Customer Reviews

Nina Simone and Piano!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Judging by the other reviews, this is a love-it-or-hate-it recording. Place me squarely in the "love it" crowd, this is a great album. Although she is perhaps better known for the show tunes and standards of the first stage of her career, I tend to prefer the slightly later RCA records (this is one of them) and their more experimental / modern references. "Nina Simone And Piano!" is a great combination of the two - not quite as steeped in contemporaneous covers as her other RCA records, but still "current", while the music is stripped down from both (earlier) jazz and (later) rock-styled arrangements. The song selection is fabulous and includes selections by both younger writers such as Randy Newman and old legends like Hoagy Carmichael. The four bonus tracks and superb, and there's really only one weak song in the bunch, an oddball cover of Jonathan King's "Everyone's Gone To The Moon".

If you're not sure about Nina Simone, the most important thing to know is that - wonderful musical and vocal accomplishments aside - she's not about aesthetic beauty or instrumental perfection. More than any other artist, Simone sees to it that soul and feeling come first. So yeah, her voice can get a little out of control, occasionally she'll do something utterly bizarre in the middle of an otherwise radio-friendly song. She expects as much from a listener as you can expect from her. She is a confrontational artist in many ways, and to me it's a great testament to her artistry that she creates so many moments of great beauty without losing her fire and passion.

I am absolutely blown away by the terrible reviews!
There is has been no mistake nor has anyone been tricked
into buying something subpar.
This is Nina Simone and she is brillant!
In addition, so many of her records were so overproduced at
this time (1969) that it is a great pleasure to hear her so
plain and simple.
At the risk of reviewing the reviews, please keep the
naysayers away from the following: Billie Holliday, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Neil Young

or anyone else whose genius is not always pretty.

This album was my introduction to Nina Simone. I heard it one night on a local radio station many years ago and determined right away that I wanted a copy for my music collection. I soon learned however that the album was out of print, so for many years I unsuccessfully scoured used record stores looking for an old fashioned vinyl copy of the album, and I also looked fruitlessly for a cd reissue ( in the meanwhile I bought several of her other albums that were in print, but none of them really did anything for me...). I'll avoid the pop music critical analysis thing and simply urge you to buy the album-- it is wonderful!, yet I can't resist saying that my favorite pieces are 'I Get Along Well Without You Very Well', and 'The Desperate Ones'...

One phrase by Richard Pryor could sum up everything: "white people had Judy Garland;we had Nina.God bless ya,baby!".
Nina Simone (1933-2003),born Eunice Kathleen Waymon,indeed was a beautiful human beeing.Because of her political and social thoughts; because of her voice,one of the most moving of the 20th century,with Billie,Dinah and Lil Green;and because of her amazing piano playing.Yes,this Lady belongs to the small club of the best piano players,with Hines,Duke,Monk,Bud,MaryLou,Fats and Tatum.
Now,about the record;I gave it five stars,even if I think that this item doesn't reach the unsurpassable level of the Colpix recordings (Nina at Newport,Nina at Carnegie Hall,Nina with strings,Nina at the Village Gate,Forbidden fruit,Nina sings Ellington,the amazing Nina Simone).The Colpix years gave us some of the most precious treasures in the history of jazz.
Here,you won't find the ferocity,the urgence you heard in "work song","forbidden fruit","trouble in mind","li'l Liza Jane";here is the intimate side of Nina Simone,alone with her piano,recorded 1968.And even if the jacket is one of the most horrible of all times (the cover "art" is a supreme moment in the registry of ugliness;doing a worse thing seems almost impossible),the music is absolutely outstanding.There are no very well known standards here;those who treasure Billie Holiday's recordings will recognize the haunting "I'll get around without you very well" and "I'll look around";there is the beautiful "the man with the horn";"the desperate ones",a french song by Belgian-born singer Jacques Brel (Nina also sung "Ne me quitte pas",another song by Brel);there is the old spiritual,"Nobody's fault but mine";did you ever heard Blind Willie Johnson's version of it ??? There are many other wonderful songs;there are Nina's extraordinary,very african voice ,and her amazing piano playing.Please,don't miss it!!!

This was my first Nina Simone record. ( Sorry, but I'm over 40) I'd never heard the Bernstein song, "Who Am I", but I will never forget it. It's a riveting performance. Its a song that can make you ask yourself, "Who am I", at a deadly serious level. The Nina bares herself in this song and seems to be asking you at a face to face level to do the same. Who are you?

A good artist is always able to expose/reveal the self in their work and sometimes make you question things or at the very least ponder them. Nina achieves that in this song. Does she play it the way its written? I don't know, don't have the sheet music. I just know she plays it the way its felt.

Give in to Nina Simone.

some of the songs on this album are so emotionally intense it is almost disturbing(in a good way). In Love In Vain, I'll Look Around and some of the other tracks are interpreted so well that I would put them among Nina's very best. Whoever said she sounds disinterested on this album better get their ears and/or emotional perception checked. At times Nina's voice is edgy. Was it ever not? She doesn't sound beautiful the way Ella Fitzgerald does, but that is NOT Nina's sound and as much as I love Ella thank God she doesn't. Life isn't always beautiful and Nina's experienced, imperfect voice reflects that side of human existence. This album is a masterpiece and gives an intimate and poigniant insight into human experiences, rivaled only by the Great Billie Holiday. for those who like their music undiluted, I highly recomend this gem.

From the very first time that I heard Dr. Simone's music, I was hooked. Her interpretations stand heads above. This particular recording exhibits her wide range of musical styles and her ability to deliver a piece in a way that tugs at your heart strings and takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride that you will long remember. Her piano work is pure perfection; she uses her vocal ability to bring you into a world of her creation; and when the last song has ended, you sit begging for more!!! I have, many times, heard her referred to as "jazz underground"; well, it is time for the american listening audience to give an ear and to begin appreciating one of the finest performers that America has ever produced. Because of her refusal to bow to industry pressures, she has never been given the notariety that she so richly deserves here in this country. In Europe, however, she is considered "staple" as far as jazz artists are concerned. I recommend this recording for anyone who appreciates good music - not just jazz. Her inclusion of pieces like "I'll Get Along Without You", "The Desperate Ones", "Everyone's Gone To The Moon" and "Nobody's Fault But Mine" combine to make this a musical experience. If I had to choose a favorite piece off this recording, I would certainly be in a delima!!

Very personal and raw music here. "I Get Along Without You Very Well" is essential. There's a lot of quirky stuff but I see this album as a gutsy exertion of freedom and honesty. Nina Simone isn't someone I often recommend to soul fans, jazz fans, funk fans, or folk fans. She's really in a category by herself and in most cases, you'll have to come to Nina on Nina's terms. I believe her loneliness on this album.

This album contains some of the most touching offerings of Nina Simone
pure and simply. If you're a fan, you'll love this work of art.

I am a fan of Nina Simone, I enjoy her rendition and interpretation of songs. There is little she has done that I do not enjoy. This album takes its place with my several others.