Lauryn Hill, The Roots, More Celebrate Nina Simone

Lauryn Hill, The Roots, More Celebrate Nina Simone at Rock Hall Induction: Watch

Mary J. Blige officially inducted Simone

Nine Simone was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tonight, and several artists took the stage to celebrate her legacy. Lauryn Hill, the Roots, and Andra Day performed a medley of her music, while Mary J. Blige officially inducted her.

read more at: https://pitchfork.com/news/lauryn-hill-the-roots-more-celebrate-nina-simone-at-rock-hall-induction-watch/

Nina Simone - I put a spell on you

Nina Simone - I put a spell on you https://t.co/alon31R0zD #femalevocals #improvisation #jazz #music #singing #soul

— creativity news (@pjforguk) 22 de fevereiro de 2017

#NinaSimone

Recording Academy to honor high priestess of soul Nina Simone https://t.co/XsGnellDwY

— Jazz Chill Music (@Jazz_Chill) 1 de janeiro de 2017

#jazz "#Music is a gift & a burden"

#jazz "#Music is a gift & a burden" Nina Simone • https://t.co/0RFRFvjPk4 • pic.twitter.com/xfC6QD8o9I

— A Passion for Jazz!® (@APassion4Jazz) December 21, 2016

Isn't it a Pity - Nina Simone

Published on May 10, 2011

Isn't it a pity
you don't know what i'm talking about yet
but i will tell you soon
it's a pity

isn't it a pity
isn't it a shame
yes, how we break each other's hearts
and cause each other pain

how we take each other's love
without thinking anymore
forgetting to give back
forgetting to remember
just forgetting and no thank you
isn't it a pity

some things take so long
but how do i explain
why not too many people can see
that we are all just the same
we're all guilty

because of all the tears
our eyes just can't hope to see
but i don't think it's applicable to me
the beauty that surrounds them
child, isn't it a pity

how we break each other's hearts
and cause each other pain
how we take each other's love
the most precious thing
without thinking anymore

forgetting to give back
forgetting to keep open our door
isn't it a pity
isn't it a pity

some things take so long
but how do i explain
isn't it a pity
why not too many people
can see we're all the same

because we cry so much
our eyes can't, can't hope to see
that's not quite true
the beauty that surrounds them
maybe that's why we cry
God, isn't it a pity

Lord knows it's a pity
mankind has been so programmed
that they don't care about nothin'
that has to do with care
c-a-r-e

how we take each other's love
the most precious thing
without thinking anymore
forgetting to give back
forgetting to keep open the door

but i understand some things take so long
but how do i explain
why not too many people
can see we're just the same

and because of all their tears
their eyes can't hope to see
the beauty that surrounds them
God, isn't it a pity
the beauty that surrounds them
it's a pity

we take each other's love
just take it for granted
without thinking anymore
we give each other pain
and we shut every door

we take each other's minds
and we're capable of take each other's souls
we do it every day
just to reach some financial goal
Lord, isn't it a pity, my God
isn't it a pity, my God
and so unnecessary

just a little time, a little care
a little note written in the air
just the little thank you
we just forget to give back
cause we're moving too fast
moving too fast
forgetting to give back

but some things take so long
and i cannot explain
the beauty that surrounds us
and we don't see it
we think things are just the same
we've been programmed that way

isn't it a pity
if you want to feel sorry
isn't it a pity
isn't it a pity
the beauty sets the beauty that surrounds us
because of all our tears
our eyes can't hope to see

maybe one day at least i'll see me
and just concentrate on givin', givin', givin', givin'
and till that day
mankind don't stand a chance
don't know nothin' about romance
everything is plastic
isn't it a pity
my God.

Nina Simone: 'Are you ready to burn buildings?'

 ‘I could sing for my people’ … Nina Simone in 1968. Photograph: David Redfern/Redferns

Nina Simone’s album Black Gold, recorded at New York’s Philharmonic Hall on 26 October 1969, concludes with a deeply moving performance of To Be Young, Gifted and Black. The song took its name from a hit play about Lorraine Hansberry, the celebrated playwright who had converted Simone to political activism before dying young in 1965. As she spoke about Hansberry, Simone’s voice creaked with emotion. “I think that very soon now, maybe four or five weeks, I won’t be able to sing it anymore because each time I do it she comes a little bit closer and I miss her a little bit more.”

