Artists Series
Nnenna Freelon, Vocalist
With Jazz Ensemble I
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Zorn Arena | 7:30 P.M.
"Be sure to check out Nnenna Freelon... Very hip music."
- Aretha Franklin
An artist of the highest caliber, Nnenna Freelon will present an Artists Series concert backed by our award-winning Jazz Ensemble I. This concert will kick off UW-Eau Claire’s 41st annual Jazz Festival, one of the oldest and largest festivals in the nation. Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Robert Baca, is a five-time winner of Down Beat magazine’s Best College Big Band award.
A five-time Grammy Award nominee, Freelon currently has nine compact disc recordings on the market. In her most recent, she pays tribute to Lady Day, emulating the spirit rather than the sound of the great Billie Holiday.
The 2005 release of Blueprint of a Lady - Sketches of Billie Holiday coincided with the 90th anniversary
of Holiday’s birth, offering a distinctively refreshing take on the legendary jazz singer. “There is no doubt that Freelon has now positioned herself in the very top echelon of jazz singers,” The Los Angeles Times noted.
Nnenna Freelon will present a vocal jazz workshop with all 500 jazz festival attendees on the Friday following
her performance. Call the university Service Center at 836-3727 for more information.
More information: www.nnenna.com | www.uwec.edu/mus-the/JazzFestival
This event is sponsored in part by the Chippewa Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
