Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Nina Simone Lives @ 92Y Tribeca

Tomorrow night (Wednesday April, 28), one of my absolute favorite New York venues, 92Y Tribeca, is hosting a rare screening of what sounds like an amazing film about Nina Simone. Apparently The Rise and Fall of Nina Simone: Montreaux, 1976 full showcases what I explained before as her extremely volatile yet delicate personality. 
Here is the entry from 92Y Tribeca's website:

Long before Lady Gaga erased the line between pop music and performance art and decades before Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse left crowds shaking their heads in laughter or concern, there was the legendary Nina Simone. On July 3rd 1976, Simone stepped onto the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival after a two-year hiatus in Africa. Belligerent, beguiling and admittedly "half high", Simone gave the Swiss audience a searingly vulnerable musical set, liberally spiced with bizarre musings, forgotten lyrics, fits of temper and querulous shout-outs to her dear (but sadly, absent) friend, David Bowie.  The filmed performance has become a cult sensation on DVD, but only when re-created with a live (and preferably, drinking) audience can this goldmine of comedy, tragedy and musical brilliance be fully appreciated.

This two-hour showcase is a bipolar evening of music, laughter and indoctrination into the ever-growing cult of Nina, including bonus video clips, games, historical re-enactments and a special tribute performance by Joe's Pub cabaret idol Roslyn Hart
 (The Shells Show).

The screening and performance combination sounds like its going to be unreal, especially the part about watching it as a member of a live audience. The last screening I went to at the fabulous Downtown Y was a long hidden Jim Henson Documentary on the 1960s. I was even fortunate enough to meet Mrs. Henson. You never know what's going to happen down at 92Y Tribeca.

P.S. The following day they are screening TRON


Song #143: Nina Simone - Do I Move You?

1 comment:

  1. Great choice! In our research on Laura Nyro, Kate and I learned that Laura was the first woman to sit at the piano and play her own pop songs. Well, Nina Simone was the first woman to sit at the piano and play original jazz - before Nyro came on the scene.

    Good stuff.

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