her book and hearing stories from friends and people that know her and her family.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. We're speaking with Grammy Award winner Leticia about her latest project titled For Dinah. She's here with me now for a listening party before accompanying Robert Glass for three nights at the Blue Note. Three nights with Robert Glasper.

[Leticia]

That's a lot. That's a lot. I love Robert Glasper.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to a song from the album for Diana. It's called you'd Go To My Head. Tell us what you would like us to listen for in this track.

[Leticia]

Oh, I don't know. The simplicity and the complexity of it. This is a hard song. Christian McBride suggested that we do that one, and It's Paul Jackson Jr. On there. And it took. We did two takes of that and that was it. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to youo Go to My Head.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

You go to my head.

[Leticia]

And you.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Linger like a haunting refrain.

[Leticia]

And I.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Find you spinning round in my brain like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.

[Leticia]

O.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

You go to my head.

[Leticia]

Like a.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Sip of sparkling burgundy brew.

[Leticia]

And I.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Find the very mention of you.

[Leticia]

Like.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

The kicker in a julep or two the thrill of the thought that you might give a thought to my plea Cast a spell over me Still I say to myself Get a hold of yourself can't you see that it never can, can be.

[Alison Stewart]

So your version's kind of a little mellower. It's a little more acoustic than Dinah's version.

[Leticia]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What went into adapting the song?

[Leticia]

Well, we listened to Paul and I listened to, like, four different versions. Ella was one of them. Dinah was the first. And I felt like with it being acoustic and with a guitar, that it needed to lay back a little bit and not be as in your face as Dinah's version. So. And Christian agreed. And Rex Rideout, who also helped me vocal produce a lot of things, he said, yeah, this feels better to just lay back on it. Not because the whole album, I'm doing all the Dinah isms. This one a little more chill, you know, Glass of wine, and it feels like. Like brown liquor to me. So. Not to put it in an R and B kind of way, but that's how it feels. It feels like you're at a bar or like Frank Sinatra song. It felt. It felt that way. And so I just went with how it felt having the acoustic guitar.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. You said Chris McBride helped you out as well as Rex Rideout.

[Leticia]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

How did Rex help you achieve your goal? Because that's what a producer's job is.

[Leticia]

Yes. Rex, Christian. And Rex and I picked the songs. Christian did the arrangements. And then Rex made sure I was letici throughout and not so much Dinah, because I can easily live in the feeling of Dinah, meaning I will never be like Dinah, but the feeling of Dinah and Dinah isms. He made sure, hey, don't forget, you have your own listeners, too. You're just tributing. You're not trying to be her. And I said, exactly. So he made sure I protected that space where I'm still myself no matter what. Cause I can get involved. That's the actor part of me.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, tell me more about that.

[Leticia]

You know, well, you can become a person that you study and love and admire so much. You can lose yourself. So I didn't want to do that. And that's why Rex was there and making sure I was on pitch and all the technical side of singing. Because when I get emotional and involved in the song so much, I just leave myself. And he reminds me, hey, hey, don't forget about you.

[Alison Stewart]

What was hard or difficult in making this record or a decision that you had to spend a lot of time thinking about?

[Leticia]

Going from 32 song selections to only these eight. You hear, wow, that was hard. And then choosing wisely. The hardest song was to record was Caravan. That is a hard song. And making sure, like I said, I remained myself. It was really great to have that other ear on the other end. That's why I needed Rex, because Christian was really busy. But his arrangements, he just knew how to arrange it. Where I can sit and be myself. And that's the hardest thing. Sometimes tributes can come off kind of campy and try too hard. This one I didn't want. I wanted to be myself.

[Alison Stewart]

Why was Caravan hard?

[Leticia]

The notes. Just the notes. The pitches. Where to go. Ellington is like. Like any classical song. It's like. It's the same to me. Like when you're studying Mozart or, you know, Bach or anything very intricate, it's the same. All the Ellington tunes are like that. And I love the arrangement because Quincy, I mean, duh, you. You want to get it right. It's legends on there. And Christian was like, all right, Lynn, you gotta get these notes right. I said, yes. And then Rex Was on me, too. I mean, everyone. I was a horn player on Caravan.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, wow.

[Leticia]

Yeah, it was fun. I imagined myself as a trumpet. That's the only way I got it right.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, let's list.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Night. And stars above that shine so bright the mystery of their fading light.

[Leticia]

That.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Shines upon our caravan.

[Leticia]

Sleep.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Upon my shoulder as we cream across the sand so I may keep the memory of our caravan this is so exciting. You are so inviting. Resting in my arms As I reel to the magic chores of you oh.

[Alison Stewart]

I hear all the notes.

[Leticia]

And then you still have to give the Dinah energy on it, too. This technique, man. All my opera training came in good.

[Alison Stewart]

You really had to go back to your opera training for the day.

[Leticia]

All of that. It sounds so easy, and that's the goal. You want to make it sound effortless, but it's not. It's work.

[Alison Stewart]

What's an example of opportunity that you were using in that song?

[Leticia]

Breathing. You know, the first note. Dinah always gives you that first note. Like Aretha, who studied. Same thing. Making sure that first note pops. And the crescendo, decrescendo.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Da, da da da, da.

[Leticia]

Those notes going down. I kept skipping over. He's like, nope, nope. Piano, piano in your ear.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

Nope, wrong note.

[Leticia]

Rex is like, nope, nope, wrong note.

[Alison Stewart]

Back again.

[Leticia]

Living. You learn.

[Alison Stewart]

You do live and learn. My guest is. Let us see. We're talking about her album for Dinah. We got a text that says, wow. I think she captures Dinah but has her own sound. It's great. I've been a Dinah fan for over 45 years.

