| Tour by Ledisi | |
 Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Location |
|
|---|---|
| Associated album | Ledisi Sings Nina |
| Start date | May 10, 2019 |
| End date | September 15, 2023 |
| Legs | 2 |
| No. of shows | 21 |
| Ledisi concert chronology | |
The Nina and Me Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Ledisi. After the release of Ledisi's tenth album Ledisi Sings Nina (2021), the tour was revived as Ledisi Sings Nina Tour in July 2021. The Ledisi Sings Nina Tour also coincided with The Wild Card Tour (2021).
In 2003, Ledisi recounted first listening to Nina Simone. [1] After the release of her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue in 2002, she reached a stagnation in her music career. [1] [2]
I was on my rocking chair on my porch in East Oakland, and I was depressed. This was after I recorded two albums, but I had bills, just got divorced, hated the area, and felt like I was not growing. So I decided, 'OK. This is the day. I’m going to leave this earth.' [After hearing Nina Simone's "Trouble in Mind"] It jumped me out of my skin.
— Ledisi on Nina Simone [1]
After hearing Nina Simone's cover version of "Trouble in Mind" on the radio, Ledisi repudiated her thoughts of suicide and revived her career. [1] [2] In 2006, she secured a record deal with major label Verve Forecast Records and went on to release a total of seven albums during her duration on the label. In 2017, she incorporated songs from Simone's repertoire into her concert with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO Pops) at the Kennedy Center. [1] In 2018, she headlined a tribute concert to Simone in New Orleans with the drummer Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. [1] In May 2019, she embarked on the Nina and Me Tour.
During the Nina and Me Tour, Ledisi opened the show with "I Put a Spell on You" and often performed "Feeling Good" as an encore. In 2021, she revamped the set list for the tour and retitled it the Ledisi Sings Nina Tour. The set list included her single "Anything for You". Ledisi opened the show with "Feeling Good". Before performing "Trouble in Mind", she recounted how Nina Simone's version of "Trouble in Mind" helped her overcome her experiences with career stagnation, financial issues, and suicidal thoughts. [3]
Shaun Brady of The Inquirer referred to the concert as "a powerful evening, a fitting tribute to a complex and brilliant artist". [3] Brenda C. Siler of The Washington Informer reviewed Ledisi's March 13th performance at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Siler stated, "Ledisi did not attempt to mimic Simone’s unique vocal style. It was an evening where we heard Ledisi’s multi-octave vocal range. From the moment she came on stage, it was clear Ledisi intended to spread joy." [4]
On December 13, 2019, Ledisi opened her two-week residency show Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue to Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. [5] The show was written by Ledisi and her husband Ron T. Young. It was directed by Gregg Field and produced by Billy Porter and Suzi Dietz. The residency show ended on December 29, 2019.
On November 16, 2020, Ledisi announced the concert special Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone via her Facebook. [6] Professional footage from the residency show Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue aired on American television network PBS on November 28, 2020. The concert special was recorded at Myron's Jazz Cabaret in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada by Ledisi's film company Fig Street Films. [7]
Nina and Me Tour | |||
| Date (2019) | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 10 | Rodney Bay | Saint Lucia | Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival |
| June 7 | St. Louis, Missouri | United States | Powell Hall |
| July 12 | Bethesda, Maryland | The Music Center at Strathmore | |
| August 21 | London | United Kingdom | Royal Albert Hall |
| August 26 | Amsterdam | Concertgebouw | |
| September 6 | Hammond, Indiana | United States | Horseshoe Casino |
| October 4 | Hammond, Indiana | Horseshoe Casino | |
| October 18 | Atlanta | Atlanta Symphony Hall | |
| October 19 | Baltimore | Lyric Baltimore | |
Ledisi Sings Nina Tour | |||
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 24, 2021 | Los Angeles, California | United States | Hollywood Bowl |
| July 30, 2021 | Newport, Rhode Island | Newport Jazz Festival | |
| August 17, 2021 | San Diego, California | The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park | |
| January 12, 2022 | St. Petersburg, Florida | Duke Energy Center | |
| January 13, 2022 | West Palm Beach, Florida | Kravis Center | |
| January 14, 2022 | Miami, Florida | Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts | |
| January 15, 2022 | Tallahassee, Florida | Ruby Diamond Concert Hall | |
| March 13, 2022 | Washington, DC | Kennedy Center | |
| July 22, 2022 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Mann Center | |
| February 23, 2023 | New York City, New York | Carnegie Hall | |
| September 8, 2023 | San Francisco, California | Davies Symphony Hall | |
| September 15, 2023 | New York City, New York | Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival | |
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. In 2023 Rolling Stone ranked Simone at No. 21 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Beth Gibbons is an English singer-songwriter who is the singer and lyricist for the band Portishead, who have released three albums. She released an album with Rustin Man, Out of Season, in 2002, and a recording of Górecki's Symphony No. 3 with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2019. In 2024, she released a solo album, Lives Outgrown.
