The J&R music festivities continued yesterday as Ashanti and Joe took the stage in NY’s City Hall park. Ashanti gave them some of this..

and some of that.

Joe used the day as the first stop on a promotional tour in support of his latest album “New Man”, in a store near you September 23.

Then there was Nicole Henry.

She’s a jazz singer, so don’t feel odd if you can’t place her name. Her latest is in stores.. “The Very Thought of You.”

The find of the day was Esperanza Spalding.

A 23-year-old singer/bassist with a story to tell. ← Amazon interview

This is the kind of young artist BET should be making kids aware of, instead of/in addition to .. well, you know the rest.

Esperanza Spalding - Interview

“People who need music, that’s direct and real and sincere, aren’t hearing Jazz. They’re listening to hip-hop and a lot of what they hear is B.S. That’s not to discredit those people’s real experiences at all, because I grew up in.. I heard gunshots every night too. I slept in the bath tub too. Everybody does if you come from a poor neighborhood. So let’s say what’s gonna happen next. What are you going to do now so the next generation doesn’t think that’s what they have to do.”