NINA SIMONE

Vocal Jazz • United States
Jazz music community with review and forums
NINA SIMONE picture
Nina Simone (1933–2003), was a U.S. singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist.

Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21st February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, one of eight children. Like a number of other black singers in the U.S., she was inspired as a child by Marian Anderson, and began singing at her local church, also showing great talent as a pianist. Her public debut, a piano recital, was made at the age of ten. Her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for some white people. This incident contributed to her later involvement in the civil rights movement.

Simone's mother, Mary Kate Waymon (who lived into her late nineties) was a strict Methodist minister; her father, John Divine Waymon, was a handyman and sometime barber who suffered bouts of ill-health. Mrs
read more...
Thanks to snobb, dreadpirateroberts for the updates

NINA SIMONE Online Videos

See all NINA SIMONE videos

Buy NINA SIMONE music

More places to buy jazz & NINA SIMONE music

NINA SIMONE Discography

NINA SIMONE albums / top albums

NINA SIMONE Little Girl Blue album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Little Girl Blue
Vocal Jazz 1959
NINA SIMONE The Amazing... album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Amazing...
Vocal Jazz 1959
NINA SIMONE Forbidden Fruit album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Forbidden Fruit
Vocal Jazz 1961
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone Sings Ellington album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone Sings Ellington
Vocal Jazz 1962
NINA SIMONE Broadway Blues Ballads album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Broadway Blues Ballads
Vocal Jazz 1964
NINA SIMONE Pastel Blues album cover 3.00 | 1 ratings
Pastel Blues
Vocal Jazz 1965
NINA SIMONE I Put a Spell on You album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
I Put a Spell on You
Vocal Jazz 1965
NINA SIMONE Let It All Out album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Let It All Out
Vocal Jazz 1965
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone With Strings album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone With Strings
Vocal Jazz 1966
NINA SIMONE High Priestess of Soul (aka Ne Me Quitte Pas) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
High Priestess of Soul (aka Ne Me Quitte Pas)
Vocal Jazz 1967
NINA SIMONE Silk & Soul album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Silk & Soul
Vocal Jazz 1967
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone Sings the Blues album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Vocal Jazz 1967
NINA SIMONE To Love Somebody album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
To Love Somebody
Vocal Jazz 1969
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone and Piano! album cover 5.00 | 1 ratings
Nina Simone and Piano!
Vocal Jazz 1969
NINA SIMONE Gospel According to Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Gospel According to Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 1973
NINA SIMONE Baltimore album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Baltimore
Vocal Jazz 1978
NINA SIMONE Fodder on my Wings album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Fodder on my Wings
Vocal Jazz 1982
NINA SIMONE Nina's Back album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina's Back
Vocal Jazz 1985
NINA SIMONE A Single Woman album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
A Single Woman
Vocal Jazz 1993

NINA SIMONE EPs & splits

NINA SIMONE live albums

NINA SIMONE At Town Hall album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
At Town Hall
Vocal Jazz 1959
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone at Newport album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone at Newport
Vocal Jazz 1960
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone at the Village Gate album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone at the Village Gate
Vocal Jazz 1962
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall
Vocal Jazz 1963
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone in Concert album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone in Concert
Vocal Jazz 1964
NINA SIMONE Folksy Nina album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Folksy Nina
Vocal Jazz 1964
NINA SIMONE 'Nuff Said! album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
'Nuff Said!
Vocal Jazz 1968
NINA SIMONE Black Gold album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Black Gold
Vocal Jazz 1970
NINA SIMONE In Concert: Emergency Ward! album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
In Concert: Emergency Ward!
Vocal Jazz 1973
NINA SIMONE It Is Finished album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
It Is Finished
Vocal Jazz 1974
NINA SIMONE Live at Ronnie Scott's album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Live at Ronnie Scott's
Vocal Jazz 1984
NINA SIMONE Let It Be Me album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Let It Be Me
Vocal Jazz 1987
NINA SIMONE The Great Show of Nina Simone 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Great Show of Nina Simone "Live in Paris"
Vocal Jazz 1996
NINA SIMONE You've Got To Learn album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
You've Got To Learn
Vocal Jazz 2023

