“The Amazing Nina Simone” by Nina Simone - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1959Album Chart of the Decade: 1950s

TJR says

A move up the coast, from Atlantic City to New York, and a change of label culminated in “The Amazing Nina Simone”, the first of many records that the artist would release on Colpix, a division of Columbia Pictures. As part of the deal, Nina was in full creative control of her works, including the choice of material that would be recorded. And she certainly had an eclectic outlook: “Critics started to talk about what sort of music I was playing” she wrote in her 1991 autobiography, “and tried to find a neat slot to file it away in. It was difficult for them because I was playing popular songs in a classical style with a classical piano technique influenced by cocktail jazz. On top of that I included spirituals and children’s song in my performances, and those sorts of songs were automatically identified with the folk movement. So, saying what sort of music I played gave the critics problems because there was something from everything in there, but it also meant I was appreciated across the board – by jazz, folk, pop and blues fans as well as admirers of classical music.” I concur with her view – years before I read that, I had noted 8 different main genres over the course of these 12 tracks. Despite the eclecticism and her outstanding talent, her second album still leaves me bored more often than not. The set is dominated by two pieces – the rousing, cerebral pop of “Chilly Winds Don’t Blow” and the uplifting gospel traditional “Children Go Where I Send You”. There’s always something worthwhile on a Nina Simone album…

The Jukebox Rebel
21–Aug–2009

Tracklist
A1 [03:22] 4.2.png Nina Simone - Blue Prelude (Gordon Jenkins, Joe Bishop) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
A2 [02:52] 7.2.png Nina Simone - Children Go Where I Send You (Traditional) Soul
A3 [03:02] 3.7.png Nina Simone - Tomorrow (We Will Meet Once More) (Stephen Gale, Jerry Silverman) Songwriter
A4 [02:10] 3.2.png Nina Simone - Stompin’ At The Savoy (Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar Sampson, Andy Razaf) Big Band / Jive / Swing
A5 [03:57] 2.9.png Nina Simone - It Might As Well Be Spring (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) Songwriter
A6 [02:11] 3.8.png Nina Simone - You’ve Been Gone Too Long (John Sellers) Jazz
B1 [02:32] 3.9.png Nina Simone - That’s Him Over There (Marilyn Bergman, Lew Spence) Jazz
B2 [02:47] 9.4.png Nina Simone - Chilly Winds Don’t Blow (Hermann Krasnow, William Lovelock) Cerebral Pop
B3 [02:30] 4.0.png Nina Simone - Theme From "Middle Of The Night" (George Bassman, Paddy Chayefsky) Moodcore
B4 [02:33] 3.8.png Nina Simone - Can’t Get Out Of This Mood (Jimmy MacHugh, Frank Loesser) Big Band / Jive / Swing
B5 [03:14] 3.6.png Nina Simone - Willow Weep For Me (Ann Ronell) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B6 [03:25] 4.1.png Nina Simone - Solitaire [1959 album version] (Carl Nutter, Renee Borek, King Guion) Crooner / Cabaret

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