The life stories of many jazz greats are often a mixture of tragedy and triumph, with an unfortunate emphasis on the tragic aspects of their lives. For Nnenna (pronounced Nina) Freelon, who conceived “Blueprint of a Lady: The Once and Future Life of Billie Holiday,” coming to The Music Hall on Friday, Feb. 24, the emphasis is on the positive aspects of Holiday’s life and music.

“I wanted this project to be a story of triumph and redemption, rather than focusing on the negative,” Freelon says.

The genesis of the project occurred three years ago, when the Grammy-nominated vocalist wanted to create a Billie Holiday tribute recording.

“As I delved further into her life and music, I began to envision more of a multi-dimensional presentation involving dancers interacting with a jazz ensemble on stage,” Freelon says. She had the jazz ensemble aspect covered by using her working group. What she needed was the dance ensemble.
“I had watched Ronald K. Brown’s group in performance, and was very impressed by his work. I had some trepidation about asking if he would be interested in this kind of project,” Freelon says. Fortunately, when she presented the concept to him, he was very interested in being involved. The result is a stunning performance that combines music and spoken word, with the dancers interacting with the musicians on stage, including Freelon, who is involved in some of the dance sequences.
When asked what inspired her to create this project, Freelon speaks of Holiday’s role in the development of jazz singing.

“She’s really the grandmother of jazz singers,” Freelon says. “While there were singers who came before her in the music, Billie really defined the art form of jazz singing. Her music and her approach to interpretation have served as an inspiration to a variety of singers in jazz, as well as in other musical genres. She was a physically beautiful woman, but more importantly, she was a very intelligent person, especially musically. Considering the obstacles she encountered in her life, she did pretty well.”

The obstacles that Holiday encountered were daunting and have been well documented in a variety of books and articles. She was abused as a child, experienced psychological and physical abuse at the hands of various men and had substance abuse problems. Yet, through it all, there is a sense of beauty and grace that surrounds the music of Billie Holiday. Like many of the jazz musicians of her time (Armstrong, Ellington), Holiday had to endure the indignities of ignorance and prejudice. But she prevailed and, in doing so, helped to establish, along with Ella Fitzgerald, the jazz singer as an equal to the jazz instrumentalist.

Holiday’s approach was much like a horn player’s in the way she would phrase her lyrics. Known as Lady Day, an affectionate nickname given to her by saxophonist Lester Young, Holiday worked with many jazz greats including Young, with whom she recorded several album sides in the late 1930s. The rapport they shared often evoked some of the most their most inspired work. Holiday was the person who gave Young his nickname of Pres or President. Shortly before both passed away in 1959, they took part in the legendary television documentary “The Sound of Jazz,” in 1957. In the jam-oriented blues number “My Man,” you can see the love and admiration they had for each other in the eye contact they make. It’s one of those magical moments in music and, fortunately, it’s available for all to see. It’s a moment that adds to the aura that surrounds Holiday.

Part of what has made this project special for Freelon is working with Brown and his dance ensemble. “Ronald is an imaginative and extraordinary choreographer as well as being a superb dancer himself. And the dance routines really enhance the character of the music that is performed,” Freelon says.
Among the songs featured are signature Holiday tunes such as “God Bless the Child,” “Strange Fruit” and “You’ve Changed,” as well as lesser-known works such as “Balm in Gilead,” “Only You Will Know” and “Left Alone.” Several tunes are given a refreshing new twist, such as “Strange Fruit,” which is combined with a Latin-inflected version of “Willow Weep for Me.”

Another special part of this project for Freelon is how it has helped her to grow as an artist. “It has helped to give me a grander feeling as a jazz singer to come to understand the power and beauty of Billie’s music. To be able to recognize and celebrate this artist in this way is a wonderful experience to be part of.”