NINA SIMONE demos, promos, fans club and other releases (no bootlegs)

NINA SIMONE re-issues & compilations

NINA SIMONE Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Jazz as Played in an Exclusive Side Street Club
Vocal Jazz 1958
NINA SIMONE Wild Is the Wind album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Wild Is the Wind
Vocal Jazz 1966
NINA SIMONE The Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 1970
NINA SIMONE Here Comes the Sun album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Here Comes the Sun
Vocal Jazz 1971
NINA SIMONE Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Vocal Jazz 1988
NINA SIMONE Pastel Blues / Let It All Out album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Pastel Blues / Let It All Out
Vocal Jazz 1990
NINA SIMONE In Concert / I Put a Spell on You album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
In Concert / I Put a Spell on You
Vocal Jazz 1990
NINA SIMONE Wild Is the Wind - High Priestess of Soul album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Wild Is the Wind - High Priestess of Soul
Vocal Jazz 1990
NINA SIMONE The Blues album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Blues
Vocal Jazz 1991
NINA SIMONE Moon of Alabama album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Moon of Alabama
Vocal Jazz 1991
NINA SIMONE The Essential Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Essential Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 1993
NINA SIMONE The Best of 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Best of "The Colpix Years"
Vocal Jazz 1993
NINA SIMONE The 60's, Volume 1: Ne me quitte pas album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The 60's, Volume 1: Ne me quitte pas
Vocal Jazz 1993
NINA SIMONE The Tomato Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Tomato Collection
Vocal Jazz 1994
NINA SIMONE Verve Jazz Masters 17 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Verve Jazz Masters 17
Vocal Jazz 1994
NINA SIMONE Feeling Good: The Very Best of Nina Simone album cover 4.00 | 2 ratings
Feeling Good: The Very Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 1994
NINA SIMONE The Essential Nina Simone, Volume 2 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Essential Nina Simone, Volume 2
Vocal Jazz 1994
NINA SIMONE Verve Jazz Masters 58: Nina Simone Sings Nina album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Verve Jazz Masters 58: Nina Simone Sings Nina
Vocal Jazz 1996
NINA SIMONE Anthology: The Colpix Years album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Anthology: The Colpix Years
Vocal Jazz 1996
NINA SIMONE Released album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Released
Vocal Jazz 1996
NINA SIMONE Blue for You: The Very Best Of album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Blue for You: The Very Best Of
Vocal Jazz 1997
NINA SIMONE Sugar in My Bowl: The Very Best of Nina Simone 1967-1972 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Sugar in My Bowl: The Very Best of Nina Simone 1967-1972
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE The Amazing Nina Simone / Nina Simone at Town Hall album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Amazing Nina Simone / Nina Simone at Town Hall
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE The Masters - 20 Classic Tracks album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Masters - 20 Classic Tracks
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE Forbidden Fruit / Nina Simone at Newport album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Forbidden Fruit / Nina Simone at Newport
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE At Newport, at the Village Gate, and Elsewhere... album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
At Newport, at the Village Gate, and Elsewhere...
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE I Got Life and Many Others album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
I Got Life and Many Others
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE Folksy Nina / Nina With Strings album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Folksy Nina / Nina With Strings
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE To Love Somebody / Here Comes the Sun album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
To Love Somebody / Here Comes the Sun
Vocal Jazz 1998
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone & Piano! / Silk & Soul album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone & Piano! / Silk & Soul
Vocal Jazz 1999
NINA SIMONE Gin House Blues album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Gin House Blues
Vocal Jazz 1999
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone's Finest Hour album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone's Finest Hour
Vocal Jazz 2000
NINA SIMONE Bittersweet: The Very Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Bittersweet: The Very Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2000
NINA SIMONE Legendary Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Legendary Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2000