In Liz Garbus’s new Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? we see rows of black students enraptured by the song she called “the Black national anthem”, her biggest hit since I Loves You, Porgy a decade earlier. It had the pride and optimism of the cover versions she had alchemised into civil rights anthems: Feeling Good, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free, Ain’t Got No/I Got Life. But her Philharmonic performance revealed the undercurrents of pain and loss that were slowly dragging her under.

The tremendous power of Simone’s music has entranced the likes of Kanye West, Antony, Laura Mvula and Lauryn Hill. In 2008, President Obama named her version of Sinnerman as one of his 10 favourite songs. She sang in an almost androgynous baritone that she said ranged from “gravel” to “coffee and cream”, played piano like a virtuoso and interpreted material with power and imagination. When she covered a song it stayed covered, although it’s ironic that her career was revived in 1987 thanks to a perfume commercial that featured 1958’s My Baby Just Cares for Me because that perky jazz standard (which she once called “a piece of shit”) told listeners nothing about who she really was.

There was always something regal about the “High Priestess of Soul” who, at one point, claimed to be a reincarnated Egyptian queen: Nadine Cohodas’s excellent biography is called Princess Noire. “She is loved or feared, adored or disliked, but few who have met her music or glimpsed her soul react with moderation,” Maya Angelou wrote in the 1970 magazine article that gives Garbus’s film its name. “She is an extremist, extremely realised.”

suggested by Marina Carvalheira.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jun/22/nina-simone-documentary-what-happened-miss-simone?CMP=share_btn_fb

Nina Simone ....

Nina Simone: Exactly Like You

"Exactly Like You" by Nina Simone
Recording session: Live, December 18, 1997 in Warsaw at Kongresowa Hall

Nina Simone: The Biography

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in North Carolina at the tail-end of the Great Depression, Nina Simone was a precocious child with dreams of becoming the world’s first black classical soloist. After a rejection from an elite New York conservatoire—a rejection she always believed stemmed from the color of her skin—she began performing jazz, blues, and classical songs in a bar to fund her music studies.
In 1958 her rendition of the Gershwin standard “I Loves You Porgy” became a Top 40 hit, and her subsequent debut album Little Girl Blue launched what would become an extensive singing and songwriting career.
Drawing on a wealth of original interviews with Simone’s closest associates, this extraordinary biography follows her sparkling career as well as her passionate belief in racial equality that eventually led her to undergo self-imposed exile from America in 1970. Featuring rare photographs and a review of Simone’s more than 40 albums and numerous hits, this is an extensive look at the complex and extremely talented diva. - http://www.amazon.com/Nina-Simone-Biography-David-Brun-Lambert/dp/1845134303

"Suite Nina," danced to such Simone classics....

THE DUSABLE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY

PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO NINA SIMONE

SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2011

740 E. 56TH PLACE, FEATURING

MUNTU DANCE THEATER OF CHICAGO

1st half 

MUNTU MAKES ITS WAY FROM SENEGAL TO SIMONE

"Suite Nina," danced to such Simone classics as "Sinnerman," choreographed by Deidre Dawkins and Kwame Opare, is also on tap, a fusion of African and modern dance that speaks in particular to Simone's commitment to social justice and change." - Sid Smith - Chicago Tribune

2nd half 

DEE ALEXANDER QUARTET

Miguel delaCerna

Harrison Bankhead

Yussef Ernie Adams

performing  songs of Nina!!!!

From:

Dee Alexander <deealexander212@yahoo.com>

Nina Simone World Music Festival

Nina Simone Festival Announces Jonathan Green Poster

Anticipation builds about the recently announced Nina Simone World Music Festival, scheduled for 9-11 September 2011 in Tryon, NC.  The music festival in the name of Nina Simone includes local, regional and (inter)national talents performing a range of music genres on multiple stages in the North Carolina Blue Ridge birthplace of Simone.   

