Nnenna Freelon - Time Traveler

Styles: Vocal
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:11
Size: 132,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:07) 1. I Say a Little Prayer
(6:05) 2. Marvin Medley: If This World Were Mine / Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing/ Ain't No Mountain High Enough
(5:31) 3. Just You
(4:53) 4. Betcha by Golly Wow
(6:59) 5. Time in a Bottle
(5:05) 6. You Make Me Feel Brand New
(5:56) 7. Moon River
(4:58) 8. Time After Time
(4:49) 9. Come Rain or Come Shine
(4:29) 10. Time Traveler
(3:17) 11. Time Traveler (Reprise)

Multi-GRAMMY nominated vocal artist Nnenna Freelon is back, delivering her eleventh album after a decade-long hiatus from the studio. With 'Time Traveler,' she offers a celebration of love and a prayer of hope for those living with loss. The sessions for the album stretched over two years, between 2018 and 2020, coinciding with the loss of Freelon’s soulmate and husband of forty years, Phil Freelon, to ALS. Freelon draws from her & Phil's shared love of jazz and rhythm and blues, to step through an imagined doorway where past, present and future collide. From the album's centerpiece, a medley of Marvin Gaye classics, to standards such as “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Moon River,” or her self-penned title song, Freelon reminds us of the grace and elegance that naturally accompanies her approach to interpreting melody. Inspired by her emotive glances to the past, and soulful presence in the here and now, she paints a portrait of reverence and gratitude for the gift of love that permeates every aspect of the human condition. https://media.allaboutjazz.com/track-time-traveler-by-nnenna-freelon

Personnel: Nnenna Freelon - Vocals; Miki Hayama - Piano (1,3,5,7,8), Fender Rhodes (2,4,9), Synthesizer (2,8) ; Chuckey Robinson - Keyboards (10,11); Brandon McCune - Hammond Organ (1,3); Keith Ganz - Guitar (2-6,8-11); Noah Jackson - Acoustic Bass (1,3-5,7,9); Gerald Veasley - Electric Bass (2,8); Lance Scott - Electric Bass (10,11); E.J. Strickland - Drums (1,3-5,7,9); Adonis Rose - Drums (2,8); Jon Curry - Drums (10,11); Beverly Botsford - Percussion (2,4,8); Trineice Robinson-Martin - Background Vocal (1); Kirk Whalum - Tenor Saxophone, Flute (4); Shana Tucker - Cello (5)

Time Traveler

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Nnenna Freelon - Blueprint Of A Lady

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2005
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:58
Size: 145,5 MB
Art: Front

(4:18) 1. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
(5:13) 2. What A Little Moonlight Can Do
(4:05) 3. Don't Explain
(5:21) 4. God Bless The Child
(2:21) 5. Strange Fruit
(2:52) 6. Willow Weep For Me
(4:48) 7. Balm In Gilead
(5:11) 8. Them There Eyes
(3:41) 9. Only You Will Know
(5:25) 10. You've Changed
(2:55) 11. Now Or Never
(4:14) 12. Lover Man
(5:02) 13. Left Alone
(1:32) 14. Interlude-Little Brown Bird
(5:54) 15. All Of Me

Nnenna Freelon's latest project pays tribute to singer Billie Holiday in the best possible way without imitation and putting her own interpretations on material written by or associated with Lady Day. Her band, adjusted to fit the mood of each song, skillfully complements her at every turn. Freelon's phrasing and vocal clarity contribute to an overall feeling that is more positive than Holiday's often dark and plaintive renditions of the same material. Interspersed within this tribute are three natural fits that don't come directly from the Holiday Songbook. "Only You Will Know and "Interlude-Little Brown Bird are original collaborations by Freelon and Brandon McCune that pay homage to Lady Day. The former, an intimate vocal-guitar duet with Andre Bush, enables Freelon to question aloud whether she should imitate Holiday's style or approach the project's material in a different manner. Holiday's answer in this imagined vocal dialogue was: "Sing until you know who you are and why you came... You may sing a Lady song, sweet drawl soft and low/but only if the song is you and only you will know.