NINA SIMONE Midnite Jazz & Blues: I Loves You Porgy album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Midnite Jazz & Blues: I Loves You Porgy
Vocal Jazz 2000
NINA SIMONE Sings Duke Ellington / At Carnegie Hall album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Sings Duke Ellington / At Carnegie Hall
Vocal Jazz 2000
NINA SIMONE Emergency Ward / It Is Finished / Black Gold album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Emergency Ward / It Is Finished / Black Gold
Vocal Jazz 2002
NINA SIMONE Four Women: The Nina Simone Philips Recordings album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Four Women: The Nina Simone Philips Recordings
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE Anthology album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Anthology
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE The Diva Series album cover 5.00 | 1 ratings
The Diva Series
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE Dejavu Retro Gold Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Dejavu Retro Gold Collection
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE The Essential Album album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Essential Album
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE The Nina Simone Story album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Nina Simone Story
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE The Lady Has the Blues album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Lady Has the Blues
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE The Essential Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Essential Collection
Vocal Jazz 2003
NINA SIMONE Love Songs (2004) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Love Songs (2004)
Vocal Jazz 2004
NINA SIMONE The Jazz Biography album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Jazz Biography
Vocal Jazz 2004
NINA SIMONE The Nina Simone Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Nina Simone Collection
Vocal Jazz 2004
NINA SIMONE Mood Indigo album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Mood Indigo
Vocal Jazz 2004
NINA SIMONE Nina Simone for Lovers album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Nina Simone for Lovers
Vocal Jazz 2005
NINA SIMONE Love Songs album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Love Songs
Vocal Jazz 2005
NINA SIMONE The Soul of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Soul of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2005
NINA SIMONE The Solid Gold Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Solid Gold Collection
Vocal Jazz 2005
NINA SIMONE Legends album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Legends
Vocal Jazz 2005
NINA SIMONE The Definitive Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Definitive Collection
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE The Very Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Very Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE Forever Young, Gifted & Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Forever Young, Gifted & Black: Songs of Freedom and Spirit
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE Collections album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Collections
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE The Very Best of Nina Simone Volume 2 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Very Best of Nina Simone Volume 2
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE Songs to Sing: The Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Songs to Sing: The Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2006
NINA SIMONE Just Like a Woman: Nina Simone Sings Classic Songs of the '60s album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Just Like a Woman: Nina Simone Sings Classic Songs of the '60s
Vocal Jazz 2007
NINA SIMONE 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2007
NINA SIMONE Tell It Like It Is: Rarities & Unreleased Recordings 1967-1973 album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Tell It Like It Is: Rarities & Unreleased Recordings 1967-1973
Vocal Jazz 2008
NINA SIMONE To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story
Vocal Jazz 2008
NINA SIMONE The Jazz Plays... The Definitive Nina Simone Collection album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Jazz Plays... The Definitive Nina Simone Collection
Vocal Jazz 2008
NINA SIMONE Angel of the Morning: The Best of Nina Simone album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
Angel of the Morning: The Best of Nina Simone
Vocal Jazz 2009
NINA SIMONE The Real... Nina Simone (The Ultimate Nina Simone Collection) album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Real... Nina Simone (The Ultimate Nina Simone Collection)
Vocal Jazz 2013
NINA SIMONE The Philips Years album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Philips Years
Vocal Jazz 2016
NINA SIMONE The Colpix Singles album cover 0.00 | 0 ratings
The Colpix Singles
Vocal Jazz 2018