Nina Simone Project (NSP) founder and director Dr. Crys Armbrust released information today detailing the poster for the inaugural festival celebration of the internationally-famed, North Carolina-born singer and activist.  The over-sized poster, depicting a powerful image of Simone, features artist Jonathan Green’s painting NINA (2009).  A limited number of the poster’s printing run will be signed by the artist.

Green, highly acclaimed as one of the most important painters of the southern experience, describes his painting thusly: “I approached the creation of “Nina” as a privilege to express my interpretation of the power, force, passion, and vulnerability of a gifted genius of music and performance.”  That interpretation, Armbrust asserts, captures, in the words of Green, “the incredible legacy Dr. Nina Simone gave to our culture and heritage.”

“The Nina Simone Project,” Armbrust continued, “expresses its deep appreciation to Mr. Green for his generous sharing of talent and vision to support the NSP’s mission and goals.”

Nina Simone World Music Festival information will be regularly updated at http://www.ninasimoneproject.org/.

Contact: Crys Armbrust, Ph.D.

Nina Simone Project, Executive Director

e-mail: carmbrust@windstream.net

Website: http://www.ninasimoneproject.org/

10 January 2011

Nina Simone.....

‘British Ambassador of Soul’ Joins Nina Simone Festival Committee

Recent discussions between Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project director Dr. Crys Armbrust and entrepreneur David Nathan, ‘the British Ambassador of Soul,’ have culminated with David Nathan joining the Nina Simone Music Festival committee.

Nathan first met Simone in 1965 in London and began a lifelong association with the international chanteuse. He and his sister Slyvia Hampton went on to form the Nina Simone Appreciation Society in London in 1966, a forerunner of the present International Nina Simone Fan Club.

Nathan’s writing credits include ‘The Soulful Divas’ (1999), a collection of p ersonal portraits detailing over a dozen musical divas, including Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, and Janet Jackson. Further, he co-authored, with his sister Sylvia, the first biography of Simone, “Nina Simone: Break Down and Let It All Out” (2004). He is also credited with producing liner notes for over 700 albums.

Beyond his prolific credits as a historian of 20 th century popular music, Nathan manages the popular internet site SoulMusic.com, and has recently launched his own solo recording career with several critically acclaimed albums.

Nathan serves, too, as the Rhythm & Blues Foundation Executive Council Secretary. Founded in 1988, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation produces the popular Annual Pioneer Awards, administers significant medical and financial assistance endowments—including The Motown/Universal Music Group Fund, Gwendolyn B. Gordy Fuqua Fund and The Doc Pomus Financial Assistance Program—and oversights the historical and cultural preservation of Rhythm & Blues music of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Armbrust comments that “Nathan’s deep emersion in the music industry and his broad experience at multiple levels within the industry will prove invaluable as the Simone Project moves into the planning stages for the upcoming Nina Simone Music Festival, which is presently scheduled to launch in October 2009.”

Daughter Of Nina Simone Remakes Her Mother's Classic

Music artist Simone discusses her remake of Four Women, a classic made by her mother, the iconic Nina Simone. The song was also featured in the 1977 Broadway play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Now the young Simone gives the song an encore in a new film adaptation of the play, titled "For Colored Girls." Host Michel Martin speaks with Simone.

---------------------------------------------------------

MICHEL MARTIN, host:

And finally, if your mother is the legendary music icon Nina Simone, it might be daunting, to say the least, to try to follow in her footsteps. But Lisa Celeste, who has adopted the stage name Simone, is an artist all on her own. Armed with incredible vocal range an ear for different genres, Simone has starred on Broadway in such hits as "Aida" and "Rent." Her latest project is a rendition of her mother's classic song "Four Women." It will also be the first time Simone's voice will be heard on the same recording as her late mother's. The song is featured in the soundtrack of the new movie "For Colored Girls," based on the choreopoem by Ntozake Shange. Director Tyler Perry's drama came in third in box office receipts over the weekend, scoring over $20 million.

