What Happened, Miss Simone?

Nina Simone is technically not Trouser Press material, but if anyone from the blues/jazz world could be, it'd be her. Anyway, I just wanted to recommend the Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? to anyone with an interest. It leaves some stuff out of her story, but it's a pretty intense watch. And it'll remind you, at least before she comes out of self-imposed retirement, of how great she was.

"Sinner Man," in its' 10 minute glory, is such an incredible track that I never
go past it. I feel nothing else she does will measure up and I'll be
disappointed. Kinda silly, I know. But damn, that song's amazing.

Go past it. You will be rewarded.

Avoid the CTI album from the 70s, however - that labels' aesthetic did not mesh with Simone's, and that was when she didn't really give a damn anymore.

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before she comes out of self-imposed retirement

Didn't she pass away in April 2003?

Yes, but she left the country and her career behind in 1970, before coming back a couple of years later (I'm being vague about the timeline because the film is vague) when she had to make a living. The difference between her passion in the clips from the 50s and 60s and her professionalism in the 70s is pretty marked.

Ah, I misunderstood your last sentence.

Thankfully, I got to see her in Boston in June of 2000. And thanks for the heads-up on the doc.

Nina Simone was an amazing singer and even better musician, but her career was probably hindered by the breadth of her interpretive catalog.

She recorded so much that I bet everyone could compile a Nina Simone playlist stacked with songs they love.

WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE was good, but a little mistifying. Simone's story is not inspirational enough work without looking at it from a different angle, and the movie hits it straight on.

Plus, it missing so much music. Her recordings are her selling point, but they're mostly overlooked for footage of stage performances.

I don't think this will be the introduction to the new, larger audience she deserves.

I would disagree to a certain point - I think her live performances were what put her over to mass audiences (as mass as they got for her). And the snippets they provide are amazing enough that I can't imagine anyone with a soul not wanting to hear more after seeing this.

That said, I don't think expanding her audience was the point - I think this is aimed at fans. There's another Nina doc coming out later this year on which the consultant was her brother - maybe it'll be more geared toward exposure.

I will admit, though - it was weird that "Feeling Good," the song for which she's probably best known these days, wasn't included. Probably a licensing thing.

I'm a pretty big slut for music documentaries (I watched the new one on Kansas, for example), but had been wavering on that one, for some gut-level reason. I'm going to check it out based on your recommendation, Michael ... Thanks for the heads-up.

As a Kansas fan, I was pretty disappointed in that doc. Yeah, it's inspirational to see a progressive rock band from Kansas work hard and make it in the traditional put-out-records-play-live-shows way. But the story stops at the peak of their popularity. The really interesting stuff comes after - Kerry Livgren's conversion to Christianity and how that led to Steve Walsh leaving the band, the band adding an overtly Christian singer as his replacement only for Livgren's songwriting well to (temporarily) run dry, leading to the band splitting, the band reconvening without Livgren but with Walsh and continuing for another 3 decades, Walsh refusing to write new songs and eventually retiring, the band continuing on with new members...they basically left out 3/4 of the band's career. Admittedly, its best music was made in the early to mid 70s, but you can't have a reunion of the original members and then not explain why that's a big deal.

I didn't have as deep knowledge of the band as you do . . . but even I was perplexed at where the story left off and at the things that were left out. It was interesting for me to see Ron Alexenberg, father of one of my best friends from college (Marnie), interviewed so much. But I am also skeptical of relying so heavily on the record company executives' views.

You're pretty much right, Michael.

Good to know about the next doc. Hadn't heard about it. Whereas I've been actively avoiding news about the feature biopic starring Zoe Saldana. I guess they have their bases covered (as to "new audience") with that one.

Another "Spirit Of TP" blues/jazz candidate:

Mose Allison

Dead on about Mose Allison. Somebody should do a TP entry on him and Ms. Simone. And Cassandra Wilson. And maybe Jose James.

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Nina Simone is technically not Trouser Press material, but ...

How does one go about making that sort of technical distinction, I wonder?

No skinny ties?
Not enough guitar feedback?
A distinct absence of pogoing?
An entire career sans Albini?

Perhaps someone can explain to me why Tom Waits (another artist known for the breadth of his interpretive catalog) merits a TP entry and Nina Simone doesn't?

Maybe she should have done a few VU covers? Just to get over with the college kids. Y'know?

That, or hung around with Frank Zappa more than she did.

...

And concerning Kansas (the band)? How progressive can you be when your act is so blandly named after a state? Shall we ask Flo Rida?

Each state has its own quarter. I suppose each state can have its own music act.

She might have covered the Velvets, for all I know. She definitely covered Prince.

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Each state has its own quarter. I suppose each state can have its own music act.

I vote to retroactively change the name of either Cheap Trick, Uncle Tupelo, Big Black or the Poster Children to "Illinois," then. Otherwise, Chicago might take the title for my home state.

Which, if they'd quit by around 1973 or so, wouldn't be so unbearable. After that, no.