So, you’re not familiar with singer Nnenna Freelon? Well, you ought to be, and if you’re not, you likely will be one day soon. She is exceptional.

Saturday night’s engagement at the Napa Valley Opera House was billed as, “The Songs of Billie Holiday,” and while Freelon embraces a close personal bond to the great Lady Day, there was no attempt to replicate Holiday’s style or arrangements.

Let’s face it, any jazz diva in the last half-century owes homage to Billie Holiday who passed in 1959. Freelon sings the songs with her own crystal-clear, well-intoned and wide-ranging style. They swing when necessary, and they emote.

Backed by a quartet of first rate accompanists, Freelon went through a nearly two-hour, intermission-free set, singing many of Holiday’s standards, always with her own touch and distinctive arrangements.

The opening tune’s Afro-Cuban intro segued to “You and the Night and the Music” which gave way to some tasty scat, then Cole Porter’s “I Love You.”

There were shades of other vocal greats too. “You’ve Changed” was reminiscent of Etta James, and if you really want to go local, I heard tinges of one of my personal favorites, Clairdee.

A slow, undulating and sensuous Latin rhythm preluded “Them There Eyes” which Holiday would have taken in a pretty straight-ahead fashion, and “The Very Thought of You” took on a cabaret, almost saloon-singer mood.

In a leopard-patterned outfit that complemented her beautiful ebony features, Freelon recognized her colleagues several times. Most visible because of her constant activity was percussionist Beverly Botsford, like Freelon, from Durham, N.C., Botsford added much to the music of the evening.

Londoner Wayne Batchelor on bass not only lent his musical expertise, but helped provide leadership.

The newest member of the group, Dan Kaufman, a Chicago-based pianist, played the book like he’s been at it for some time, and drummer Kinah Boto, introduced as “the elder statesman” of the group, provided a solid base.

Introducing a holiday tune, Freelon presented a tongue-in-cheek Thanksgiving tribute to visiting relatives. It produced “Get Out of Town.”

Freelon’s group was not allowed to leave without an encore. It had an infectious samba rhythm, and she termed the Napa Valley Opera House a warm and “wise” hall. “There aren’t many of those around,” she said.

Freelon now performs for Concord Records. Look for her stuff. She’s has been nominated six times for a coveted Grammy Award. With a little more attention on her part to developing her personal style plus a good listen by those that are casting the votes, she will be in the winners’ column soon.