[Leticia]

Wow. What a compliment that is. Thank you. Especially along. That's. That's a big thing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

It said in your personal statement you wrote, her presence was bold. She used her voice and physical presence to be seen in an industry that did not give the spotlight to curvy chocolate black women. You're talking about representation.

[Leticia]

Absolutely.

[Alison Stewart]

Tell me why that meant something to you.

[Leticia]

Those big eyes, that sassy personality, the just being just as you are. When I read her book, how she was teased by her band members, all of that related. Not that I was teased by my band members, but I was teased by the world that you're not pretty enough, you're not good enough, you'll never make it in this industry. Or that my voice and my talent wasn't enough, you know, how I looked was more important than who I am as a person. And she fought for all of that space, even trying to fit in with the blonde wigs and getting skinnier I think that took away from her just being herself, trying to fit in the business. And I never want that. I want to be. I want to love myself at every stage, whether I lose weight, gain weight. I've been a size 8, 10, 12, whatever. I want to love me at every stage of my life. And I never. My mom always told me how beautiful I was coming up. And then when I got in the world, the world said something different. And so I've been fighting that forever, you know, And I'm still seeing, well.

[Alison Stewart]

Miss business on top of it all.

[Leticia]

Hello. And it'll make you almost quit or get exhausted. And I think reading her book and watching her, I felt that. So that's why her story resonated with me even more. And I think she would have lived longer had she not had that pressure of being a certain way and a certain look and a style. We love her just as her voice, you know, and who she was as a person.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting. You're the second woman in three days who has expressed this to me. Yaya bae.

[Leticia]

Ah, yeah, yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

She said the same thing.

[Leticia]

Wow. It's. You know, I'm so glad I stayed. I've tried to quit several times. I wrote my song all right. It's about my mom saying it's gonna be all right. And I'm so happy I continued my work, or I wouldn't have got to Dinah, who I wanted to do before Nina. I've been waiting eight years to put out this Dinah record and get it done, and it's finally here, and I have a partnership with it, so it's great. I'm glad I stayed.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to another song from the album for Dinah. This is called Bitter Earth. What are you gonna tell me about it?

[Leticia]

I love this arrangement. Christian came up with it in the studio, and I thought he was crazy. And it turned out to be one of my favorites. And especially when he added the strings, I almost jumped out of my own skin. And then it's taken me all over the world, this one song. And Elton John called me and was like, I love the song. I love what you did. I've been watching you and you're coming into yourself, and I'm like, oh, my God. I never knew this one little song that I've been listening to Dinah sing in every film. Every film they call her for this. And now I get to do my version in a more relevant version of it. And it still has the same heartbeat. I'm very honored. Very honored.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to Bitter earth this.

[Leticia]

Bitter.

[Alison Stewart]

Earth.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

What fruit it bears what good is love that no one shares? And if my life is like the.

[Leticia]

Dust.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

That hides the glow of a rose what good am I? Heaven only knows.

[Leticia]

Lord.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

This bitter earth can be so cold.

[Alison Stewart]

Got a lord in there?

[Leticia]

I told you I was gonna sneak it in there. My Alice is. There's the Lord.

[Alison Stewart]

There's the Lord. My guest is Lettuce. I don't want to leave this conversation without talking about your album, the Crown.

[Leticia]

Yes. Yes, the Crown.

[Alison Stewart]

What was it like to work on the two albums in one year?

[Leticia]

Wow. You know, the Crown. The Dinah was almost done being thought of. We were working on it in pieces. And then I started writing the R and B album, the Crown. Just like journaling, like a journal. I'll record for a week and then stop for another month. And because I was off, I was free. No summer, my summer was clear. Dinah was in the works. And then I just kept going back to each part, like noodling. And then the super bowl, they said, I want you to sing at the Super Bowl. I said, Rex said, don't calm down. I said, calm down. Don't feel pressure to feel like you have to put out another album in time. So I did it slowly. And the last song was Black Woman in December that I wrote, and Dinah was being mixed, and that was finished. And then we finished everything for the Crown right at super bowl. And I had a tour set up. It just everything went natural. There was nothing forced or even planned. It was just as we went along. And I love that feeling of freedom, of creativity in a time where I'm relaxed and having fun. It was the first time I got to do that. And I ended up doing two projects at one time, having fun. And they sound beautiful. Like the mix on them, the lyrics, everything was written. I'm just so grateful. I don't care about awards. I care about the quality of the work that I did. Very happy with it.

[Alison Stewart]

What's gonna happen with Robert Glasper for.

[Leticia]

Three nights at the Blue Note, we're doing I Never. During the Pandemic was the first year I put out the Wild Card on my own label, Listen Back Entertainment. And we were stuck indoors, so I never had to perform that music. So tonight and tomor, I'm going to be performing the wild card from 2020. People are excited because they never get to hear those recordings. And I won my first Grammy that year in the Pandemic. I was online winning my Grammy, so now I get to perform it. All that music that I didn't get to perform. Yeah. So I'm looking forward to with Robert. He produced a lot of the songs on that album as well.

[Alison Stewart]

I have been speaking with Grammy Award winner Letici about her latest project titled For Dinah. She'll be at the Blue Note with Robert Glasper for three nights. We're gonna go out on what a Difference a Day Makes.

[Leticia]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks.

[Leticia]

I love that. Thanks for having me, Allison.

[Background Singer or Chorus]

It's amazing what a difference a day made. 24 the flowers brought the sun and the flowers o Where there used to be rain My yesterday was blue deer Today I'm a part of UD.

[Leticia]

I'm Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, our team has been reporting high quality news about science, technology and medicine. News you won't get anywhere else. And now that political news is 24 7, our audience is turning to us to know about the really important stuff in their lives. Cancer, climate change, genetic engineering, childhood diseases. Our sponsors know the value of science and health news. For more sponsorship information, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.