Forbidden Fruit

I can't find any video of Oscar Brown, Jr.'s song "Forbidden Fruit", so here is Nina Simone's recording of it.

My Father

Damn, if I had found this clip a couple days sooner, I could have posted it for Father's Day. All the same it is a beautiful song, so I am posting it today. Nina Simone performing her song "My Father".

Be My Husband

"Be My Husband" was originally recorded 50 years ago by Nina Simone.  First an a cappella performance by Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan, then Nina's version from 1965.

Tomorrow Is My Turn

Rhiannon Giddens covers this song on her new album, but here is the Nina Simone version of "Tomorrow Is My Turn".

I Loves You Porgy

Nina Simone's 1960 performance of "I loves You Porgy".

Sugar In My Bowl

Throwback Thursday—Nina Simone performing "Sugar In My Bowl" on a French TV show in 1967.

Four Women

Today would have been Nina Simone's 81st Birthday. There is currently a film about Simone in production. I am not sure what the status of the film is. It is listed on IMDB as in post-prodution. There was a controversy when Zoe Saldana was cast to play Nina. This is one role that would be a tall order for just about anyone, so we will have to see how the film turns out.

Here is "Four Women", a song she wrote. In my opinion this is her best song.

Dr. Billy Taylor - R.I.P.

I have not had internet access for a couple days, so I am a couple days late in remarking on the death of Billy Taylor. (Obituary Here) I do not listen to that much Jazz, but I have always liked Taylor, both his songs and his work on the CBS Sunday Morning show.

To mark his passing here Taylor and Les McCann perform what is probably Taylor's best known song, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free ".



My favorite version of the song is by Nina Simone.

Nina Simone

Last week I did posts on three of the greatest Rock & Roll pianist. But I cannot move on from pianist until I do a post on Nina Simone. She is usually classified as a Jazz artist, but she does not fit in any genre. She is pretty much in a class of her own making. I saw her perform twice, once in D.C. and once in Chicago. I believe the Chicago concert was part of the last U.S. tour that she did.


In my Animation post I included an animated version of one of her most popular song, "My Baby Just Cares For Me".

Here she is performing "Ain't Got No", a song from the Musical Hair.



Simone was a classically train pianist, so I am trying to pick videos that show off here piano playing. "Little Girl Blue" is the title track off her first album released in 1958.



Here is another song that was on that first album, "I Loves You Porgy". This is actually the third version of this song that I have posted. Both the Billie Holiday and Lizz Wright posts include this song.

Animation

Two of my favorite animated video.
A claymation version of Nina Simone performing "My Baby Just Cares For Me".

An animated video of "Funny the Way It Is" off the Dave Matthews Band's most recent album.