The Amazing Nina Simone (1959); Nina Simone at Town Hall (1959);
Forbidden Fruit (1960); Nina Simone Sings Ellington (1962); Folksy Nina (1964).
(Review by Debra M.)
This 5 CD collection
is a re-issue of Nina Simone’s early recordings with her first big label
Colpix Records, which followed her
debut LP ‘Little Boy Blue’ with Bethlehem
Records. Her impact had been such
that, unusually, Colpix gave her complete creative control.
The first album, issued in 1959 and recorded at the age of
26 with many years of performing behind her, is The Amazing Nina Simone,
arranged & conducted by Bob Mersey. The range of material reflects her
diverse musical influences and includes jazz standards, folk tunes and
gospel. The opening ballad Blue
Prelude is a compelling reminder of the unique timbre of Nina Simone’s voice. Her
delivery is melancholy and haunting, and
this expressive, subtle style provides another highlight in It
Might As Well Be Spring.
Nina Simone at Town
Hall was recorded on September 12 of
the same year, and captures Simone’s
trio on top form. They are
relaxed & swinging in Exactly
Like You, restrained in The Other Woman, maximising its
lyrical impact, and provide great dynamics in Billie Holliday’s Fine and Mellow. But
the outstanding track is the exquisite Wild
Is the Wind, sung so tenderly, and accompanied by delicate
wind-like flurries from Simone at the piano.
Despite the tempting
title, the third album in the series, Forbidden Fruit, is
more pedestrian , with the exception
of the upbeat, raunchier style of I Love to Love and Work Song, and a heartfelt
rendition of Memphis
Nina Simone Sings Ellington, released in 1962, includes a
selection of well known and more obscure songs from the great composer. The arrangements, featuring orchestra with
horns, strings, and a host of closely harmonied backing singers, are of its
time, and restrict the opportunities
for improvisation , although in the only
instrumental track, Satin Doll, Simone’s distinctive piano
style is evident. The exception is Hey Buddy Bolden , a tribute to
the New Orleans cornetist & one of
the founders of jazz, in which Simone gives
a passionate, hollering
rendition accompanied almost
exclusively by her piano.
The final album is Folksy
Nina, a collection of
live recordings of old English ,
Israeli, Low Country & American blues and traditional tunes. This
provides some unexpected treats, in particular the percussion from Montego Joe on Eretz Zavat Chalav and Vanetihu, and a stripped down interpretation of the old English folk tune The
Twelfth of Never, with piano and bowed bass, which is leagues ahead
of the schmaltzy Donny Osmond version. The album ends sweetly with two children’s
songs You Can Sing A Rainbow, and Hush Little Baby, with
Simone’s vocal backed by delicate interchanges of guitar and piano, lullabies
of the highest calibre.
The Nina
Simone Original Album Series provides 5 quite different albums
that give a great overview of her unique voice and
musicianship, as well as her diverse musical interests. Highly recommended for
established fans, as well as for less familiar
listeners, seeking to discover Simone’s
early eclectic repertoire. It is scheduled for release by Warner on August 25.
Debra M.
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