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Posts Tagged Nina Simone

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July 19, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Nina Simone: Fodder On My Wings [Reissue]

Nina Simone Fodder On My Wings [Reissue] Verve Though Nina Simone’s very fine Baltimore was a wonderful ‘comeback’ album (in 1978) – and the biggest seller of her career. It was not only not the artist’s favourite, it was a reminder that she had so often been caged and controlled, forced to do things she […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 1982, Album Review, Baltimore, Fodder On My Wings, Fodder On My Wings [Reissue], Nina Simone, Nina Simone: Fodder On My Wings [Reissue], Reissue, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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May 14, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Ulysses Owens Jr: Songs of Freedom

Ulysses Owens Jr.  Songs of Freedom Resilience Music Alliance LLC  Drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. has two previous albums as a leader and is known for his work with Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis and Christian McBride among others. But for Songs of Freedom it’s his work with Elling that provides an obvious link – for this audacious project […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Abbey Lincoln, Album Review, Alicia Olatuja, Drummer, Duets, Jazz, Joni Mitchell, Max Roach, Nina Simone, René Marie, Theo Bleckmann, Ulysses Owens Jr: Songs of Freedom, Ulysses Owens Jr., You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 8, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The 1001 Albums Challenge # 18: Nina Simone – “Wild Is The Wind”

I’ve listened to a lot of Nina Simone – compilations and albums – and there are so many gems still to find. I had never, until this challenge, heard Wild Is The Wind (the album). I know the song, of course and many of the songs on here, but this album is still pretty wonderful […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1001 Albums, 1001 Albums To Hear Before You Die, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, 1960s, 1966, Nina Simone, Nina Simone – “Wild Is The Wind”, Sixties, The 1001 Albums Challenge, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 18, The 1001 Albums Challenge # 18: Nina Simone – “Wild Is The Wind”, Wild Is The Wind ·

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May 28, 2017 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 551

The Modern Jazz Quartet, Plays The Music of Porgy and Bess (1965) I’ve never seen a production of Porgy and Bess, never seen one of the filmed versions either…but I know the music well, from so many different records and renditions. I think I first heard it through my grandfather; one of the only ways […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 1965, It Ain't Necessarily So, Jazz, LP, Miles Davis, MJQ, Modern Jazz Quartet, Nina Simone, Opera, Porgy and Bess, Record, The Modern Jazz Quartet, The Vinyl Countdown # 551, Vinyl ·

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December 8, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Music Biopics Usually Get It Wrong: The Problem Is Taking The Page To The Stage

The music biopic has a tough job I guess – it has to satiate the fan, someone who might know it all or be pretty sure they do. It has to also introduce people to the music, it has to explain why there is a narrative fictional film about this person – or at least […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Biopic, Brian Wilson, Chet Baker, Film, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Music, Music Biopics Usually Get It Wrong, Music Biopics Usually Get It Wrong: The Problem Is Taking The Page To The Stage, Nina Simone ·

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July 27, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Five Albums I’m Loving Right Now: Josh Hetherington

Josh Hetherington is a DJ (Josh On Decks), photographer, Super 8 filmmaker and musician. His current band, Show Me Where It Hurts will release their new EP this weekend, Friday, July 29 with a launch at The Thirsty Dog in Auckland, Saturday, July 30, 8pm featuring special guests Cold Harvest Trust. Previously, he was the […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Auckland, Blood And Chocolate, Bobby Womack, Brian Eno, Cold Harvest Trust, Discreet Music, DJ, Elvis Costello, Eno, Five Albums, Five Albums I'm Loving Right Now, Five Albums I’m Loving Right Now: Josh Hetherington, Guest Post, High Priestess of Soul, Light upon the Lake, LP, Nina Simone, No Lake, Primrose Green, Records, Ryley Walker, Show Me Where It Hurts, Special Guest, Spike, Super 8, Thirsty Dog, Thorazine Shuffle, UMO, Vinyl, Whitney ·

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May 11, 2016 by Simon Sweetman

Nina: Film

Nina Director: Cynthia Mort Ealing Studios Entertainment/Londinium Films In a new low for the music biopic Nina makes the recent James Brown-mess, Get On Up feel like Coal Miner’s Daughter. The film, shot four years ago and sitting on the shelf all this time, had to weather a storm of bad publicity around the choice of […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Biopic, Coal Miner's Daughter, Cynthia Mort, David Oyelowo, Film, Film Review, Get On Up, Jazz, Leaving Las Vegas, Mike Epps, Movie, Movie Review, Music Biopic, Nina, Nina Simone, Nina: Film, Piano, Ray!, Richard Pryor, Walk The Line, Zoe Saldana ·

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November 9, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 796

The Roots, …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014) My least favourite album by The Roots – easily. But a bad Roots album is still good, right? Well, er, nearly…in the case of this there are really only a couple of decent songs (rather worrying, especially when one is actually a Nina Simone song they’ve […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 2014, Black Thought, http://offthetracks.co.nz/the-roots-and-then-you-shoot-your-cousin/, LP, Nina Simone, Questlove, Record, The Roots, The Vinyl Countdown # 796, Theme from Middle of the Night, Tomorrow, Vinyl ·

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September 11, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

Nils Frahm: Late Night Tales

Various Artists Late Night Tales: Nils Frahm Late Night Tales The Late Night Tales series, when it works properly (and it usually does) gives some insight into the artist’s influences, more than that though it’s a mixtape of hopes and dreams. And also it’s designed – the very concept of it is – to suggest […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged After Hours, Album Review, Classical, Compilation, Electronica, Flight of the Bumblebee, Four Tet, Influences, Late Night, Late Night Tales, Miles Davis, Mix-Tape, Nils Frahm, Nina Simone, Noise, Piano, Sound, V/A, Various Artists ·

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January 19, 2015 by Simon Sweetman

Stubs: # 41 – Sing The Truth: Nina Simone Remembered, Wellington, 2010

The 2010 Arts Festival was hard work for me – I reviewed loads of shows and copped grief almost every second day it seemed. The Jazz Police started a campaign to get me canned from reviewing jazz gigs – and it worked. I had to return tickets to Branford Marsalis (and was super fucked-off). It […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2010, Arts Festival, Dianne Reeves, Jazz Police, Lizz Wright, Nina Simone, Nina Simone Remembered, Patti Austin, Simone, Sing The Truth, Stub, Stubs, Stubs: # 41 – Sing The Truth: Nina Simone Remembered, Tribute, Wellington ·

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August 24, 2014 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 1052

Nina Simone, Baltimore (1978) I dig a lot of Nina Simone music – she was certainly something else. That voice. That playing. The hardship – the intensity – it can’t have been nice living in her head, or with that head. But so much of the music is wonderful. In recent years I’ve become hooked […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 1978, Baltimore, LP, Nils Lofgren, Nina Simone, Randy Newman, The Family, Vinyl ·

Archive

December 4, 2013 by Simon Sweetman

Xiu Xiu: Nina

Xiu Xiu Nina FKLG/Graveface Jamie Stewart is prolific and uncompromising – both are admirable and dangerous qualities. And at some point the game has to be up, at least momentarily. And here, with a creepy set of Nina Simone covers/vandalism Stewart – as Xiu Xiu – finally serves up a varnished turd. Perhaps the most […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Anthony Hegarty, Covers, Jamie Stewart, Nina, Nina Simone, Xiu Xiu ·
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