Welcome back to a new appointment with Musical Disclosure. Today we talk about one of the most powerful and original voices in the history of jazz: Nina Simone.

 

Born in 1933 in North Carolina as Eunice Kathleen Waymon, Nina Simone showed a great talent for the piano from a young age. Despite coming from a poor family, she graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in New York and, with the ambition of becoming a concert pianist, she tried to enter the Music Institute of Philadelphia. She began performing in a venue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to pay for lessons with a professor from Curtis. It was there that, at the invitation of the nightclub owner, the young Eunice (who would take the stage name Nina Simone by combining the nickname "niña," given to her by her boyfriend at the time, and the name of French actress Simone Signoret) began her career as a versatile singer, accompanying herself on the piano in performances that mixed blues, jazz, and classical music, earning the admiration of loyal fans. In 1957, a demo of hers ended up in the hands of some members of Bethlehem Records, who were determined to sign her, captivated by the charm of her voice. From the set that the singer performed in Atlantic City, 13 tracks were selected and recorded, although the long improvised parts were not included. Of these, 11 tracks were collected in a debut album: "Little Girl Blue: Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club" (1959). However, Nina Simone saw this project simply as an opportunity to finance her studies and fulfill her dream of becoming a concert pianist. In fact, the stage name Nina Simone was a ploy to escape criticism from her family, particularly her mother, who would not have welcomed the idea of her daughter playing "the Devil's Music." Little Girl Blue includes covers of famous jazz tracks, from "Mood Indigo," composed by Duke Ellington, to "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Walter Donaldson, and "I Loves You, Porgy," a duet with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The latter was chosen in May 1959 as a single to launch the album, allowing Nina Simone to enter the U.S. charts and ensuring her deserved success. But the long recording times of the album and the label's initial refusal to promote it with a single led Nina Simone to terminate the contract and sign with Colpix Records in 1959. Almost twenty years later, in 1987, the song "My Baby Just Cares for Me" became a hit all over Europe after being used as the soundtrack for a Chanel No. 5 commercial, leading to a successful reissue of the album.

 

We leave you today to listen to this splendid cover and the enchanting voice of Nina Simone.