https://www.piercefreelon.com/
Pierce Freelon’s creativity is rooted in his hometown of Durham, NC. His jazz and hip hop-centered music for kids reflects his own musical influences like his mother Nnenna. In 2022 they became the first mother and son ever nominated for Grammy awards in different categories for the same year. Their 2023 album AnceStars is a rich collection of original songs using “tools from from African American folklore and tradition to help our children connect with their ancestors.”
There is a special sweetness to memories retrieved through music. When Pierce Freelon released his first family album (D.a.D.), he said he wanted his music to celebrate “goofy kind of caring caregivers.” He was talking about the nurturing fathers who don’t always get credit. I know Pierce Freelon didn’t actually know Big Tom O’Connell (my Dad), but he could have been. Hearing him sing about “Daddy Daughter Day” with his daughter Stella took me back to childhood Sundays with Big Tom laughing at Abbott & Costello. This modern Dad uses creative recording techniques, catchy fun lyrics and rhythm like the beat of a heart to celebrate the basic relationship of father and child. He does it beautifully by keeping the message simple and the rhythms complicated. It’s like a universal Dad creating music that works for each individual personally yet differently.
He even got me hooked on a song that mentioned poo—not one of my favorite musical themes. But this builder of rhymes and maker of stories hooked me using the word in “Movies and Popcorn and Videogames.” His music can both move mountains and move me to love a poo song.
Pierce Freelon is an educator, musical artist, activist, civic engager, proud father and son whose 2023 Grammy-nominated album “AncesStars” honors the past and engages the future. He is the product of a creative family. Music and art flow through his veins. His renowned architect father’s advice: “As artists, we have a very important job in this world. It’s to bring beauty and joy to other people.” He and his mother/ musical collaborator Nnenna Freelon mix musical styles with their own experiences in practicing self care. That care includes making connections to the past and to each other. The music is rich and easy to listen to without being easy listening.
