Nnenna Freelon

Nnenna Freelon is a nine-time GRAMMY-nominated jazz vocalist, an arts education advocate, producer, arranger, and Award-winning Podcaster (entitled Greatgrief with Nnenna Freelon) who has achieved great heights in recording and live performance.

Having faced many losses in the past few years, Nnenna has felt the need to find her "voice" once more. through the lens of grief and loss. Her new album "Beneath The Skin" is a reflection of this new territory. It’s an intimate expression of her love for her family, her late husband Phil, and a universal love letter to all who’ve lost someone dear. Her PBS-NC Special as part of the series Shaped By Sound celebrates the release! Her debut as author happens in Fall 2025 with Beneath The Skin of Sorrow (Duke University Press).

Storytelling, she believes, helps strengthen community – and music can speak eloquently to our hearts.

In her new album, PBS-NC Special, podcast, and new book, Nnenna is sharing her voice in new ways that are both personal and universal.

Nnenna Freelon, Roy Ayers, Roberta Flack, Saje and More

by Jua Howard
March 31, 2025

Greetings Music Family! It's finally time for another episode of the “First Instrument Jazz Show"! I've got new music from Nnenna Freelon, Kate McGarry, {m: Nicole Zuraitis and Kristin Korb; and more timeless music from Roberta Flack, Roy Ayers, Säje, Ben Williams and many more. Come get lost in the music with me!Playlist Intro 00:00 Roberta Flack “Tenderly" from Roberta (Atlantic) 3:34 Gretchen Parlato “No Plan" from Flor (Edition) 7:24 Mark Granfield “Just One of Those Things" from ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Empress, John Ellis, Nnenna Freelon, Chicago Jazz Orchestra and more

by Benjamin Boddie
March 27, 2025

Today's Music--Right Now! Fantastic music by The Empress, Jon Bentley, John Ellis, Nnenna Freelon, Kevin Fort, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Dave Robbins, Rodney Whitaker, Laura Dreyer, Carloss Mena, Ben Patterson, David Caffey, Jackson Potter, Fred Hersch, Jeremy Pelt, Nels Cline, Bob James & Dave Koz, Caili O'Doherty, Lisa Hilton, Billy Hart, Yuval Cohen, Dave Hanson, Artemis, Nanami Haruta and more. Playlist The Empress “Bolivia" from Square One (Cellar Music Group) 00:00 Jon Bentley “Trane's Terrain" from Go Ahead! (Cellar ...

Radio & Podcasts

Betcha By Golly Wow - New Releases From Nnenna Freelon, Aubrey Logan, Rosa Passos and More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 31, 2021

This broadcast presents a boatload of new releases from vocalists Nnenna Freelon, Aubrey Logan, Dara Tucker, Rosa Passos and Jonathan Karrant, organist Kendall Carter, and the Alchemy Song Project with birthday shoutouts to pianists Brittany Anjou, Yoko Miwa, guitarist Sheryl Bailey, flutist Jan Leder, and vocalist Carmen Souza, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music.Playlist Brittany Anjou “Hard Boiled Soup" from Enamigo Reciprokataj (Origin) 00:00 The Lascivious Biddies “Betty" ...

Live Review

Nnenna Freelan With The Charleston Jazz Orchestra at Charleston Music Hall

by Rob Rosenblum
January 24, 2018

Nnenna Freelon with the Charleston Jazz Orchestra Charleston Music Hall Charleston, SC January 18, 2018 If you were expecting fireworks and bombastic performances of favorite pop tunes, jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon might have disappointed you in her Charleston debut last Friday night at the Charleston Music Hall. But if your ears were open to a seasoned professional who had honed her craft to near perfection, while leaving herself open to subtle changes in inflection ...

Album Review

Nnenna Freelon & the John Brown Big Band: Christmas

Read "Christmas" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
November 25, 2013

Renowned jazz singer Nnenna Freelon's first Christmas album truly is a gift, made possible by a small bequest from her Christmas-loving mother and a long-time friendship with John Brown, director of Duke University's Jazz Studies program and leader of the splendid John Brown Big Band. Brown not only made his ensemble available but co-produced the album with Freelon and released it on his own label, Brown Boulevard Records. It's clear that this is something Freelon has wanted ...

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Live Review

Nnenna Freelon Live At The Saville Theater, San Diego

by Robert Bush
November 22, 2010

Nnenna Freelon Saville Theater, San Diego City College San Diego, CA November 9, 2010 Vocalist Nnenna Freelon has enjoyed her share of commercial success over the years (she's been nominated for six Grammy Awards), but not enough to damage her artistic integrity. She's got one hell of a voice, which she employs to great effect by never overdoing it. She has the innate ability to organize most of her phrasing just a fraction behind ...

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Album Review

Nnenna Freelom: Homefree

Read "Homefree" reviewed by Fred Bouchard

by Fred Bouchard
May 14, 2010

Nnenna Freelon can be spotted miles off, like neon or a rainbow. The tall, rawboned, outspoken gal from Cambridge, MA via North Carolina owns a musical persona as unique as her name. She nails her ancient/modern, genre-jumping repertoire, embraces it, inhabits it organically and belts it with a hearty, emphatic attack. You can tell her from a phrase--even a note--as she goes merrily variegating vowels, taffy-pulling syllables, signifying scat sounds (gong-gong), sing-songing exit vamps; check her risqué ...

