Kansas City Fringe Festival - Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me

Eboni Fondren

Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me
A One-Woman Show by Eboni Fondren | KC Fringe Festival 2025 | July 17–25

In Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me, internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Eboni Fondren steps into the spotlight to honor the iconic voices that paved the way—not just in jazz, but in womanhood, artistry, and fearless expression.

This one-woman performance is a deeply personal musical tribute woven from the legacies of seven extraordinary trailblazers: Julia Lee, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, and Nancy Wilson. Through storytelling, powerful narration, vintage visuals, and her own dynamic vocal stylings, Eboni breathes life into their struggles, celebrates their triumphs, and unveils the impact they’ve had on her own journey as a Black woman and an artist.

Spanning the roaring resilience of Bessie Smith, the tender pain and protest of Billie Holiday, the effortless joy of Ella Fitzgerald, the operatic brilliance of Sarah Vaughan, the raw fire of Etta James, the sophisticated charm of Nancy Wilson, and the cheeky, commanding sass of Kansas City’s own Julia Lee, this show is a symphonic tapestry of soul, swing, and spirit.

Each segment is voiced by Eboni herself in poetic narration that plays over video montages, blending historic footage, artistic visuals, and ambient underscoring to bring each woman’s story to vivid life. Between scenes, 2–3-minute interludes allow for costume transformations that visually echo the eras and energy of each legend. These intermissions become breathers—moments for the audience to reflect and prepare for the next wave of brilliance.

More than a concert. More than a biography. Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me is a call-and-response across generations. Eboni not only tells their stories—she sings them forward. Her original songs and contemporary interpretations are not imitations, but evolutions born of their influence, shaped by her voice, and rooted in her lived experience.

At the heart of this performance lies a love letter. A thank you. A declaration: “I am because they were.” Eboni brings a modern reverence to these icons, illuminating how their legacies carved out space for voices like hers to thrive, and how their echoes continue to guide her artistry today.

Elegant yet raw, nostalgic yet timely, this show is a stirring celebration of jazz womanhood in all its pain, playfulness, passion, and poise.

Presented as part of the Kansas City Fringe Festival 2025, Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me runs July 17–25. It is a must-see for lovers of jazz, students of history, and anyone moved by stories of resilience, power, and music that tells the truth.

Cast and Crew
Eboni Fondren

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