Sings Duke Ellington/At Carnegie Hall

Performer: Nina Simone
Distributor: Gotham Distributing Corp.

Notes: 2 LPs on 1 CD: NINA SINGS DUKE ELLINGTON (1962)/NINA SIMONE AT CARNEGIE HALL (1963). This two-for-one CD spotlights one of jazz's great song stylists. Few singers were as unique as Nina Simone; Her deep voice and rapid vibrato made her instantly recognizable. She was also a stunning pianist, and the second half of this CD--her Carnegie Hall performance--spotlights her instrumental skills as well as her singing. Not surprisingly, NINA SINGS DUKE ELLINGTON features many classic jazz tunes. Simone sings ballads such as "I Got It Bad" and "Solitude" with intense emotional vulnerability. With the exception of Billie Holiday, few singers have such a natural gift for musical expression. NINA SIMONE AT CARNEGIE HALL is more understated and dark. Comprised of torch songs and movie themes, this album contains only ballads. This doesn't always include vocal numbers either. For example, Simone's piano is showcased extremely well on "Theme from Samson and Delilah." Simone performs this piece like a refined classical pianist, employing Chopin-esque trills and strident forearm chords. In fact, her reading of this movie theme just may be the most eyebrow-raising moment on this disc.

Nina Simone was a great pianist, a riveting vocalist, and an uncompromising personality. Her sociopolitical consciousness and eclecticism set her apart from the pack. Her interpretations of soul, jazz, blues, and standards are both striking and unique; not for nothing do her fans refer to her as "the Goddess." She established her jazz credentials with an emotive interpretation of George Gershwin 's 'I Loves You Porgy' in 1959. Her influential '60s work included "Forbidden Fruit" and "I Put A Spell On You." One of her singles, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," later became a worldwide hit for the Animals. In later years, she recorded less frequently, but in 1987, while in self-imposed exile in France, she had a fluke hit after her '50s version of "My Baby Just Cares For Me," was resurrected in a TV commercial. Simone died in 2003 at her home in France at age 70.

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