NINA SIMONE singles (1)

.. Album Cover
0.00 | 0 ratings
See-Line Woman
Vocal Jazz 2002

NINA SIMONE movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

NINA SIMONE Reviews

NINA SIMONE The Diva Series

Boxset / Compilation · 2003 · Vocal Jazz
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
jazzoh
This album was for me the first ever Jazz CD I bought and simply based on the beautiful cover art. Well, the series by Verve is definately a good buy and a great way to build a jazz-vocal library. The fact that some are live performances makes this album even more interesting and it gives an insight in what was going on in the time of Nina's life and the history of the U.S.A. Listening to this album you get the feeling as if Nina is singing live in your own livingroom. I would say that all the best songs are on the album, but that is something depending on the knowledge you have of Nina's discography. For me there are a few that stand out: Mississippi Goddam, Don't You Pay Them No Mind, I Put A Spell On You & Wild Is The Wind. If you're still a beginning jazz lover, buy the diva series! If you are a fan of Nina, and you don't have this album in your collection yet, you should buy it today. Verve has shown real excellence with this compilation!

NINA SIMONE Feeling Good: The Very Best of Nina Simone

Boxset / Compilation · 1994 · Vocal Jazz
Cover art Buy this album from MMA partners
dreadpirateroberts
As I have but one Simone release I can't state with any real authority whether this is the best place to begin with Nina Simone, nor whether it is one of the better collections, though I suspect it may be. Most likely, her debut is a great place to begin too, but if you want to sample her output with a compilation and explore from there, then 'Feeling Good' seems quite useful for that.

Drawing fairly heavily from her debut 'Little Girl Blue' and then mostly her 1960s output, 'Feeling Good' includes a handful of live songs woven between studio versions. Drawing heavily from covers, there are not a lot of Simone-penned pieces, but her great skill comes not just from her performance, but her interpretive ability. She often takes a song and makes it her own - delivering perhaps definitive versions of songs that were later covered by other artists or drawn from musicals. For instance, 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' is tortured, impassioned, fantastic. 'Feeling Good' is another stand out performance, and while I prefer Hawkins' version of 'I Put a Spell On You' Simone makes it lush. Other times she is simply beautiful like on 'I Loves you, Porgy' and while I miss the mournful trumpet on 'Strange Fruit' it's in good hands here.

Known for her powerfully deep voice and sombre deliveries, the vocals are the main focus here of course, though the occasional short solo from piano or trumpet does crop up on some songs. Instrumentally, more than a few of the pieces are trio-based with piano, bass and drums featuring, while others are scored liberally with strings or feature horn sections. Using these backings, upbeat tracks such as 'Work Song', 'I'm Going Back Home' and Ellington's 'Mood Indigo' or 'Feeling Good' are sequenced nicely to contrast with her ballads and laments.

For anyone unfamiliar with her work in general, Nina Simone covers show tunes, does rhythm and blues, gospel, jazz and soul - and on 'Feeling Good' it's all on display. But even with those riches, perhaps the most startling, and for me amazing piece here, is the ten minute live version of 'Sinnerman.' A traditional song that Simone both explores and claims, her band tears through this song about a man running on judgement day (Well I run to the rock/please hide me I run to the rock/please hide me) incorporating piano, guitar, drums, handclaps, and call-and-response-vocals, it's a masterful piece with it's rolling piano, hissing pulse set by the drums and Simone's forceful delivery.

One of the only omissions that I can think of with my admittedly limited knowledge of her albums would be 'Plain Gold Ring' from her debut, one of the most emotive of her performances hands down - and delivered so simply yet lacking nothing. The other is her version of 'House of the Rising Sun' and though there are doubtless others that may have been included, across the twenty songs here you seem to get a good picture of her output. And the version of 'Sinnerman' alone is worth it.

Four stars. If you already like Nina Simone, then you won't need this, but if you're looking for a starting point this is worth a look.

NINA SIMONE Movies Reviews

No NINA SIMONE movie reviews posted yet.

NINA SIMONE Shouts

Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Living Ghosts Post-Fusion Contemporary
MICHAEL WOLLNY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Live at Donte's, Vol. 1 Vocal Jazz
MIKE CAMPBELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunday Afternoon Fusion
FURIO DI CASTRI
Buy this album from MMA partners
São Paulo Creative 4 : Supernova Avant-Garde Jazz
IVO PERELMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 3 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 17 hours ago
Con Alma
GENE BERTONCINI
js· 20 hours ago
Our Walk (Live)
BEN MARKLEY
js· 21 hours ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us