NNENNA FREELON
For nearly four decades, I’ve shared my heart through song, standing on stages across the world, interpreting the jazz tradition with love, depth, and authenticity. But today, I’m inviting you into a new chapter—one that’s perhaps the most personal of all.
My latest album, Beneath the Skin, is my first collection of all original songs. These songs came to me in the quiet, in the ache of absence, in the beauty of remembering. They are stories—of love, of loss, of what we carry and how we grow. They are also celebrations of resilience and joy-the call and response of life
Alongside the music and touring, my new book, Beneath the Skin of Sorrow: Improvisations on Loss (published by Duke University Press), offers another path through the landscape of grief. After losing my beloved husband Phil and my dear sister Debbie, I turned to improvisation—not just in music, but in life—as a guide. This book is a meditation, a witness, a hand to hold for anyone navigating the raw and sacred territory of loss.
Both the album and the book are born of the same creative breath. They speak to one another. They ask: How do we keep singing when our hearts are broken? How do we make meaning from the silence?
These works are a love letter—to Phil, to my sister, to family, to all who have known sorrow and still choose joy.
Thank you for being here. I’m honored to share this journey with you.
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