The Amazing Nina Simone | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 1959 | |||
Recorded | April 1959 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey | |||
Genre | Vocal jazz, jazz, blues, gospel | |||
Length | 33:31 | |||
Label | Colpix | |||
Producer | Hecky Krasnow | |||
Nina Simone chronology | ||||
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The Amazing Nina Simone is the second studio album by Nina Simone, released in July 1959. [1] 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. [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
Simone's first album Little Girl Blue had been released by Bethlehem Records in February 1959. [3] [4] [5] However, the tracks for that album had been recorded way back in late 1957, and Simone was dissatisfied by the time it took for Bethlehem to release the album as well as the lack of effort the record company took in promoting her. Soon after Little Girl Blue was released she was talking to Colpix Records about a new contract. As Nadine Cohodas puts it in Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone (2010): 'Unbeknownst to Nina, discussions about her career were going forward on two fronts'. [6] On the one hand, at Bethlehem, Simone's contract was approaching its option. New owner Syd Nathan, who ran King Records and who had recently bailed out the ailing Bethlehem, did not want to renew. 'We don't need the broad' he told Gus Wildi, Bethlehem's founder. [6] On the other hand, Joyce Selznick (niece of the producer David O. Selznick and East Coast talent scout for Columbia Pictures) wanted Simone at Colpix - Columbia's record division. Selznick arranged an audition, and Simone was signed immediately. [6]
The album was recorded in April 1959, and - according to Cohodas - 14 tracks were cut. [6]
The album was released in July 1959. In a review dated 25 July 1959 in Cash Box , the premier American music industry trade magazine of the time, the reviewer wrote: 'Emerging as one of the bright new singing talents of the year, Nina Simone makes her Colpix LP debut [...] Her deep-toned expressive voice and exquisite phrasing are a listening delight. Outstanding album.' [7] The album featured 12 tracks.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Blue Prelude" | Joe Bishop (m), Gordon Jenkins (l) | 3:15 |
2. | "Children Go Where I Send You" | Simone, Traditional | 2:45 |
3. | "Tomorrow (We Will Meet Once More)" | Jerry Silverman, Stephen Gale | 2:56 |
4. | "Stompin' at the Savoy" | Benny Goodman (m), Chick Webb (m), Edgar Sampson (m), Andy Razaf (l) | 2:05 |
5. | "It Might as Well Be Spring" | Richard Rodgers (m), Oscar Hammerstein II (l) | 3:50 |
6. | "You've Been Gone Too Long" | Brother John Sellers | 2:08 |
7. | "That's Him Over There" | Lew Spence (m), Marilyn Keith (l) | 2:28 |
8. | "Chilly Winds Don't Blow" | William Lovelock, Hecky Krasnow | 2:40 |
9. | "Theme From Middle of the Night " | George Bassman (m), Paddy Chayefsky (l) | 2:25 |
10. | "Can't Get Out of This Mood" | Jimmy McHugh (m), Frank Loesser (l) | 2:30 |
11. | "Willow Weep for Me" | Ann Ronell | 3:10 |
12. | "Solitaire" | King Guion (m), Carl Nutter (l), Renee Borek (l) | 3:20 |
This is a list of contemporary singles with tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone as an A Side. [8] [9]
Year | Month | Title: A Side / B Side | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | June | 'Chilly Winds Don't Blow' / 'Solitaire' | Both tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone |
1959 | September | 'Children Go Where I Send You' / 'Willow Weep For Me' | Both tracks from The Amazing Nina Simone |
Between 1959 and 1963, Colpix issued 14 Nina Simone singles. The first two are listed above, with A Sides from The Amazing Nina Simone. A number of subsequent singles which had A Sides taken from later albums or were non-album tracks would feature some cuts from The Amazing Nina Simone as B Sides. These are her third, fifth, eleventh, and twelfth Colpix singles. [8] [9]
Year | Month | Title: A Side / B Side | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1959 | November | 'The Other Woman' / 'It Might As Well Be Spring' | A: At Town Hall (1959) / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
1960 | May | 'Since My Love Has Gone' / 'Tomorrow (We Shall Meet Once More)' | A: Non-album track / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
1961 | December | 'Come On Back, Jack' / 'You've Been Gone Too Long' | A: Non-album track / B: The Amazing Nina Simone |
1962 | March | 'In The Evening By The Moonlight' / 'Chilly Winds Don't Blow' | A: At Newport (1960) / B: The Amazing Nina Simone and already appeared on single as an A-Side |
The Amazing Nina Simone was reissued in 2005 with the same track listing but with four additional songs ('I Loves You Porgy', 'Falling In Love Again (I Can't Help It)', 'That's All', and 'The Man With A Horn'). All these songs were originally issued on Nina Simone with Strings (1966). [10]
Eunice Kathleen Waymon, known professionally as Nina Simone, was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop.
"Sinner Man" or "Sinnerman" is an African American traditional spiritual song that has been recorded by a number of performers and has been incorporated in many other media and arts. The lyrics describe a sinner attempting to hide from divine justice on Judgment Day. It was recorded in the 1950s by Les Baxter, the Swan Silvertones, the Weavers and others, before Nina Simone recorded an extended version in 1965.
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia (Col) and Pictures (Pix). CBS, which owned Columbia Records, then sued Columbia Pictures for trademark infringement over the Colpix name.
"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.
High Priestess of Soul is a studio album by jazz singer, pianist and songwriter Nina Simone. The songs are accompanied by a large band directed and arranged by Hal Mooney. The album contains pop songs and African American gospel and folk related songs written by Simone herself. After this album title –an attempt to broaden her appeal by management execs– Nina Simone was sometimes titled “the high priestess of soul”, although she completely rejected the title herself because it placed a label on her as an artist. However, according to her daughter, Lisa, she never hated that moniker.
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.
Baltimore is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, released in January 1978 by CTI Records. Due to a lack of promotion, and Simone's dissatisfaction with the record, It became a commercial failure, failed to chart, and also received mixed reviews from critics. It would also become her first and only album released under her contract with CTI Records. The title track was originally written and recorded by Randy Newman in 1977.
Sings the Blues is an album by singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. This was Simone's first album for RCA Records after previously recording for Colpix Records and Philips Records. The album was also reissued in 2006 with bonus tracks, and re-packaged in 1991 by RCA/Novus as a 17-track compilation under the title The Blues.
Nina Simone and Her Friends is an album released by the Bethlehem Records label that compiled songs by jazz singers Nina Simone, Carmen McRae and Chris Connor. All three artists had left the label and signed with other companies by the time Bethlehem released this album. The numbers by Simone - with the exception of her 1959 hit single 'I Loves You, Porgy' were "left overs" from the recording sessions for her debut album Little Girl Blue (1959) and released without her knowledge. The tracks by Chris Connor and Carmen McRae were already issued together this way as Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1956 accompanied by the debut recording session of Julie London.
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.
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.
Joyce Selznick was a talent agent, casting director, and screenwriter. She was the niece of film producer David O. Selznick, providing her with early exposure to the industry. Her career spanned three decades and began with her discovery of a New York truck driver named Bernie Schwartz whom she developed him into a matinee idol and future actor Tony Curtis. and climaxed with the casting of The Buddy Holly Story, released in 1978. Her work ended with her premature death in 1981 at age 56 from breast cancer.
"My Man's Gone Now" is an aria composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by DuBose Heyward, written for the opera Porgy and Bess (1935).
"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.
Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and arranger.
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.