This year marks the 60th anniversary of the remarkable first recordings by NINA SIMONE and to commemorate the anniversary, BMG are releasing a 14 track album that brings together all those groundbreaking, Bethlehem recordings
Incredibly, ‘Mood Indigo’ features Ms Simone’s first hit – the powerful, emoting version of ‘I Loves You Porgy’ and the last hit of her career – ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ which, of course, charted in 1987 on the back of TV ad. Those two classics top and tail this album. In between you get (amongst other great cuts) Richard Rodgers’ ‘Little Girl Blue’ (the title of that original album), a heart-rending version of ”You’ll Never Walk Alone’, Ms Simone’s own ‘Central Park Blues’ and a take on Duke Ellington’s ‘Mood Indigo’ which gives this collection its titling.
‘Mood Indigo… The Complete Bethlehem Singles’ includes comprehensive liner notes with input from drummer Al “Tootie” Heath who played on the sessions. He offers a unique perspective on the eclecticism of Nina Simone and though she enjoyed a lengthy career (she issued something like 25 albums) the Bethlehem Recordings capture her at a very particular, incandescent moment.
