NINA SIMONE
Nina's Back (Reissue)
BLACKBIRD: The Colpix Recordings (1959-1963)
First-ever luxury 8CD box set of expanded editions of the critically-acclaimed and treasured albums that the iconic Nina Simone recorded for Colpix Records from 1959 to 1963 which formed the very foundation for the global reach she achieved as peerless and influential artist over the decades that followed.
With an astounding 107 tracks covering over seven hours of music, the original albums ‘THE AMAZING NINA SIMONE’ (1959), ‘NINA SIMONE AT TOWN HALL’ (1959), ‘NINA AT NEWPORT’ (1960), ‘FORBIDDEN FRUIT’ (1961), ‘NINA AT THE VILLAGE GATE’ (1962), ‘NINA SIMONE SINGS ELLINGTON’ (1962), ‘NINA SIMONE AT CARNEGIE HALL’ (1963) and ‘FOLKSY NINA’ (recorded in 1963, released in 1964), augmented by 29 bonus tracks consisting of single edits, non-LP sides and a wealth of other material found in the Colpix tape vaults in the early 2000’s.
Including the legendary performer’s first readings of classics such as ‘Wild Is The Wind’, ‘I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl’, ‘Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out’ and ‘Sinner Man’ (key cuts that Nina would revisit over later albums after her Colpix tenure ended.
Plus an astonishing array of diverse material from torch songs ‘You Can Have Him’ and ‘The Other Woman’ to the gospel-flavoured ‘Children Go Where I Send You’, and a later version of Nina’s first US breakthrough 1958 hit ‘I Loves You Porgy’ along with her indelibly distinctive take on folk songs ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’, ‘Little Liza Jane’ and ‘Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair’.
The Montreux Years
Nina Simone’s story from the late sixties to the nineties can be told through her legendary performances in Montreux. Taking to the Montreux stage for the first time on 16 June 1968 for the festival’s second edition,
Simone built a lasting relationship with Montreux Jazz Festival and its Creator and Director Claude Nobs and this unique trust and electricity can be clearly felt on the recordings.
Simone’s multi-faceted and radical story is laid bare on ‘Nina Simone: The Montreux Years’.
From Nina’s glorious and emotional 1968 performance to her fiery and unpredictable concert in 1976, one of the festival’s most remarkable performances ever witnessed, the collection includes recordings from all of her five legendary Montreux concerts – 1968, 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1990.
About Nina
