China Moses (born January 9, 1978, in Los Angeles) is an American singer and television host.

Life and career

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, China Moses is the daughter of jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and director Gilbert Moses. She released her first single "Time" (1996) at the age of 18, along with her first video directed by

Jean-Baptiste Mondino Jean-Baptiste Mondino (born Aubervilliers, France on 21 July 1949) is a French fashion photographer and music video director. He has directed music videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, Don Henley, Neneh Cherry, Axel Bauer and Les Rita ...

. This was followed by three albums: ''China'' (1997), ''On tourne en rond'' ("We Turn Around") (2000), and ''Good Lovin'' (2004). She worked on her albums with Swedish hip hop label Breaking Bread as well as artists such as

DJ Mehdi Mehdi Favéris-Essadi (20 January 1977 – 13 September 2011), better known by his stage name DJ Mehdi, was a French hip hop and house music producer and DJ. He was signed to the label Ed Banger Records, founded by his friend Pedro Winter, in ...

Diam's Mélanie Georgiades (; born 25 July 1980 in Nicosia), better known by her stage name Diam's (), is a French rapper of Greek Cypriot origin. Biography Mélanie Marie Georgiades was born on July 25, 1980 in Nicosia, capital of Cyprus. Her mothe ...

Karriem Riggins Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, hip hop producer, DJ and songwriter. Biography Riggins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, son of keyboardist Emmanuel Riggins. As a child, he would often watch his father perform with G ...

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

, Anthony Marshall, and sound engineer

Bob Power Bob Power is an American Grammy Award–winning and multi-platinum record producer, audio engineer, composer, arranger, performer, and music educator. Early life Power was born in Chicago, moved to Rye, New York, then moved to St. Louis, Missou ...

. She has appeared on music channels such as MCM (1999–2001) and

MTV France MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a ...

(2004–2011). In 2011 she joined the team for the 8th season of French TV show '' Le Grand Journal'' on

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

, which she left in July 2012. From October 2011 to December 2012 she presented Jazz Radio's ''Made in China'', a daily program that aired from 7pm to 8pm. In a bid to manage her activities as an entertainer, China launched her own production company, MadeInChina Productions, in 2008. Moses and French pianist Raphaël Lemonnier created a show called ''Gardenias for Dinah'', a tribute to their mutual idol

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, who was also the inspiration for the album ''This One’s for Dinah'', which was released in 2009 by

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

. After their worldwide tour which included Europe, India, Lebanon, Canada, and Japan, Moses and Lemonnier's next work was a tribute to the great blues and jazz female singers who have inspired Moses or have influenced her. They include

("Resolution Blues", "You’re Crying") and some of her precursors and peers:

Mamie Smith Mamie Smith (née Robinson; May 26, 1891 – September 16, 1946) was an American vaudeville singer, dancer, pianist, and actress. As a vaudeville singer she performed in multiple styles, including jazz and blues. In 1920, she entered blues histor ...

("Crazy Blues"),

Lil Green Lil Green (December 22, 1919 (some sources give 1901 or 1910) – April 14, 1954) was an American blues singer and songwriter. She was among the leading female rhythm and blues singers of the 1940s, with a sensual soprano voice. Gospel singer R ...

Why Don't You Do Right? "Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally recorded as "Weed Smoker's Dream" in 1936) is an American blues and jazz-influenced pop song usually credited to Kansas Joe McCoy. A minor key twelve-bar blues with a few chord substitutions, it is considered ...

"), as well as stars like

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...

(" Cherry Wine (Little Esther song)"),

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

("Just Say I Love Him", "

Work Song A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a form of work, either sung while conducting a task (usually to coordinate timing) or a song linked to a task which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song. Definitions and ...

"), Etta James ("I Just Wanna Make Love to You"), Janis Joplin ("Move Over"), and Donna Summer (" Hot Stuff"). Other songs have been adapted specifically for stage performances such as: "Kitchen Man" by

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock a ...

, "Today I Sing the Blues" by

Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on ...

and Aretha Franklin, and " Love Me or Leave Me" sung by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

. Moses has said: "Our stage performances are organized like a show. I love to tell stories, I see myself as a jazz storyteller and I like to make sure that people smile in between songs."^Ref? The album ''Crazy Blues'' was released in 2012. In 2013, she became a music expert consultant to the French electricity supplier ERDF. She hosted the TV documentary ''Soul Power'' as part of the summer series ''Summer of Soul'' on

Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plu ...

. In addition to her participation on André Manoukian's album ''So in Love'' (2010, Blue Note France/EMI), Moses presented a new show in the fall of 2013 featuring

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...

s such as "

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for the American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, who recorded the first version in 1964. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been co ...

", "

Lullaby of Birdland "Lullaby of Birdland" is a jazz standard and popular song composed by George Shearing with lyrics by George David Weiss (under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster"). Background George Shearing wrote "Lullaby of Birdland" in 1952 for Morris Levy, the ...

" and "

I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film ''Born to Dance'' in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Aca ...

". Additionally, she performs in ''Cafe Society Swing'', a show written and produced by Alex Webb that revives the good times of the legendary 1940s New York nightclub,

Cafe Society A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

, which promoted racial equality and progressive causes, and where " Strange Fruit" was performed for the first time by

. She co-presented and sang at the first

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

International Jazz Day International Jazz Day is an International Day declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2011 "to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe." It is celebrated ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 2012 and performed numerous times for US UNESCO. She initiated a documentary on the first and second International Jazz Day in Paris. In 2013, she was invited to participate in the Young Leaders Program of the

French-American Foundation The French-American Foundation is a privately funded, non-governmental organization established to promote bilateral relations between France and the United States on topics of importance to the two countries, with a focus on contact between upco ...

