Metropole Orkest conducted by Jules Buckley; Lisa Fischer, Ledisi (vocals); LaSharVu (backing vocals)
(Review by Leah Williams.)
A homage to Nina Simone –
where do you even start? From young piano virtuoso to civil rights activist to ‘The
High Priestess of Soul’, Nina Simone is a figure whose talent, raw life
experience and unflinching determination has given her an appeal that crosses
the boundaries of geography, race and time.
From the opening notes of
the instrumental medley of African Mailman and Sinnerman,
it was clear that Nina’s distinct style and infectious rhythms would be given
their due. The Netherlands-based Metropole Orkest is a symphony orchestra with
an integrated big band who play across the jazz, pop, world and film music
genres. It’s immediately obvious that they are the right musicians for the job
and, under the baton of Brit Jules Buckley, their mastery of and enthusiasm for
the excellent arrangements of Simone’s songs was quite outstanding. From lush
strings to unique rhythms to solo improvisations, every musician contributed to
capturing the jaunty, sultry and severe edges of her music.
The orchestra were joined
onstage by backing vocalists LeSharVu and soloists Lisa Fischer and Ledisi.
They all played their part in bringing depth and authenticity to the music and
were incredibly generous with their voices, spirits and emotions.
Although both have
different vocal styles from Nina Simone’s somehow throwaway yet emotionally
charged sound, Lisa and Ledisi were excellent choices as soloists. Lisa has an
enchanting richness and maturity in her voice that lulls you into its embrace
then surprises you with an unexpected vocal line or phrasing. Ledisi was quite
clearly overjoyed to be there and this unbridled enthusiasm shone out and
evoked a certain wildness and raw energy. Together they represented well the
different facets of Simone’s character and sound, with their respective musical
numbers well chosen.
Two ballads,
Plain Gold Ring and Little Girl Blue
(which was dedicated to Simone’s granddaughter who was apparently in the
audience), followed the instrumental intro and were executed well. But it was
with those immediately recognisable opening notes of My Baby Just
Cares for Me that the concert really began to swing. And it didn’t
let up for a single moment after that. If anything, the musicians seemed to
take it up another notch after the interval. Pianist Hans Vroomans opened up
the second half with a piano solo full of a personality, grace and virtuosity
that seemed to bring Simone back to life.
One particularly haunting
and emotive moment came in the form of an evocative, rich and desperate
portrayal of Dambala by Lisa Fischer. The moment where the
vocals became almost a cry of anguish as the full orchestra swept in will not
be easily forgotten.
There was a good
representation of music from across Simone’s career, but with the concert named
‘Mississippi Goddam’ there was of course an emphasis on the music she made as
she grappled with injustice and inequality and became more and more engaged
with the civil rights movement. Simone said that “an artist’s duty, as far as I’m
concerned, is to reflect the times” and this sold out Prom showed just how
important she was as a voice of her time – but also one that still rings clear
today.
No moment showed this
better than in that powerhouse title track of Mississippi
Goddam, where Ledisi took some artistic liberty with the lyrics at the
end to include a well-received dig at Donald Trump, followed up with:
“Let’s all give it up for
Nina Simone right now. I think if she was here she’d be cussing everybody out
saying ‘what’s wrong with y’all, when are you going to get it together?’”
Ledisi also finished up
the programme, with a stripped-back a cappella version of a spiritual song
Simone often sang leading straight into the powerful lyrics of Simone’s
well-known version of I Wish I Knew How (It Would Feel to Be
Free).
This would have been a strong enough ending on its own but, of course, the audience wanted more and there was one song everyone had been waiting to hear. What else but Feeling Good could have been the encore? Holding absolutely nothing back and leaving nothing behind, the orchestra and vocalists came together one final time to truly encapsulate and celebrate the legendary persona and music of Nina Simone.
Leah
This would have been a strong enough ending on its own but, of course, the audience wanted more and there was one song everyone had been waiting to hear. What else but Feeling Good could have been the encore? Holding absolutely nothing back and leaving nothing behind, the orchestra and vocalists came together one final time to truly encapsulate and celebrate the legendary persona and music of Nina Simone.
Leah
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