Josephine Baker sashayed onto a Paris stage during the 1920s with a comic, yet sensual appeal that took Europe by storm. Famous for barely-there dresses and no-holds-barred dance routines, her exotic beauty, magical stage presence and energetic performances charmed audiences for over 50 years. From her early years as a Paris celebrity, to her participation in the French resistance during World War II, to her involvement in the American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, she helped define the Jazz Age.
One hundred years after her birth, the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District will honor her memory with a special concert featuring a performance by the Alvin Ailey Dancers and the incomparable jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, who will channel Josephine Baker's magical stage presence and energetic performances.
Nnenna Freelon's well-deserved reputation as an skillful interpreter and irresistible live performer is only furthered by her previous accolades and career achievements, including the prestigious Billie Holiday Award from France's Acadmie du Jazz, the Eubie Blake Award, and two nominations for the “Lady of Soul" Soul Train Award. In addition to sharing the stage with many jazz legends, she has received five GRAMMY nominations, and is constantly praised for her adventurous and original style and her ability to charm audiences with bright, infectious performances.
This performance is part of the American Jazz Museum's 10th season of the “Jammin' at the Gem" concert series, which featured NEA Jazz Master McCoy Tyner in October and Ramsey Lewis in November.
One hundred years after her birth, the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District will honor her memory with a special concert featuring a performance by the Alvin Ailey Dancers and the incomparable jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, who will channel Josephine Baker's magical stage presence and energetic performances.
Nnenna Freelon's well-deserved reputation as an skillful interpreter and irresistible live performer is only furthered by her previous accolades and career achievements, including the prestigious Billie Holiday Award from France's Acadmie du Jazz, the Eubie Blake Award, and two nominations for the “Lady of Soul" Soul Train Award. In addition to sharing the stage with many jazz legends, she has received five GRAMMY nominations, and is constantly praised for her adventurous and original style and her ability to charm audiences with bright, infectious performances.
This performance is part of the American Jazz Museum's 10th season of the “Jammin' at the Gem" concert series, which featured NEA Jazz Master McCoy Tyner in October and Ramsey Lewis in November.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
