Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone

Nina Simone, Briefly, on CD/DVD

Nina Simone, Briefly, on CD/DVD Virtually all of Nina Simone’s studio recordings, from her first with Bethlehem to her last with Elektra, are available on CD. The earliest recorded Nina is Little Girl Blue (Neon NE 3541). Her Colpix albums have also been reissued, and among the best is Nina Simone at Town Hall (COL CD 6208), which captures the performance that sparked her career. Nina’s seven albums during her Philips years have been compiled in a fourCD box set from Verve, Four Women (440 065 021 2). Nina’s RCA years are compiled in a CD/DVD package To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (RCA Legacy 88697 11009 2). In both of these packages Nina is at the height of her popularity and innovation. Nina recorded sporadically from the mid-seventies until 1993. Three of the albums illuminate a maturing if idosyncratic musician, Baltimore (Sony 5127912), released in 1978; Fodder on Her Wings (SSC 114), released in 1992; and A Single Woman (Elektra D-135417), the last. A more freewheeling Nina is evident on two CDs from live performances, A Very Rare Evening (Mambo Records, 804065144) from April 1969 in Munich, and Nina Simone: The Rising Sun Collection (RSCD 0004), which captures Nina’s performance at the July 1980 Montreal Jazz Festival. Nina was at her most compelling live, and some of her performances are available on DVD. The earliest is a segment from her September 11, 1960, performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, titled The Soul of Nina Simone (RCA Legacy 82876 71973 2). Segments of Nina performing in Holland in 1965 and in London in 1968 are available on Jazz Icons: Nina Simone Live in ’65 & ’68 (Naxos, 2.119014). Three of Nina’s performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival are available on Live at Montreux (Eaglerock, EE 39106-9). An absorbing look at Nina, reflecting on her music and in performance, is contained in a halfhour documentary produced by Peter Rodis that is part of the To Be Free package from RCA Legacy. This page intentionally left blank ...