And Simone joins us now from member station WLRN in Miami.

Welcome. Thank you so much for joining us.
SIMONE (Singer, Actress): Thank you, Michel. It's good to be here.

MARTIN: So before we start, can we just play a little bit of "Four Women"?
SIMONE: Oh, please do. I'd love to hear it again.

MARTIN: Okay. Great. Here it is.
(Soundbite of song, "Four Women")
Ms. NINA SIMONE (Singer, Songwriter) (Singing) My skin is black. My arms are long. My hair is woolly. My back is strong - strong enough to take the pain inflicted again and again. What do they call me? My name is Aunt Sarah. My name is Aunt Sarah - Aunt Sarah.
SIMONE: (Singing) My skin is yellow. My hair is long. Between two worlds, I do belong. My father was rich and white. He forced my mother late one night. What do they call me? My name is Saffronia.

MARTIN: There we go. I know everybody's going to be mad that we, you know, aren't taking it all.
(Soundbite of laughter)
MARTIN: But, we just - we wanted to hear a little bit and we wanted to hear both divas. So how does it sound? Like it?
SIMONE: Yes, I do. I was just sitting here basking in the glow. It feels so good, and there's just so many things that run through me at the same time when I hear my mother's voice and then my voice, too.

MARTIN: Do you mind telling us, if it's not too personal? I was wondering what you were feeling?
SIMONE: Well, you know, when you've been in the wings for so long - I mean, I watched my mom as a child and sang along and danced and joined her on stage for the first time in my life July 24th, 1999. And now to hear the two of us on a soundtrack as wonderful as this, nothing is in vain.

MARTIN: The collaboration between the generations is something that I think people have heard before. I remember the famous sort Natalie Cole singing with Nat King Cole, doing "Unforgettable," I think a lot of people loved it. But then you have your own, very distinctive style, and clearly your own voice. And I did wonder whether there was anything complicated about it for you revisiting this song, which is so identified with your mother.
SIMONE: Nothing about my mother is complicated for me at this stage in my life, and I've been listening to this song since I was a toddler. So to be able to come to the fore as a legacy of walking, if you will, and to not only sing a song that I've been singing all my life but to also be in the company of such fine young divas, and on top of that, to have my mother's memory being remembered, discussed and honored, it's - this is perfect.

MARTIN: The song was originally released in 1966 as part of your mother's "Wild as the Wind" album.
SIMONE: Yeah.

MARTIN: How did this collaboration come about?
SIMONE: I've been performing "Four Women," actually, around the world since 2004. So to come now and be doing it with mommy as one of the "Four Women," first of all, is really cool. And Ledisi and Laura Izibor really gives it a fresh feeling. You've got some young blood coming to the fore. And the fact that, you know, the history of my mother, there's so much history here. It's really nice to see the younger generation and the people of the now embracing one of our great ones from before.

MARTIN: You know, it's also a very good fit for this film - which is, of course, about the lives of women and different women...
SIMONE: Yes. Yes.

MARTIN: ...and how those lives intersect. And it also is a new generation discovering this work that was so very important to those who came before and...
SIMONE: And those who marched.

MARTIN: Mm-hmm.
SIMONE: Those who got hosed down. Those who got lynched. Those who couldn't ride in the front of the bus. I mean, when we go back into our history, it's not just the fact of what the song is about, but when it was written why, and not forgetting who we are and where we come from in terms of why we have the freedoms and the rights that we do today.

MARTIN: If you're just joining us, you're listening to TELL ME MORE from NPR News. I'm visiting with singer and songwriter Simone. She is a diva in her own right, and she's also the daughter of legendary jazz diva Nina Simone. We're talking about her performance of her mother's classic, "Four Women."
I was so tickled to be reminded that before you started your career as a performer, you were a staff sergeant in the Air Force. (Soundbite of laughter)
SIMONE: Oh, I was wondering if that was going to come up. (Soundbite of laughter)

MARTIN: I, I...
SIMONE: Yes, I served my country for almost 11 years of my life.

