Nina Simone - It Is Finished...1974

It Is Finished...1974
Nina Simone
RCA Records, 1974

Track List:

Side A:
The Pusher
Com' by H'yere-Good Lord
Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter
Mr. Bojangles

Side B:
I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl
Dambala
Let It Be Me
Obeah Woman

Nina Simone was a legend. One part activist, one part artist, Simone took the kinds of risks and stances during and after the civil rights movement that seem so rare these days. Her stage shows were the stuff of legend…flying from full blown howl to dead silence, incorporating poetry and monologues, and always displaying her commanding presence. She equated her performances to “mass hypnosis” or if you’re feeling corny you could say she put a spell on the audience. Jesus, that was a terrible joke. Anyhow, The High Priestess could rock a clapping, soulful gospel jam or whisper her way through a sultry jazz ballad, all while showcasing her considerable chops on the piano and captivate the listener all the while.

“It is Finished…1974” was her final album for RCA and for all intents and purposes was to be her final album ever. Simone had grown disillusioned by the record industry and the USA in general and was about to commit herself to a self imposed exile. But before that, she was able to drop this final gem in our laps. Partially recorded live @ Philharmonic Hall in NYC, “It is Finished…” showcases Simone’s live skills. “Com’ by H’Yere – Good Lord” (or kumbaya, for the campfire inclined) has her rollicking in a spiritual mood. Contrast that with the bombast and anger on the next track, “Funkier Than a Mosquito’s Tweeter”, and you get the feeling of being on a rollercoaster. “Funkier…” is a pure groove…it contains one of the best B-Boy drum breaks I’ve ever heard and Simone’s vocal turn is all venom and hiss, her delivery pushed by some brilliant percussion throughout. On her standard, “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl”, you get to see some of Simone’s playful side and her great use of silence as she stumps her bandmates with a little stop in her piano line…It’s a fun version of her classic, fun being something that Simone was rarely accused of being. Then, with some ominous piano rolls and a sitar, Simone then haunts her way through Exuma’s “Dambala”. The raw, stripped down arrangement exudes a vibe not unlike a voodoo curse. Simone condemns you to your grave with such ferocity that you feel the dirt. Definitely spooky, evocative, and indicative of Simone’s ability to rapt a live audience. The first time I heard this version of “Dambala”, I got goose bumps for sure.

Legendary/Tragic Aspect: Nina Simone got pissed at two of her neighbor kids making too much noise and fired off a round of buckshot at them.

Availability: Easy to Find

RIYL: Music.

Jimmy Smith - The Cat

The Cat
Jimmy Smith (Arranged and Conducted by Lalo Schifrin)
Verve Records, 1964

Track list:

Side One:
Theme From Joy House
The Cat
Basin Street Blues
Main Title From "The Carpetbaggers"

Side Two:
Chicago Serenade
St. Louis Blues
Delon's Blues
Blues In The Night



So, Michael Jackson died while I was off. I've been seeing quite a bit of backlash against the coverage of Michael's death and I'm pretty tired of it as well. But I understand it. For about a decade, Michael Jackson may have been the single most recognizable and popular human on the planet. He reached Muhammad Ali, Pele, or the Pope type of fame. They interviewed a guy on TV who emigrated to Los Angeles from Africa in the 1980's just to be in the same city as Jackson. So imagine the kind of pressure Michael must have felt throughout his life. The expectations he shouldered were immense. He seemed like he felt he had to be perfect. You could see his attempts at gaining perfection in his face, through surgery...his records, through his choice of producers...his children, through a painstaking selection of donor wives...the guy was obsessed with meeting some impossible level of perfection that was by all standards, insane.

What does Michael Jackson have to do with The Cat? Well, the first time I laid eyes on this record I thought there was no way it could live up to the expectations of perfection that instantly materialised in my head. Jimmy Smith is roundly considered THE jazz organist. His skills on the Hammond are legendary, he made the instrument a band unto itself. Check out The Sermon or Live at the Root Down if you require proof. Dude killed it, but Jimmy is only half of the awesome that ballooned my expectations. When I saw that the record was arranged and conducted by the awe-worthy Argentine Lalo Schifrin I nearly buckled. Schifrin became well known for his ultra hip film/TV work (Bullitt, Cool Hand Luke, Magnum Force, Mission Impossible) and pairing him with Smith seems so right.

And right it is. I LOVE this record. Schifrin lulls you in to complacency on "Theme From Joy House" before giving you a full blown, angular blast of horns to announce the big band's arrival. From there, its all quick cuts and horn splashes pushed by Grady Tate's sublime drum skills. It's a picture postcard from the swingin' 60's. All Hugh Hefner, martini's, slim suits, and beehives. Its a record that you could play in its entirety in a bar and people would love you for it. Its the theme music in all of our heads when we put on a crisp suit(or killer dress) and stroll through the crisp fall air. In New York. With Russian spies chasing you. It matches your expectations brilliantly and, at points, exceeds them. Wish we could say the same for Michael Jackson...

Legendary/Tragic aspect: Schifrin's working score for The Exorcist was tossed in to the parking lot of Warner Bros after it was rejected as "too scary". (thanks, Wikipedia!)

Availability: Easy to find

RIYL: Film Scores, Organs, The Early to Mid 60's, Madmen, Jazz, Clint Eastwood