Dee Dee Bridgewater to Honor Aretha Franklin at Thelonious Monk Gala

Tony Award winner Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the performers to honor Aretha Franklin at a gala concert in Washington to mark the 25th anniversary of The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, to be held on Monday, September 12 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., according to The New York Times.

Other scheduled performers will include jazz legends Dianne Reeves, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter, as well as past winners of the Institute’s Founder’s Award. According to the Times, organizers are hoping to persuade Franklin to perform.

Bridgewater won the Tony Award for her work as Glinda in the original Broadway production of The Wiz and has appeared on stage as Billie Holiday in Lady Day. She is an award-winning recording artist, and her newest CD, Midnight Sun, will be released on DDB Records/Emarcy (Universal) on Tuesday, August 23.