The third is "Balm in Gilead a traditional African-American affirmation of faith, hope and optimism that enriches all of the other material. This duo version on which Freelon is accompanied by pianist McCune, leads into an uplifting and vibrant version of "Them There Eyes. Doug Lawrence's tenor sax offers a sublime conversational response to Freelon's vocals on "You've Changed and takes a different role on "Now Or Never by reinforcing and at times echoing her voice. Dave Ellis takes a more out-in-front complementary tenor role on the bluesy and soulful version of "Lover Man that follows. Julian Lage's guitar artistry sparkles throughout "Don't Explain and on several other tracks. "Left Alone presents a Holiday work she never recorded. Lady Day wrote it with the late Mal Waldron. Abbey Lincoln was the first vocalist to record the tune in 1961.

Freelon's vocals plus quartet version unearths the positives buried beneath Holiday's words about loneliness. "All of Me concludes this fine session with another twist a sultry reggae arrangement of the classic ballad.
~ Ken Franckling https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blueprint-of-a-lady-sketches-of-billie-holiday-nnenna-freelon-concord-music-group-review-by-ken-franckling.php

Personnel: Nnenna Freelon: vocals; Brandon McCune: piano: Fender Rhodes: Hammond B-3: trumpet; Wayne Batchelor: acoustic bass; Kinah Boto: drums; Beverly Botsford: percussion; Christian Scott: trumpet (1,2,8); Mary Fettig: alto and baritone saxes: alto flute (1,2); Dave Ellis (1,2,12) and Doug Lawrence (10,11): tenor sax; Julian Lage (3,8,11,15) and Andre Bush (9, duet with Nnenna): guitar; Jessica Ivry: cello (3,8).

Blueprint Of A Lady

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Nnenna Freelon - Maiden Voyage

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1998
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:31
Size: 152,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:24)  1. Come Into My Life
(4:55)  2. Four Women
(8:28)  3. Maiden Voyage
(5:32)  4. Buy And Sell
(4:46)  5. Future News Blues
(6:00)  6. Until It's Time For You To Go
(8:06)  7. Women Be Wise
(5:43)  8. Sepia Wing
(4:07)  9. Pick Yourself Up
(4:34) 10. I Won't Dance
(4:31) 11. Inside A Silent Tear
(4:21) 12. Sing Me Down

No matter how impressive the voice, no matter how well oiled the pipes and Lord knows Nnenna Freelon is abundantly blessed in both respects he or she simply cannot rise far above the material. Although Freelon makes a gallant effort on Maiden Voyage, the ship barely gets out of drydock, overladen with forgettable lyrics and lashed to its moorings by mundane melodies. Too harsh? Perhaps. But if I were going to open a set with eight sleep inducing originals, as Freelon has done, I wouldn’t remind the listener of their relative lack of substance by following them with “Pick Yourself Up” and “I Won’t Dance,” enduring classics from the golden age of Tin Pan Alley (with memorable words by the clever tunesmith Dorothy Field). In fact, the session doesn’t take wing until Freelon introduces those treasures and closes with Blossom Dearie’s pensive ballad, “Inside a Silent Tear” (lyrics by Linda Albert), and her own “Sing Me Down“ (actually her lyrics set to a folk song whose name, I believe, is “Turn Around”). The melodies and lyrics that precede them really are lightweight; while Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and Marian McPartland’s “Threnody” (here renamed “Sepia Wing” to mirror Freelon’s lyrics) are splendid as instrumentals, appending lyrics does nothing to enhance their appeal. Among the others, only Freelon’s “Future News Blues” held this listener’s ear for more than a moment. While I am hardly conversant with the works of Nina Simone, Laura Nyro and Buffy Sainte Marie, surely their reputations weren’t built on the sort of uninspired material that is presented here. On a brighter note, if one would like to sing along, lyrics to each song (not always unerring) are provided in the accompanying booklet. As for Freelon, she sings beautifully which, for the most part, is rather like adding a delectable frosting to cow chips. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/maiden-voyage-nnenna-freelon-concord-music-group-review-by-jack-bowers.php
 

