(March 3, 2026) Ledisi is among the modern-day singers on the scene who has the jazz, soul, blues, and gospel chops to step up to the challenge of taking a crack at Dinah Washington’s musical catalog. So, I was pleased when Ledisi released the album For Dinah last year. The album has eight tracks. Even so, it gave listeners a brief but well-rounded of Washington’s repertoire.
For Dinah included Washington’s biggest hit, “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes,” which won the Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance in 1959, as well as “You Got What It Takes,” with Gregory Porter singing the male lead that Brook Benton made famous. What Dinah Washington retrospective would be complete without “This Bitter Earth?”
Still, at eight tunes, Ledisi had to leave some tunes off the project that she might have wished to include. I can think of two: “Ain’ t Misbehavin’” and “Teach Me Tonight.” Right on cue, Ledisi treats us to the sensually singing rendition of “Teach Me Tonight” featured in this First Listen.
Washington’s version of the Gene DePaul-Sammy Cahn number is a classic 1950s R&B cut with the emphasis on the blues, where the upright bass and saxophone provide a sexy foundation for Washington’s delicate handling of the cut’s schoolhouse double entendres. Ledisi approaches “Teach Me Tonight” from another perspective of 1950s era vocal and arrangement history. In Ledisi’s skillful hands, “Teach Me Tonight” is a lush, swinging and seductively playful tune. I can only hope that she’ll gift me with some Fats Waller. Check out Ledisi’s “Teach Me Tonight” here.
By Howard Dukes
