History
Nina Simone was signed to CTI Records after the veteran jazz producer Creed Taylor saw her perform live in 1977 at Drury Lane, and together they would record "Baltimore," Simone's first album since 1974's It Is Finished. [1]
However, sessions for the album were very tense: Simone disagreed with Taylor's production choices—particularly his interest in a reggae sound, which first caused Simone to ask "What is this corny stuff?" [2] Simone's dissatisfaction delayed production, but she would eventually record her vocals for the album in a single hour-long sitting. [3] Simone would later recall of the historic barn where Baltimore was recorded "a basement in Belgium where I was forced to sing songs in order to get out of there." [4]
Simone would later say of the album, "The material was not my personal choice, and I had no say whatsoever in the selection of songs. It was all done before I could make any decisions," leaving it unclear whether Simone—who had notably insisted on creative control in her contracts with previous labels—is referring to the final selection of tracks included on the album or the entire selection of songs ever recorded for it. While Simone may not have had full control over the song selection, she had previously chosen to perform several of the album's songs live, including "Music for Lovers" as early as 1966 (suggesting that she had some say in the songs recorded for Baltimore, as it is unlikely that Taylor would have chosen this song on his own.) [5]
Several of the songs on Baltimore were performed for Simone during the concert Taylor attended before signing her to record Baltimore, including "Balm in Gilead," "Rich Girl," "Everything Must Change," and "That's All I Want from You." Additionally, Simone would rerecord "If You Pray Right," retitled "Heaven Belongs to You," on her album Fodder on My Wings and performed "If You Pray Right" and "Baltimore" for her live 1987 album Let It Be Me.
The album failed to do well commercially, although it received substantial press attention. Critical reception for Baltimore was mixed.
The title track was released as a single in the UK, US, and Australia in 1978, and "The Family" was released as a single in the US in 1979.
Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.
CTI Records is a jazz record label founded in 1967 by Creed Taylor. CTI was a subsidiary of A&M before becoming independent in 1970. Its first album was A Day in the Life by guitarist Wes Montgomery in 1967. The final release, by the CTI Jazz All-Star Band, was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2009, and released in November 2010 on multiple formats: CD, DVD and Blu-ray.
Little Criminals is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman. Like most of Newman's work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. The first song on the album – "Short People" – became a hit single in its own right. The album itself peaked at #9 on the US Billboard 200 chart, Newman's highest-charting album to date.
David Matthews, is an American keyboardist, pianist, and music arranger.
Eric Gale was an American jazz and R&B guitarist.
Let It All Out is an album by Nina Simone, released by Philips Records in February 1966.
Fodder on My Wings is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. It is part of her later works, and can be regarded alongside Baltimore (1978) as one of her better achievements of that period. It is however a rather obscure album and not widely distributed. The album is one of Simone's most introspective and personal works, with songs about her father's death and her stay in Liberia, Trinidad, and Switzerland. There is some confusion about the actual title of the album and the song with almost the same title on the album, being called "Fodder on My Wings", "Fodder in My Wings", "Fodder in Her Wings" interchangeably. In 2015, the album was reissued on CD in the US by Sunnyside. In April 2020 the album was reissued on vinyl, CD and digital format with an alternative track-listing and new album artwork.
Live at Ronnie Scott's is an album by American singer-songwriter Nina Simone. It is a live recording of a concert she gave at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in 1984, a London venue where she performed a few times in her later life.
A Single Woman is the final studio album by the singer Nina Simone, released in 1993 via Elektra Records.
The Amazing Nina Simone is the second studio album by Nina Simone, released in July 1959. It was her second album, and her first recording for Colpix Records. The album contains a variety of material, including jazz, gospel, and folk songs. Compared to her debut, which showcased Simone's piano playing ability in addition to her singing, the piano was downplayed on Amazing in favor of string arrangements.
Nina Simone at Town Hall is the first live album by Nina Simone, released in December 1959. It was her third album of that year, her second album for Colpix Records, and her first live album. The basis for the record was Simone's performance at the Town Hall, New York, on 12 September 1959. All of the songs performed at the concert are on the album; however, three of the tracks are studio versions cut the following month.
Nina Simone at Newport is a live album by jazz singer and musician Nina Simone. It was released in August 1960; the recording taken from a concert held at the Newport Jazz Festival earlier in the year, on 30 June 1960. The album was her fourth overall, and her third for Colpix; it was also her second live album, following on from Nina Simone at Town Hall (1959) released at the end of the previous year. All arrangements on Nina Simone at Newport were written by Simone, and it was produced by Stu Phillips.
Forbidden Fruit is the third studio album by Nina Simone. It was her second studio album for Colpix. The rhythm section accompanying her is the same trio as on both live albums before and after this release.
Nina Simone at the Village Gate is a live album by singer / pianist / songwriter Nina Simone. Released in early 1962, it was her third live album for Colpix. The album was recorded at The Village Gate, a nightclub in Greenwich Village, New York in late March 1961, nearly a year before it saw release. The original release featured eight of the twelve songs performed at the gig. In 2005, an extended version of the album was released with the four remaining tracks.
Nina Simone in Concert is an album by the jazz singer Nina Simone. It is her first album for the record label Philips, composed of three live recordings made at Carnegie Hall, New York City, in March and April 1964. Simone recorded Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall in 1963 for Colpix.
Little Girl Blue: Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club is the debut studio album by Nina Simone. Recorded in late 1957, it was eventually released by Bethlehem Records in February 1959. Due to the length of time the album had taken to be released and the lack of any promotional single either immediately before or alongside the album, Simone would become disillusioned with Bethlehem and sign with Colpix Records in April 1959. She recorded the tracks for her second album - what would become The Amazing Nina Simone - the same month. However, in May Bethlehem finally released a single, "I Loves You, Porgy" and gave Simone her first hit later that year, peaking at number 18 on the pop charts, and number 2 on the R&B charts. Helped by the profile of the single, the album too went on to become a chart success.
"There Is A Balm in Gilead" is a traditional African American spiritual. The date of composition is unclear, though the song dates at least to the 19th century. A version of the refrain can be found in Washington Glass's 1854 hymn "The Sinner's Cure". The Clark Sisters recorded a version of Balm In Gilead in 1986.
"Four Women" is a song written by jazz singer, composer, pianist and arranger Nina Simone, released on the 1966 album Wild Is the Wind. It tells the story of four African American women. Each of the four characters represents an African-American stereotype in society. Thulani Davis of The Village Voice called the song "an instantly accessible analysis of the damning legacy of slavery, that made iconographic the real women we knew and would become."
Gary W King was an American jazz bassist, songwriter, composer, and arranger. He was born in Middletown, New York.
Gifted & Black is an unofficial studio album from jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter Nina Simone. It was originally released in 1970 by Canyon Records. However, it is thought to be a demo tape made by Simone in the spring of 1957 some months before the recording of Little Girl Blue, her first official album, in December of the same year. For the release in 1970, the original recording had strings added.
