CONDENSED BIOGRAPHYclick to go back to artist pagecomplete bio

Six-time GRAMMY® Award-nominee Nnenna Freelon has earned a well-deserved reputation as a compelling and captivating live performer At the 43rd annual GRAMMY Awards, she inspired an enthusiastic standing ovation from 20,000 music-industry insiders and celebrities when she took the stage. Prior to that stirring appearance, Freelon’s performances for the legendary Julie Andrews at the Society of Singers’ “Ella Awards,” at the Stephen Sondheim Tribute at Carnegie Hall, at the Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, and at the most famous jazz festivals around the globe have all been rousing successes. In 2007, her appearances include “In Performance At The White House” to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. No wonder—for anyone who has heard and seen Freelon sing knows she is a skillful interpreter of even the most familiar chestnuts.

On her recent Grammy-nominated (for Best Jazz Vocal Performance) release, Blueprint Of A Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday, Freelon pays tribute to the quintessential jazz vocalist. As inventive as ever, Freelon takes these Holiday-associated songs and fulfills Billie Holiday’s message to all artists: “No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way with music or it isn’t music.” Freelon is a winner of the Billie Holiday Award from the prestigious Academie du Jazz and this tribute brings her to a heartfelt source of inspiration for her artistry and dedication to the music and the power it possesses in education and art.

Born and raised in Cambridge, MA, educated in Boston at Simmons College, Freelon grew up on the sounds of music in the church and of jazz, especially big band music, courtesy of her father. Recently Freelon has teamed up with the World Famous Count Basie Orchestra, creating new music, new arrangements, and a new recording, Freelon & The Count Basie Orchestra (pending release), in a collaboration founded on musical genius, sensitive melodic renderings, and powerhouse swing. Freelon tips her hat to the fantastic vocalists who have performed with the orchestra, including Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, adding to the scintillating Basie sounds in the new material designed and arranged for her unique style.

In addition to her performing and recording career, Freelon is also active in the education and healthcare fields, has served as National Spokesperson for Partners in Education, and conducts workshops, clinics, and master classes. Her workshops, from “Sound Sculpture” to the groundbreaking “Babysong,” teach adults and children that you too can change the world – even one person at a time – but it takes dedication and perseverance, the substance of Freelon’s educational activities. The messages in Freelon’s activities go far beyond technique; they reach into the very soul of the person listening and encourage, in fact motivate, them toward constructive change and the creation of positive energy.

Click for the COMPLETE biography

ALSO VISIT:
• Nnenna Freelon (and her Quartet)
• Nnenna Freelon & DIVA
• Nnenna Freelon & EVIDENCE/Ronald K. Brown in
     Blueprint Of A Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday
• Nnenna Freelon & The Count Basie Orchestra