Today, February 1st
IT’S NINA SIMONE’S BIRTHDAY. Listen to her once—and you are never able to “unhear” her. The combination of her voice (accusatory one moment, broken the next), classically-tinged piano (listen to “Love Me or Leave Me”) and a repertory that included folk, pop, blues, and spirituals made for a brilliant jazz hybrid. And Simone rightfully bristled at those who tried to pigeon-hole her.
While often a vocal critic of white America (fueled, in part, by her being denied admission to Curtis Institute of Music because of her race) she was unfairly characterized as militant. Ironic, considering she avoided political messages early in her career, saying, "How can you take the memory of a man like Medgar Evers and reduce all that he was to three-and-a-half minutes and a simple tune?" But as racial tensions grew, Simone became a powerful voice for social justice, penning "Mississippi Goddam," and “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free” (among other songs).
If you only know Simone from the occasional Channel commercial, check out the Netflix documentary, “What Happened Miss Simone,” and watch her 1999 interview on BBC Hard Talk.
“Jazz is a white term to define black people. My music is black classical music.”
The cast of In Living Color
ENJOY THE PALEY CENTER’S SALUTE TO BLACK ACHIEVEMENTS IN TV. The Paley Center for Media’s celebration of Black History Month includes exhibits, events, and screenings—beginning with Partying Like It’s Their Anniversaries, which celebrates the 15th anniversary of Chris Rock’s autobiographical, Everybody Hates Chris; and 30th anniversaries of Will Smith’s fish-out-of-water comedy, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the groundbreaking sketch comedy show, In Living Color.
Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2: Partying Like It’s Their Anniversaries; FREE Admission; Starts at 12:00PM; with episodes screened every 25 minutes. Learn more at paleycenter.org. The Paley Center for Media, 25 West 52 Street (5th and 6th Avenues)
Chris Giarmo, David Byrne and Tendayi Kuumba. Photo: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
ONLY TWO WEEKS LEFT TO SEE DAVID BYRNE’S “AMERICAN UTOPIA”. The always-inventive Talking Heads front man has assembled 11 musical artists from around the globe for what could only be called a “theatrical concert.” “Burning Down the House," "Road to Nowhere,” and “Once in a Lifetime”are brought to life in "a marvel of staging and motion"*—such as when the stage comes to resemble a storm-tossed boat. It’s an impressive feat when one considers the show’s monotone staging—and a tribute to the delightfully angular choreography of Annie-B Parson and kinetic energy of the cast.
“Time hasn’t exactly mellowed these songs. But they now sound oddly hopeful in their bewilderment,” said one reviewer. To me, (oddly) they’ve always sounded funky and joyful. Get a taste of “American Utopia” here.
Closing February 16th. Visit HudsonBroadway.com for tickets. 141 West 44th Street (between Broadway & 6th Avenue)
*Chicago Tribune