Photo by Andrea Canter

“Nnenna Freelon possesses that rarest of qualities... she makes (standards) sound freshly minted, refreshingly new... her phrasing is original, surprising... she mines the (melodies) for new and hidden meaning... and imaginative spirit that reaches out and bubbles over..."—Robert L Daniels, Variety

One of the most acclaimed vocalists of the 21^st Century, Nnenna Freelon brings her creative interpretations of familiar melodies to the Midwest, with stops in Kansas City at the Gem Theater (Sunday, September 18) and in Minneapolis at the Dakota (September 19-20). With 5 Grammy nominations and nine recordings, including the just-released Billie Holiday tribute, Blueprint of a Lady (Concord), Freelon’s journey to the top echelon of jazz vocalists was neither short nor direct, but there is no doubt it was all worth the trip.

Nnenna Freelon was a late bloomer—after attending Simmons College near her native Cambridge, MA, she raised three children and worked in healthcare services in North Carolina. She had always been interested in music, singing in her church choir and listening to Billy Eckstein and Nina Simone records in her parents’ collection. Her music career started slowly with occasional gigs at local nightclubs, then jazz festivals where she garnered more attention. "I did something that my grandmother told me: 'bloom where you're planted’, ‘don't get on a bus and go to New York or L.A., sing where you are.’” Once she decided to pursue music fulltime, she did so with a burning commitment. Soon she was working with Dr. Billy Taylor, Yusef Lateef, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ellis Marsalis, Dr. George Butler, Dianne Reeves, and touring with Ray Charles, Al Jarreau and the T.S. Monk's Tentet. After recording for Columbia, she signed with Concord and released a highly acclaimed debut for that label, Shakin’ Free in 1996. Her discography now includes nine titles.

Photo by Andrea Canter

In addition to a rigorous performance schedule, Nnenna Freelon is a dedicated jazz and arts educator. Her work in the schools prompted the National Association of Partners in Education, an organization that represents more than 400,000 school/community partnership programs across the United States, to appoint her as their national spokesperson to promote arts in education. In the past decade, Freelon has won the Billie Holiday Award from the Academie du Jazz, received the Eubie Blake Award, and made her feature film debut in Mel Gibson's What Women Want.

Photo by Andrea Canter

With her latest Concord recording released just a few weeks ago (Blueprint of a Lady), Freelon is poised for yet another Grammy nomination. Wrote JazzOnline, with Blueprint Freelon “creates passionate musical sketches that are colorful, uniquely personal, and fully in the present moment, making each ‘Lady song’ uniquely her own. Underscoring the truth that Lady Day’s musical legacy is every bit as relevant today as it ever was, Nnenna’s inspired homage at once honors without imitating, and looks back respectfully while propelling the music forward with unbridled creativity. The uncompromising and innovative Billie Holiday would have wanted it that way.”

Midwest audiences will like it that way as well.

Nnenna Freelon appears at the Gem Theater,1601 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO, at 6 pm on Sunday, September 18^th. For information and reservations, call (816) 474-8463. In Minneapolis, Freelon will be on stage at the Dakota September 19-20 with two sets per night; visit www.dakotacooks.com