Red Hot + Indigo is the 13th entry from the Red Hot AIDS benefit series of compilation albums produced by Paul Heck. It marks the tenth anniversary of the Red Hot Organization (RHO), an international organization which uses mass media as a fundraising tool for its efforts at increasing public AIDS awareness. As with a trio of earlier entries from the series (Red Hot + Blue, Red Hot + Rio and Red Hot + Rhapsody), Red Hot + Indigo is a tribute to the legacy of one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, Duke Ellington. It also marked the return to the creation of music-themed releases, following the detour release of 1999's spoken word album, Optic Nerve, the tribute to artist-activist David Wojnarowicz. (Because of the focus of this release, it is not considered part of the series.)

Fanfare

In conjunction with the release of Indigo, Amazon.com hosted an RHO Benefit Auction, which ran from February 28 to April 11, 2001. The event featured rare RHO memorabilia and the work of Rolling Stone photographer Mark Seliger. Items auctioned at the event include signed proofs of Seliger's work, along with fifty autographed copies of his book and exhibition entitled "Physiognomy: The Mark Seliger Photographs." The books were created exclusively for the RHO, and each contained a unique set of celebrity signatures. Several celebrities announced to attend the event included the following artists:

Track listing