MARTIN: Exactly, so I kind of want to salute across the airwaves.
(Soundbite of laughter)
SIMONE: Thank you, and it's being returned.

MARTIN: And thank you for your service.
SIMONE: You're welcome.

MARTIN: Is there any part of that experience that you bring to the work you're doing now?
SIMONE: Well, I'd just like to say that it helped me to grow up. I mean, I went in when I was 18, and it was while I was in that I was reunited with my love for singing and realized that I needed to be doing something that made me happy. At the same time, I'll never go hungry. I know how to draft at the drafting board, drive heavy equipment and build a structure from the ground up. I learned a lot of things about being a professional, and also what it takes to work on a team. I think those are qualities that have benefited me and will continue to do so for the rest of my life.

MARTIN: Yes ma'am. (Soundbite of laughter)
SIMONE: Forget you, girl. (Soundbite of laughter)
SIMONE: You know, my mother lost her mind. She just - if I could just - I can see her face now when I told her that I was going in. And now that I'm a mother and I can look at it from her perspective, I can definitely understand why she had the reaction that she did. So, yeah, that was definitely - I took the circuitous route to come back to who I really am and what makes me happy. (Soundbite of laughter)

MARTIN: Absolutely. And so, just to remind people of your last album, "Simone on Simone."
SIMONE: Mm-hmm.

Complete on  >>  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131163133&sc=emaf

Simone records classic "Four Women" for Tyler Perry's 'For Colored Girls'

SIMONE – DAUGHTER OF LEGEND NINA SIMONE – LAYS DOWN NEW RECORDING OF HER MOTHER’S ORIGINAL CLASSIC “FOUR WOMEN”  FOR TYLER PERRY’S.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf

NEW YORK, NY – Simone, the only child and daughter of legendary music artist Nina Simone, is the only person qualified and artistically capable of carrying on her mother’s legacy. A highly-praised live performer whose impressive resume includes starring roles in acclaimed Broadway musicals such as Rent and Aida, Simone recently recorded a new version of her mother Nina’s original classic “Four Women” for Tyler Perry’s much awaited film, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.

In keeping with the organic integrity of the original recording with a slightly younger rendition, “Four Women” produced by Warren Campbell, will be available and heard on the commercially released movie soundtrack (Atlantic Records, November 2, 2010), closing credits and the movie trailer.

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf releases nationwide in theaters on November 5^th.

Simone is an actress, singer and songwriter with a unique ability to transcend genres similar to that of her mother, the musical pioneer Nina Simone. Blessed with a rich vocal range, an innate skill for lyrical interpretation and a deep understanding of music as a means of healing and celebration, Simone has adopted many elements of her mother’s style, yet also a multi-talented artist in her own right.

Simone has many exciting projects in development for release over the next year. From early 2011 through fall 2011, we can expect a double Nina Simone CD, which Simone will produce; Simone’s own second CD release; and a European “I Put a Spell on You’' tour.

Since her mother’s passing in 2003, Simone has taken on many projects which include managing her mothers’ extensive estate. Simone is also an avid supporter for Breast Cancer Awareness (the disease which claimed her mother’s life in 2003) and actively involved in other philanthropic causes such as Nina’s Kids, a Miami, FL based non-profit organization whose mission is to educate, nurture and motivate musically talented children to achieve the highest level of music artistry. All music in the program will be influenced by the work of Nina Simone, whose life and passion for music is the inspiration for Nina’ Kids.

This summer, Simone recorded two, one hour music documentaries for BBC Radio 2, a national station in the UK with over 14.5 million listeners per week. The two-part radio documentary produced by Sue Clark Productions will explore the tumultuous raw genius the world has come to know as Nina Simone - from her lowest lows to her highest highs. Feeling Good – The Nina Simone Story, presented by Simone will broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in November 2010.

Visit - http://www.simonesworld.com/ and http://www.tedkurland.com/artists/simone.

