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Gifted & Black/Nina Simone Live At Berkeley

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2 more unusual moments from Nina Simone -- back to back on a single CD! Gifted & Black is a cool indie date from the early 70s, recorded in a moody studio mode with arrangements by Monk Higgins! There's a bit of strings in the background, which colors in the tunes with a melancholy feel -- a sound that's a bit different than some of the more upbeat, righteous modes of other Simone sessions from the period -- almost like Nina's taking a step back to evaluate herself, with somewhat striking results. The sound is somewhat echoey, which furthers the mood of the music -- and titles include "Black Is The Color", "Since My Love Is Gone", "Blue Prelude", "Spring Is Here", "Porgy", "Remind Me", "Near To You", and "The Thrill Is Gone". Live at Berkely is killer work from Nina Simone's excellent Stroud Productions run -- a set that wasn't issued by RCA in the early 70s, but which really matches the fire of her classics for the label! The setting's a live one, as you'd guess from the title -- and most tunes are longish, with those key improvisational moments that really started to set Simone apart from other jazz singers in the 60s -- those richly creative moments in which Nina's taking the tunes and turning them on their heads -- not just in her own vocal presentation of the lyrics, but also in her conception of the groove! Titles include "No Opportunity Necessary/No Experience Needed", "Assignment Song", "Four Women", "Ain't Got No/I Got Life", "Backlash Blues", and "To Be Young Gifted & Black".  © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.