Listen No. 20 - Starring Nina Simone with George Wallington

Record Number 20: Starring Nina Simone with George Wallington

Genre: Jazz, funk/soul

Context: A 1964 album  featuring Simone live, and recordings by the jazz pianist George Wallington on the B-side. Simone later claimed the album had been released without her permission, and filed a lawsuit (she won). I´m rather glad the record was made. The cover is beautiful, and I´d never heard of James Wallington.

Notable facts: Simone later claimed the record had been released without her permission, and filed a lawsuit (she won). But I’m rather glad the album was made.The cover is beautiful and, since I’d never heard of George Wallington, this was a great introduction.

 My favourite track:  Since My Lover Has Gone is amazing. Music by Verdi (from La Traviata, plus a modern vocal arrangement. 

What critics made of it: No reviews online, but the live tracks by Simone are, of course, wonderful, and feature on other albums.

Listening to this inspired me to: buy some more of Simone’s music on vinyl. I have plenty of her CDs, but this is my only LP.