Media Contacts:

The Sorensen McQueen Group

Office: 646-330-5458

Lisa Sorensen – Lisa@SorensenMcQueen.com 

Chandra McQueen – Chandra@SorensenMcQueen.com

Evolution of Zenos Frudakis's Nina Simone Sculpture for Tryon....

The Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP) exists to honor the remarkable life and legacy of a native Tryon, North Carolina daughter, who achieved international recognition for her unique talent and her formidable contribution to the musical arts.

The musical talent of Eunice Waymon, who was born in 1933, evidenced itself early on. By age 4 she had begun to play piano; by age 7, she had begun to play organ as well—each of which she did for St. Luke’s C.M.E. Church. Waymon’s formal musical training began shortly thereafter under the tutelage of Muriel Mazzanovich, wife of noted artist Lawrence Mazzanovich.

That Waymon possessed a prodigious talent was recognized by many, so much so, that enthusiastic Tryonites created ‘The Eunice Waymon Fund’ to help underwrite the costs of her future studies. Those studies continued with Carl Friedberg at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and with Vladimer Sokoloff of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Waymon’s professional career, as Nina Simone, began in 1954. Her unique musical style merged a strong classical training with an exceptionally broad range of musical genres, which run the gamut from classical, gospel and jazz to pop, folk and spiritual. That Simone asserted a powerful artistic impact upon late-twentieth-century American popular culture is evident in her expansive discography, her musical arrangements and her original compositions. She was and is a powerful musical force in a global theatre.

Your participation in the Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project supports the recognition of an international musical legend and an icon of human potential realized.

Evolution of Zenos Frudakis's Nina Simone Sculpture for Tryon, NC, with an invitation to the sculpture dedication on 21 February 2010 at 3:00pm in Nina Simone Plaza (54 South Trade Street) and concert at 4:00pm at Polk County High School auditorium.

The Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP)

The Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP) exists to honor the remarkable life and legacy of a native Tryon, North Carolina daughter, who achieved international recognition for her unique talent and her formidable contribution to the musical arts.
The musical talent of Eunice Waymon, who was born in 1933, evidenced itself early on. By age 4 she had begun to play piano; by age 7, she had begun to play organ as well—each of which she did for St. Luke’s C.M.E. Church. Waymon’s formal musical training began shortly thereafter under the tutelage of Muriel Mazzanovich, wife of noted artist Lawrence Mazzanovich.
 
That Waymon possessed a prodigious talent was recognized by many, so much so, that enthusiastic Tryonites created ‘The Eunice Waymon Fund’ to help underwrite the costs of her future studies. Those studies continued with Carl Friedberg at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and with Vladimer Sokoloff of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Waymon’s professional career, as Nina Simone, began in 1954. Her unique musical style merged a strong classical training with an exceptionally broad range of musical genres, which run the gamut from classical, gospel and jazz to pop, folk and spiritual. That Simone asserted a powerful artistic impact upon late-twentieth-century American popular culture is evident in her expansive discography, her musical arrangements and her original compositions. She was and is a powerful musical force in a global theatre. Your participation in the Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project supports the recognition of an international musical legend and an icon of human potential realized.

The Project
VISION STATEMENT
The Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP) exists to honor the remarkable life and musical legacy of Nina Simone, and to inspire and support talented youth to reach their full potential.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Eunice Waymon—Nina Simone Memorial Project (NSP) purposes to establish and promote educational scholarship, to commission a Nina Simone sculpture, and to establish an international music festival in Tryon, North Carolina, with supplemental venues in the broader Western North Carolina region.
GOALS
The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project undertakes to accomplish four related goals.
•Support a broad-based education program, including:
    ◦the creation of an endowed Nina Simone scholarship,
    ◦the development of an educational jazz curriculum highlighting the musical contributions of prominent North Carolinians to the songbook of American popular music,
    ◦the archival preservation of Simone’s material record
    ◦the promotion of Simone as an important Tryon and Polk County, North Carolina cultural and heritage resource
•Commission a life-sized, memorial, bronze sculpture for a public art installation
•Develop a Trans-World Music Festival in the name of Nina Simone as a signature Tryon, Polk County, North Carolina event
•Provide outreach partnering opportunities for Simone’s designated charities:
    ◦Cancer research in underserved communities, arts programming in public education, prevention of abuse against women, and AIDS research, education, & care.
http://www.ninasimoneproject.org/

