I always thought I liked Nina Simone. The quarter of college that I took "Black Women and Feminism" was around the time that she died, and my professor, Dr. Teixeira, made a point of telling us to go out and listen to her music. So, I went and checked out a CD from the library. At 18, I thought it was cool in ways that I could understand at the time.
Black Power? "Great."
Women's liberation? "Got it, good."
But then...love songs? standards? "Oh, um, her voice sounds nice."
The point being: Although I am a musician to some degree, at 18, I just couldn't appreciate the musical prowess of Ms. Nina Simone.
This morning I know what I was missing out on. Jenny gave me "Nina: The Essential Nina Simone" for Christmas and I can see, she is the kind of artist who can profoundly change your perspective of their medium. Let me rephrase. My perspective on music has been woefully lacking the influence of Nina Simone until this morning. It is comparable to never having heard Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, or the Beatles. Have a listen/viewing:
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