. On several occasions Moses has shared the stage with her mother, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and she has been accompanied by orchestras such as the

Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg (also known as ''Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg'' or DFOB in German) is a symphony orchestra and music studio based in Potsdam, Germany. It was founded in 1918 as Ufa-Sinfonieorchester and was re-establish ...

and the WDR Big Band. In 2017 she released on the MPS imprint the album Nightintales written in 6 days with Black British multi-instrumentalist Anthony Marshall. The pair recorded the album in 6 days in London at the analogue studio, Snap Studios. The album features Luke Smith on piano, Neville Malcolm on bass and Jerome Brown on drums, 3 top Black British musicians of the UK soul-jazz scene.

Discography

As leader

* 1997: ''China'' (Source/Virgin) * 2000: ''On tourne en rond'' (Source) * 2004: ''Good Lovin'' (EMI) * 2009: ''This One's for Dinah'' (MadeInChina Productions/Blue Note France/EMI) * 2012: ''Crazy Blues'' (MadeInChina/Decca/Universal Classics and Jazz International) * 2017: ''Nightintales'' (MadeInChina/ MPS)

As sidewoman

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

: ''Sol En Si (Solidarité Enfants Sida)'' ** "For Your Love" (duo with Dee Dee Bridgewater, her mother) *

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

: ''Rue Case-Nègres'' by Nèg'Marrons ** "Ménage à 4" *

: ''Jazz à St-Germain'' ** "Lover Man" *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

: ''Détournement de son'' by Fabe ** "Superstars, Superheros" *

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

: ''Loa Project Vol. 2'' by

DJ Cam Laurent Daumail (born 1973), better known by his stage name DJ Cam, is a French record producer. Daumail's music is largely rooted in hip hop, combined with elements of jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American co ...

: ''Les Lascars contre le Sida'' ** "Ton passé" * 2001 : ''Kimberlite'' ** "Tell Me How Much" (duo with Will Roberson) * 2001 : ''Supernova Superstar'' by

Sinclair Sinclair may refer to: Places * Lake Sinclair, near Milledgeville, Georgia * Sinclair, Iowa * Sinclair, West Virginia * Sinclair, Wyoming * Sinclair Mills, British Columbia * Sinclair Township, Minnesota * Sinclair, Manitoba People * ...

** "Qu'est-ce qui me pousse" * 2001 : Les Voix de l'Espoir, a feminine collective founded by Princess Erika ** "Que serais-je demain?" * 2001 : ''Jalane'' by Jalane ** "On a tous pêché" (trio with Jalane and K-reen) ** "Chéri" (Chœurs) ** "Prise au piège" (Chœurs) ** "Jalousie" (Chœurs) * 2003 : Flic$ & Hor$-la-loi by Gomez & Dubois ** "Hôtel Commissariat" * 2003 : ''Brut de femme'' by

** "Évasion" * 2003 : ''Soulshine Vol 2'' by

** "He's Gone" * 2004 : ''Honneur aux Dames'' by Takfarinas ** "Sih Sit" ** "C'est l'amour" * 2005 : ''Peines de Maures'' by La Caution ** "Boite de macs" * 2005 : ''Mr Freedom'' by Gabin ** "The Other Way Around" ** "She's Still Watching Me" ** "Thousand and One Nights" ** "Just Be Yourself" * 2007 : ''Tribute to Polnareff'' ** "Lettre à France" (duo with Weepers Circus) * 2010 : ''

The Princess and the Frog ''The Princess and the Frog'' is a 2009 American animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 49th Disney animated feature film, it is loosely based on the ...

'' by

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

: Tiana (lead character) * 2010 : ''Alpha Omega'' by Wayne Beckford ** "Come on Over" * 2010 : ''So in Love'' by André Manoukian * 2010 : ''Alarash'' by Alarash *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

: ''Swingin the Count'' by Cedric Caillaud Trio ** "Lil' Darlin" *

: ''Ikiz Checking In'' by Ikiz ** "Insanely"

Music videos

: ''Time'' directed by

: ''Être La Bas '' directed by Kool-Mangaa * 2004 : ''Ce Serait Si Simple'' (with

Djibril Cissé Djibril Cissé (; born 12 August 1981) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He started his career at AC Arles in 1989, at the age of eight. After seven years at the club, he had a six-month spell at Nîmes Oly ...

) directed by John Gabriel Biggs * 2009 :
Mad About the Boy
' directed by Aurélien Poitrimoult * 2009 :
Dinah's Blues
' * 2009 :
Dinah's Blues Live
' * 2009 :
Fine Fine Daddy Live
' produced by MadeInChina Productions *

:
China Moses à l'International Jazz Day
' *

:
Crazy Blues
' directed by Alastair "Gee-Lock" Christopher

Voice over

* 2007 : Sound design for

Channels * 2009 : ''

'': Tiana (European French dub) * 2012 : Advertisemen
Levi's Go Forth
France * 2019 : ''

The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...

'' : Soloist

Acting

* 1997: ''Moesha'' (TV Series): Chyna * ''Songs in the Key of Strife'' (1997): Chyna * 2013
''Battle of the Year''
MTV France Host

References

External links

Official Website

Late Night China Moses on Jazz FM
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, China 1978 births 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women American expatriates in France American jazz singers American women television presenters French television presenters French women television presenters Jazz musicians from California Living people Singers from Los Angeles