Jennifer Vashti Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter. She began her career in the mid-1960s and released a debut album, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discouraged, abandoned her musical career. By 2000, her album had acquired a cult following; it was re-released and Bunyan recorded more songs, initiating the second phase of her musical career after a gap of thirty years. She released two more albums, Lookaftering in 2005, and Heartleap in 2014.
"Bird on the Wire" is a song written by Canadian musician Leonard Cohen, which became one of his signature songs. It was recorded 26 September 1968 in Nashville and included on his 1969 album Songs from a Room. A May 1968 recording produced by David Crosby, titled "Like a Bird", was added to the 2007 remastered CD. Judy Collins was the first to release the song on her 1968 album Who Knows Where the Time Goes. Joe Cocker also covered the song on his second studio album the following year and his version reached #78 in Canada.
"Feeling Good" is a song written by English composers Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd. It was first performed on stage in 1964 by Cy Grant on the UK tour.
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.
Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.
"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."
"Trouble in Mind" is a vaudeville blues-style song written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones. Singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones on piano first recorded it in 1924 and in 1926, Bertha "Chippie" Hill popularized the tune with her recording with Jones and trumpeter Louis Armstrong. The song became an early blues standard, with numerous renditions by a variety of musicians in a variety of styles.
Tamar-kali is a critically acclaimed American rock singer-songwriter and composer based in Brooklyn, New York.
Nina Arkadyevna Shatskaya is a Russian singer and actress, best known for her jazzy take on the Russian romance heritage. Staying out of the spotlight, Shatskaya is held in high regard by critics and colleagues. According to composer Nikita Bogoslovsky, "Next to our pop 'legends' she is a true queen: lonely and untouchable." Shatskaya released seven well-received albums and was designated a Meritorious Artist of Russia in 2004.
American singer-songwriter Ledisi has released eleven studio albums, two live albums, one soundtrack album, one extended play, and thirty-eight singles, including three as a featured artist.
Siti Nurhaliza In Symphony – Live With The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra was a concert residency by Malaysian recording artist, Siti Nurhaliza. Held on three consecutive nights in July 2013 at Petronas Philharmonic Hall, this was her first solo concert to be backed entirely by 80-piece Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). The concert marked her 18th year involvement Malaysian music industry with more than 20 albums, where most songs that were performed were taken from her solo albums and couple of songs as tribute to Malaysian singers and artists who have inspired her.
Let Love Rule is the eighth studio album by American musician Ledisi. It was released in September 2017 under Verve Records. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 60th Grammy Awards in January 2018.
Gregg Field is an American record producer and musician, who has worked with many well-known artists. He is a recipient of multiple Grammy and Emmy awards.
Ledisi Sings Nina is the tenth studio album by American singer Ledisi. The album was released on July 23, 2021, by her record label Listen Back Entertainment and distributed by BMG Rights Management. The album was recorded in collaboration with the Metropole Orkest. Ledisi Sings Nina is a tribute album to American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone. The album was nominated for Outstanding Jazz Vocal Album at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Regine at the Movies was a concert residency by Filipino singer Regine Velasquez at the Music Museum in San Juan and the Onstage Theater in Makati. The residency began on November 9 and concluded on December 30, 2001, after completing seventeen shows. The set list featured various covers of film soundtracks, including Velasquez's movie themes. The show was exclusively promoted by Maximedia International. In November 2018, ABS-CBN produced the re-staging of the residency which was held during three non-consecutive nights in November at the New Frontier Theater. Gabby Eigenmann was the guest act during the 2001 series, while Sharon Cuneta, Daniel Padilla, and Piolo Pascual were selected for the 2018 shows. Raul Mitra served as musical director for both productions. It received a positive reception from music critics, who praised the intimate show and Velasquez's vocal abilities.
Good Life is the eleventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Ledisi. It was released on March 15, 2024, by Listen Back Entertainment, and distributed by BMG Rights Management.
The Wild Card Tour was the eighth concert tour by American singer Ledisi, in support of her ninth studio album The Wild Card (2020).
Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue was the first concert residency by American singer Ledisi. It was held for three consecutive nights in December 2019. The residency was held at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. Ledisi performed a set list consisting of her songs as well as songs written or performed by Nina Simone, backed by her own band to an audience of 500. The concept of the shows revolves around impact Ledisi's mother Nyra Young and American singer Nina Simone had on Ledisi's life and career. The show also featured a tribute to other influential figures, including Philandro Castile, Marilyn Monroe, Julia Roberts, and Michael Jackson.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Concert tours | |
| Concert residencies | |
