Philadelphia-born vocalist Denise King has long enchanted audiences as a luminous interpreter of jazz standards and Songbook treasures. But on her breathtaking new album People Get Ready, due out October 17, 2025 via Jazzbook Records, King takes a bold leap into a different kind of repertoire—bringing the same depth of soul, sensuality, and emotional clarity to a collection of socially conscious songs drawn from rock, blues, R&B, and folk traditions.
This album marks one of the most powerful and personal statements in King’s four-decade career. Inspired by timeless messages of peace, unity, and justice, the collection includes anthems from songwriters like Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Abbey Lincoln, and the team of Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. These are songs that once lit the fire of civil rights movements—and still burn with urgency today.
“Being a jazz head all my life, I never imagined I’d be covering Bob Dylan or the Animals,” King reflects. “But these songs have been with me since they were new. Singing them now, they feel even more relevant. The lyrics speak to today as much as they did back then.”
The project came together in unexpected but fateful fashion. After a concert in Aix-en-Provence, France, King met Jazzbook label founder Seydou Barry—producer and manager of the late jazz icon Ahmad Jamal. Their connection was instant, and the idea of this album sparked almost immediately. As King puts it, “Things happen when they’re meant to. The stars aligned for us to meet and take my recording career in a new direction.”
Guitarist John Shannon, also on Jazzbook with his own recent release A Day in Tarifa, served as the musical director and arranger. Alongside a stellar lineup—Shannon on guitars, Vieux Kanté on percussion, Cliff Barnes on piano and organ, James Johnson III on drums, and Chyco Siméon on bass—the group simply needed the right voice. They found it in King, whose commitment to justice and empathy extends far beyond the stage.
Offstage, she’s the founder of the Hope and Healing Community Arts Project in Philadelphia, which provides school supplies, coats, and holiday gifts to children in need. She also launched BeBoppin' Books, a literacy program that combines reading with music to inspire young minds. “I connected with this project immediately because it speaks to everything that is important to me,” she says.
From the opening track, “You Gotta Move,” King channels the holy fire of gospel music, reviving a spiritual made famous by everyone from Sister Rosetta Tharpe to the Rolling Stones. It sets the tone for an album that calls listeners to reflection, action, and transformation. Her rendition of Timmy Thomas’s “Why Can’t We Live Together” captures the longing for peace in a fractured world, while her take on “War” blends Flamenco-infused choruses with hard-driving funk, bringing searing energy to the Motown protest classic.
The music gets personal—sometimes painfully so. King recalls performing “War” in Dakar, Senegal, where the audience reaction was overwhelming. “At one point, the band cuts out and I scream the word, ‘war!’ The background singer started crying. I was close to tears myself.”
That emotional intensity carries into the quieter moments. Abbey Lincoln’s “Throw It Away” becomes a meditation on letting go, while “House of the Rising Sun” and “Amazing Grace” blur together in a stunning fusion of lament and redemption. “Sinner Man” races with desperation, echoing Nina Simone’s legendary take, while U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)” becomes an acoustic prayer, which King dedicates to the LGBTQ+ community. The title track, of course, is a soulful rallying cry, and Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody” brings things to a close with a funk-driven meditation on life’s deeper choices.
With People Get Ready, Denise King steps into new creative territory—still grounded in her jazz roots, but free to explore. “At this stage of my life, I’m leaning more toward doing whatever I feel like doing,” she says. “I’ve been in the jazz box for a long time—and I love it—but sometimes you just want to have some fun and say something meaningful at the same time.”
She’ll bring this new energy to audiences around the world this fall, with a tour that begins on October 31 and includes stops in the U.S., India, and Europe:
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Oct 31 – Con Alma, Pittsburgh, PA
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Nov 1 – Con Alma, Pittsburgh, PA
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Nov 7 – Windmills, Grandscape, TX
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Nov 8 – Windmills, Grandscape, TX
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Nov 14 – Windmills, Hyderabad, INDIA
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Nov 15 – Windmills, Hyderabad, INDIA
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Nov 21 – Windmills, Bangalore, INDIA
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Nov 26 – Studio de L'Ermitage, Paris, FRANCE
People Get Ready will be available on CD and digital platforms starting October 17, 2025, with a vinyl edition to follow on December 5.
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