Personnel:  Nnenna Freelon, vocals; Michael Abene, piano, arranger; Joe Beck, guitar; Avishai Cohen, bass; Sammy Figueroa, percussion; Danny Gottlieb, drums; Herbie Hancock, piano

Maiden Voyage

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Nnenna Freelon - Listen

Styles: Jazz, Vocal
Year: 1994
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:28
Size: 148,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:25)  1. Gaia's Garden
(3:58)  2. Dad's Delight / Lil B's Poem
(5:15)  3. Will You Still Love Me Tomorro
(6:15)  4. I'll Be Around / I Love You
(6:28)  5. Ballad for Aisha
(4:42)  6. A Hundred Dreams From Now
(3:34)  7. Circle Song
(3:30)  8. Sol Cycle
(5:26)  9. Waste Not Want Not
(4:49) 10. Journey of the Heart
(7:00) 11. Song of Silent Footprints
(4:59) 12. Lost in the Stars
(3:00) 13. Listen

Nnenna Chinyere Freelon is a world-renowned jazz vocalist; she has recorded extensively and been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards. While this doesn't necessarily set her apart from other more prolific female jazz singers, there is one aspect of her career that does: she didn't begin recording until she was in her late thirties. She was born in Cambridge, MA, in 1954 as Nnenna Chinyere Pierce. She began singing at an early age in church, but didn't pursue music as a career until decades later. She graduated from Simmons College, with a degree in health care administration. She worked for a time in in social services for Durham, NC's hospital corporation. In 1979, she married Philip Freelon, an architect. The couple had three children before she began to consider a career in music. She studied with Yusef Lateef, developing her singing through listening to horn players. Her big break came in 1990 while attending the Southern Arts Federation's jazz meeting, and sitting in with Ellis Marsalis. Marsalis was doing A&R for Columbia Records' Dr. George Butler at the time, and asked the singer for a tape, which he passed on to Butler, who signed her. Her self-titled debut recording was released in 1992 and attracted mixed reviews due to Freelon's heavy stylistic debt to Sarah Vaughan  though this was not entirely the vocalist's fault but her producer's. Her second album, a ballad-heavy collection entitled Heritage, was released in 1993, and was received by critics and fans alike as a jewel. Freelon truly established her own voice and style with her 1994 outing, Listen. it was her final recording for Columbia. In 1995 she signed to Concord (where she was granted far more artistic control over her recordings). She released her first album for the label, Shaking Free, in 1996; for it she received her first Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. Maiden Voyage, released in 1998, was also nominated for Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance; it displayed her interest in the role of women in music and society as expressed through her sometimes radical but always elegant interpretations of pop and folk songs as well as jazz standards. 

In 2000, Freelon branched out. She made her acting debut in the feature film What Women Want and released her first self-produced set, Soulcall. The album garnered her two Grammy nominations: one for Best Jazz Vocal Album and another for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal for her interpretation of the standard "Button Up Your Overcoat." In 2002 she released Tales of Wonder: Celebrating Stevie Wonder, a tribute recording of songs written by, and associated with, the Motown great, and as a reward, received another Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She recorded her first live album in 2005, and followed it with her radical Blueprint of a Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday in 2006; this album is wildly refreshing for the way in which Freelon took great liberties with songs associated with Holiday, reinterpreting them in contemporary settings and in her own bold image. And while some jazz critics took notable exception to messing with Lady Day, Freelon was nonetheless honored by the RIAA with another Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2008, she appeared as the only vocalist on the Monterey Jazz Festival: 50th Anniversary All-Stars album, fronting a band that starred Benny Green, James Moody, Terence Blanchard, Kendrick Scott, and Derrick Hodge. In 2010, Ms. Freelon released her seventh Concord album, Homefree. ~ Thom Jurek https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/nnenna-freelon/id902838#fullText

Personnel: Nnenna Freelon, Jon Lucien (vocals); Dick Oatts (alto & soprano saxophones); Alex Foster (tenor saxophone); Earl Gardner (trumpet); Scott Whitfield (trombone); Cecil Bridgewater (flugelhorn); Dave Valentin (soprano flute); Yusef Lateef (alto flute); Stan Pollack (violin); Kathryn Klenke (viola); Eugene Moye (cello); Bill Fischer (vibraphone, marimba, bells); Bill O'Connell (piano); Scott Sawyer (guitar); Ron Carter (bass); Ricky Sebastian (drums); Warren Smith (percussion).