The Late, Great Nina Simone Celebrated on New CD

Her name is synonymous with the passion, talent and raw emotion that she put into every note she sang and played--and now the “High Priestess of Soul", Nina Simone, is being celebrated on a new CD. Compiled by her former husband, Andy Stroud, the CD features never before heard tracks by Nina, duets with her friends, tracks by family and even a recording of Simone learning French. This newest CD embraces the amazing art and passion of Simone who composed many songs and recorded almost 60 albums during her lifetime. She was the first woman to win the Jazz Culture Award and was named the “Woman of the Year" 1966 Jazz at Home Club and the Female Jazz Singer of the Year, 1967 National Association of Television and Radio Announcers. “The recordings are mostly unknown and provide a rare opportunity for her worldwide audience to listen and appreciate," says Stroud.

Simone and Stroud married in 1961, he became her manager and also wrote songs for her. A talented musician in his own right--Stroud played the trumpet while serving in the Navy during World War II and after with several well known orchestras. Stroud is credited with taking Simone to the next level as a recording artist. He produced her first solo concert at Carnegie Hall and produced her Billboard charted recordings, got national radio play for all her records culminating in her first European tour in 1965. The couple divorced in 1973 although Stroud briefly returned to manage her career from 1977 to 1978. One of the highlights of this CD is a recording of “Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out" performed by Simone and her good friend and fellow accomplished artist Hazel Scott.

Scott is one of the world's most celebrated classically trained pianist and singers. Like Simone she studied at Julliard and appeared numerous times at New York's Carnegie Hall. During a visit Simone and Hazel were sipping wine, playing the piano, singing and chatting. That is when the recording was made and is filled with exclamations by Simone and chit chat after. This private recording is the only one ever made of the two together. Another famous friend is also present on the CD--Boy Edgar, Holland's most famous jazz musician, pianist, trumpeter and composer. Simone and Edgar met in Amsterdam during one of her concerts at Holland's Carnegie Hall--the Concertgebouw and became fast friends. “It Don't Mean a Thing" is a classic performance of Duke Ellington's famous standard with Edgar and the Big Band backing up Simone.
Family is also present on this new CD with cousin, Sandra Bashan, who performs “Misty" and “Whatever Lola Wants". The love of music was deeply rooted in her family. Bashan's mother, Nadine, would play music every morning and claims that little Sandra was singing before she could talk. Simone's musical styling also influenced Stroud's young sons, Andy Jr. and Renny, who as children would often sit and listen to her rehearse and write songs. In 1985 as an Army Captain at Ft. Carson, Colorado Andy Jr. teamed up with Sgt. Lillard “Maverick" Gaither and formed the group FRICTION along with Renny. Their popular song “Bar-B-Que is featured on the album as well as 2 other tracks.

This CD was truly a family affair with Scarlett Stroud, Andy's wife doing the photography and CD Cover Art.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=46664

Simone in Stone

Photo by Jeff Byrd.
On what would have been Nina Simone’s 77th birthday - February 21, 2010 - an eight-foot-tall sculpture of the late artist/activist will be dedicated in the town of her birth, Tryon, North Carolina. The sculptor of record for the piece is Zenos Frudakis, whose work appears in numerous private, university and government collections. Simone’s daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, served as the life model for the sculpture, which will reside in Tryon’s central downtown district at Nina Simone Plaza.

The sculpture was commissioned by the Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Memorial Project. (Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in 1933. She adopted the stage name “Nina Simone” in 1954.) The NSP was founded to honor Simone’s life. Aside from the having the Simone sculpture erected in downtown Tryon, the NSP’s goals include the creation of an endowed Nina Simone scholarship, the development of a music festival in Simone’s name, and providing outreach partnering opportunities for Simone’s designated charities.
For more information, go to http://www.ninasimoneproject.org/.