NNENNA FREELON - Live (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Nnenna Freelon refuses to be pigeonholed into any one style of jazz, as she's always willing to perform songs from many different fields, often while taking them in unfamiliar directions. She's also blessed with a great voice and an innate ability to charm her audience, along with a superb band. These performances from a pair of concerts at the Kennedy Center have a lot to like within them. The two-faceted interpretation of the standard "All or Nothing at All" alternates between an exotic Latin setting and driving bop. Pianist Takana Miyamoto's bossa nova scoring of "Meaning of the Blues" and the humorous take of "If I Only Had a Brain" also work very well. But there are misfires, too. Johnny Green's timeless melody to "Body and Soul" is discarded in favor of a plodding, monotonous reggae arrangement. There's little to differentiate the poppish performance of "My Cherie Amour" from a typical pop performance. Far better is her slowed-down approach to another Stevie Wonder song, "Tears of a Clown," where Smokey Robinson's great lyrics can be better appreciated than even on his own hit rendition with the Temptations. For those who have yet to experience the phenomenal Nnenna Freelon in concert, this is the next best alternative. by Ken Dryden   
Tracklist :
1     Nothing Will Be as It Was 4:54
Ronaldo Bastos / Milton Nascimento / Rene Vincent
2     All or Nothing at All 6:06
Arthur Altman / Jack Lawrence
3     If I Only Had a Brain (Intro) 0:25
4     If I Only Had a Brain 5:18
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
5     Meaning of the Blues 6:06
Bobby Troup / Leah Worth
6     Body and Soul 4:52
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
7     My Cherie Amour (Intro) 0:46
8     My Cherie Amour 5:14
Henry Cosby / Sylvia Moy / Stevie Wonder
9     The Tears of a Clown 7:29
Henry Cosby / Smokey Robinson / Stevie Wonder
10     Button up Your Overcoat 5:09
Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson
11     If I Had You 4:30
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Ted Shapiro
12     Circle Song 5:05
Nnenna Freelon
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Wayne Batchelor (pistas: 1-5, 9-12)
Backing Vocals – Brandon McCune (pistas: 12)
Drums – Woody Williams
Electric Bass – Wayne Batchelor (pistas: 6-8)
Guitar – Scott Sawyer
Organ [Hammond B3], Piano, Trumpet – Brandon McCune
Percussion – Beverly Botsford
Piano, Organ [Hammong B3], Keyboards [Fender Rhodes], Melodica – Takana Miyamoto
Vocals – Nnenna Freelon