Listen

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Nnenna Freelon - Better Than Anything

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:30
Size: 131.7 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[4:53] 1. Better Than Anything
[4:31] 2. I Won't Dance
[3:22] 3. Straighten Up And Fly Right
[4:12] 4. Nature Boy
[5:07] 5. Them There Eyes
[4:14] 6. I Say A Little Prayer
[4:52] 7. Body And Soul
[4:56] 8. Button Up Your Overcoat
[7:25] 9. The Tears Of A Clown
[5:10] 10. Ooh Child
[3:56] 11. One Child At A Time
[4:48] 12. Balm In Gilead

Nnenna Freelon has recorded for the Concord label since 1996. Better Than Anything has some of the high points from her first nine years with the company, drawing its dozen selections from six previously released CDs. Freelon had developed into an individual voice and a subtle improviser before she hooked up with Concord but she has grown in depth ever since, being increasingly willing to take chances and stretch herself into other idioms while staying true to her jazz vision. On Better Than Anything, seven of the dozen selections are jazz standards, with "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Balm in Gilead" being among the exceptions. But even such tunes as "Them There Eyes" (taken from a project that had modernized versions of Billie Holiday-associated songs) and "Body and Soul" sound different than expected. The most joyful performance is "Straighten Up and Fly Right," which teams Freelon with Take 6. They should record a full-length project someday. Better Than Anything is an excellent all-round sampler, although Nnenna Freelon's best fans will prefer to obtain her original CDs individually. ~Scott Yanow

Better Than Anything

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Nnenna Freelon - Homefree

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:58
Size: 119.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[4:54] 1. The Lamp Is Low
[5:36] 2. I Feel Pretty
[5:59] 3. The Very Thought Of You
[4:59] 4. Theme From Valley Of The Dolls
[4:12] 5. Smile
[4:36] 6. You And The Night And The Music
[4:38] 7. Cell Phone Blues
[4:18] 8. Get Out Of Town
[5:14] 9. Skylark
[4:37] 10. Lift Every Voice And Sing
[2:51] 11. America The Beautiful

Nneena Freelon, voice; Brandon McCune, piano; Wayne Batchelor, bass; Kinah Ayah, drums; Beverly Botsford, percussion; Ray Codrington, flugelhorn (2); Ira Wiggins, tenor sax (3); Scott Sawyer, guitar (4, 7).

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 post-play on "The Lamp Is Low."

She and her working band of 10 years—Brandon McCune (piano), Wayne Batchelor (bass), Kinah Ayah (drums) and Beverly Botsford (percussion)—mess with usual tempos ("Smile" as breezy Latin) and keys ("I Feel Pretty" in minor). They gleefully reinvent Tin Pan Alley, here skanking up Cole Porter's "Get Out Of Town" as reggae and Dietz-Schwartz' "You and the Night and the Music," over a slow slinky vamp. Freelon sometimes lobs original blues bombs, wry comments on contemporary mores: she recasts an old favorite ("Future News Blues") in a personal tweet at her quick-twittering-but-not-so-handy man in "Cell Phone Blues."

Even with all that, expect the unexpected. Freelon can wear down the unwary, lazy listener, in her persistent quest to rediscover tunes, with her indefatigable energy. Witness her closing three tracks. She turns "Skylark" from jazz hymn into a bluesy, cantankerous one-on-one with Wayne Batchelor's bass that Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer—even Carmen McRae—might dig (her devoted version with strings came in 1992, big-budget Butler days at Columbia). She transforms the gospel song "Lift Every Voice and Sing" with a bit of scat over a respectful rap cameo by her son, Pierce. Her angular, salty "America The Beautiful," with cello sweetening, takes the disc out with an uneasy feeling. Freelon's compelling, searching artistry never lets up, yet leaves you with more grins than furrowed brows, with more questions than answers. ~Fred Bouchard

Homefree

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