Freelon gets
her act together

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

Nnenna Freelon couldn’t believe it when her husband told her to "grow up."
"Grow up?" she thought. "What more could I possibly be doing?"
Here she was, transplanted and living in Durham, N.C., in the 1980s, working in the health-care field, a wife and mother of three young children, being the best person she could possibly be.
"But I was not happy, and I think that’s what he saw. I was a person not sure of what she wanted to do," Freelon recalled. "And that’s when he looked at me and told me I couldn’t blame anybody or anything for any unfilled dreams and desires in my life. He said that if I really wanted to sing, then I should sing. But I had to make up my mind and then do it."
At the time, her husband’s comment hurt her feelings. But she later realized he was right.
"I suddenly realized that the universe is so benevolent and kind that when you finally wake up and accept that this is what you were put on the planet to do, the universe bends in your direction. At least that’s what happened to me. I’ve been very lucky," she said.
And audiences will be lucky to be in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night, when Freelon performs in a concert celebrating the late Count Basie and 75 years of the world famous Count Basie Orchestra.
The music of this master, as well as a bow to other vocalists who have performed with him, including Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, will be highlighted during the show.
Freelon’s road to good fortune began when she sang in church in her native Cambridge, Mass. Although she would have loved to become a performer, she never thought it was possible.
"But music has always been in my life, especially music like that of Count Basie," the vocalist said. "I remember my parents playing it at home. I remember standing on my father’s feet and dancing around the living room to that music. There was something so irresistible about it. And today, even people who say they don’t like jazz will change their mind once they hear it and really listen."
Freelon’s musical star began rising when, in 1990, she went to the Southern Arts Federation’s jazz meeting and met Ellis Marsalis, the New Orleans jazz musician and father of Branford and Wynton.
"That was a big turning point in my life," she said. "I had been singing for seven years. Ellis is an educator and he wanted to nurture my talent, and so he introduced me to George Butler of Columbia Records, who eventually signed me."
In 1992, Freelon debuted her first CD. Two years later, she joined Concord Records. Her newest CD for the label, a compilation of her work tentatively titled Better Than Anything, is due out in January. Freelon also will be touring in Poland with her quintet, then heading to the Monterey Jazz Festival.
"You know, looking back I realize how smart my husband Philip was," Freelon said. "At the time, Durham wasn’t exactly the hub of the music world. But I did find a jazz workshop and was able to study with a jazz master who took me under his wing. I think people recognized the raw talent in me and then connected me with others in the community."
She realized something else as well. "And that was, by fast-forwarding twenty-five years, I found that being a creative artist actually made me a much better mother and wife, which, in turn, has made me a much better creative artist." ••
The concert will be presented 8 p.m. Friday (Sept. 28) in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St. Tickets range from $74 to $26. For ticket information, call 215-893-1999.