Website

All About Jazz Top 10 Tracks: May 2021

Source: All About Jazz
June 1, 2021

All About Jazz features a free song every day spanning all genres of jazz, and of the 31 tracks featured in May, these ten represent our personal favorites. We also included the top ten reader favorites as indicated by total listens. Musicians and record labels can submit full length MP3s for consideration here. Enjoy! Top Tracks I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me Fifth Element From: Fifth Element 4:07 Time Traveler
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Event

Inaugural Jazz Philadelphia Summit Announced

Source: All About Jazz
October 20, 2018

During the inaugural Jazz Philadelphia Summit on Nov. 2 and 3, 2018, regional and national jazz luminaries will gather in Center City Philadelphia to honor the city’s deep jazz roots and discuss its future. Musicians, jazz enthusiasts, advocates, funders, and the arts and culture community are gathering at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the University of the Arts for both high-level discussions and hands-on workshops about the art and business of jazz. Sessions will be held from ...
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Performance / Tour

Feinstein's At Loews Regency Presents The Debut Of Six-Time Grammy Nominated Jazz Vocalist Nnenna Freelon

Source: Miller Wright & Associates
May 10, 2011

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed “Best of New York" by New York Magazine and “an invaluable New York institution" by The New York Post will continue its Spring 2011 season with the debut of six time Grammy Award nominee NNENNA FREELON from May 10 through 14. The show “Lena: A Lovesome Thing" honors Lena Horne's legendary music career, with a specific focus on her friendship and professional association with the composer Billy Strayhorn. It will feature his compositions ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz Legend Makes Annenberg Center Debut

Source: AAJ Staff
March 30, 2011

Herbie Hancock calls her “a wonderful song stylist." Melba Moore says that “she's a reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald." And Aretha Franklin proclaims “if you're looking for good entertainment and very hip music, be sure to check out Nnenna Freelon." And Philadelphia audiences will be able to do just that as the six-time Grammy Award nominee makes her Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts debut on April 1 at 8 p.m. Freelon will be singing songs from her newest CD, “Home ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz Singer and Six-Time Grammy Nominee Nnenna Freelon Makes Her Annenberg Center Debut

Source: AAJ Staff
March 18, 2011

“Freelon makes each song such a personal statement that they all seem fresh and new..." USA Today (Philadelphia)—Herbie Hancock calls her “a wonderful song stylist," Melba Moore says that “she's a reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald," and Aretha Franklin proclaims “if you're looking for good entertainment and very hip music, be sure to check out Nnenna Freelon." The six-time Grammy® Award nominee makes her Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts debut singing jazz standards and highlights from her most recent album ...
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Recording

The Beast & Nnenna Freelon: "Freedom Suite" - Free Album Download

Source: Giant Step
November 10, 2010

Jazz vocalist and multi Grammy nominee Nnenna Freelon joins hip-hop quartet The Beast release Freedom Suite: a 10-track collection of creative reflections on jazz and hip-hop. Freedom Suite is available for FREE download, digitally released on Okayplayer's jazz inspired channel, The Revivalist. With guest appearances from 9th Wonder, Branford Marsalis, Phonte (of The Foreign Exchange/Little Brother), YahZarah, Geechi Suede (of Camp Lo) and several others, Freedom Suite follows in the tradition of other collaborative jazz and hip-hop projects like the ...
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Performance / Tour

Bending Melodies into Unorthodox Shapes

Source: Michael Ricci
May 15, 2010

Heading into her encore at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola on Tuesday night, Nnenna Freelon gave her audience the illusion of a choice. “Are you guys feeling frisky or sentimental?" she asked. Frisky, came the reply. Well, all right, then: the band struck up a light-funk groove, and Ms. Freelon plunged into one last song, parsing lyrics with syncopation. “Dreeeaam," she sang, “beside me. In-the-mid-night-glow. The lamp. Is low." She was working with “The Lamp Is Low," a songbook standard of murmuring ...
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Recording

Nnenna Freelon Releases New CD - "Homefree"

Source: On Target Media Group
April 20, 2010

The new CD from multi-Grammy nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon, Homefree, hits stores today (CD & digital) via Concord Jazz Records. The new album is Freelon's 7th Concord release and is a soulful, swinging album that Freelon calls her “home brew." The collection is comprised largely of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new original (the witty, playful and poignant “Cell Phone Blues" composed by the singer) and spirited arrangements of two ...
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Recording

Nnenna Freelon to Release New Record

Source: On Target Media Group
April 13, 2010

Next week, Concord Jazz will release Homefree, the highly anticipated new album from esteemed jazz vocalist and multi-Grammy nominee, Nnenna Freelon. Homefree is a collection of contemporary interpretations of classic American Songbook tunes as well as a new poignant original, “Cell Phone Blues" composed by Nnenna, and spirited arrangements of two anthems (the gospel treasure “Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the national hymn “America the Beautiful") that close the album. Homefree, ...
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Event

LA Phil Presents Ask Your Mama - Inspired by Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz

Source: Michael Ricci
August 20, 2009

LA Phil Presents Ask Your Mama – Sunday, August 30, 7:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl Hollywood Bowl Orchestra George Manahan, conductor Jessye Norman, soprano Nnenna Freelon, vocalist de'Adre Aziza, vocalist The Roots Laura Karpman, composer Hot jazz, German song, Latin cha-cha and Afro-Cuban drumming come together in this collaboration between Emmy Award-winning composer Laura Karpman and world-renowned soprano ...
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"Freelon had no problem charming the audience with a bright, rhythmically infectious performance." —Mike Joyce, The Washington Post

"Freelon makes each song such a personal statement that they all seem fresh and new..." —Steve Jones, USA Today

"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