It must be a
daunting prospect to sing songs made famous by the incomparable Nina Simone,
but performers Ledisi and Lisa Fischer brought their individual style to a BBC
Proms concert in London, honouring Simone and gaining admiration for their own
talent.
The show,
“Mississippi Goddam: A Homage to Nina Simone”, paid tribute to the singer,
pianist and civil rights campaigner - a “towering musical figure” - at the
Royal Albert Hall on Aug. 21, more than 16 years after Simone died in her sleep
in southern France at the age of 70.
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Ledisi at the BBC Proms paying homage to Nina Simone,
with the Metropole Orkest. (Photo: Mark Allen)
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The concert’s
title refers to the song that marked a turning point in Simone’s career, when
she composed it in fury and grief following the murder of civil rights activist
Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, and the deaths of four African-American
girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama,
in 1963.
Performing the
song at the tribute, New Orleans-born vocalist Ledisi held nothing back. She
put all the anger and anguish that the lyrics required into her rendition,
creating one of the high points of the concert.
The composition
stood out particularly because of the contrast between the lyrics and the
rhythm, and Ledisi - who’s also an actress and writer - emphasized this
disparity. While the “tune has an almost fun-filled, pulsating vibe” (as
conductor Jules Buckley put it in his written introduction to the show), the
message itself is uncompromising.
“It speaks of
murder, of dashed dreams and severe inequality, and it shattered the assumption
that African-Americans would patiently use the legislative process to seek
political rights,” Buckley wrote. Listeners got the full context, and they were
reminded that some things have not changed much in the United States.
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Jules Buckley conducts the Metropole Orkest at the
BBC Proms tribute concert. (Photo: Mark Allen)
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The concert
began with an instrumental version of “African Mailman” and segued into
“Sinnerman”, the soulful track about the “wrongdoer who unsuccessfully seeks
shelter from a rock, the river and the sea, and ultimately makes a direct appeal
to God”, to quote Alyn Shipman, the author of A New History of Jazz who
compiled the programme notes.
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Lisa Fischer amps up the energy at the BBC Proms tribute
to Nina Simone. (Photo: Mark Allen)
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They both kept
topping their previous song, and the temperature rose with “I Put a Spell on
You” (Ledisi), “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Fischer), “Ne me quitte pas”
(poignantly rendered by Ledisi) and “I Loves You, Porgy” (memorably delivered
by Fischer).
Then there was,
of course, “Mississippi Goddam”, which followed a haunting, syncopated
“Dambala”, a song made famous by Bahamian musician Tony McKay aka Exuma, who had inspired Simone. Fischer performed "Dambala" with the requisite mysticism, getting
listeners to shake to the beat.
Back-up
vocalists LaSharVu, comprising three powerhouse singers, also contributed to
the energy and success of the concert. Two of them joined Ledisi and Fischer
for an outstanding and moving presentation of “Four Women” - Simone’s 1966 song
about the lives of four African-American women that has become an essential
part of her artistic legacy.
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Backing vocalists LaSharVu join Ledisi and Lisa Fischer
at the BBC Proms' Nina Simone tribute. (Photo: M. Allen)
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The concert
ended with an encore, as Fischer and Ledisi performed “Feeling Good” to a
standing ovation and to comments of “fantastic”, “fabulous” and other superlatives.
The show was not the only part of the homage to Simone. Earlier in the day, the
BBC’s “Proms Plus Talk” programme had featured a discussion of the “life, work
and legacy” of the singer, with poet Zena Edwards and singer-musician Ayanna
Witter-Johnson interviewed by journalist Kevin Le Gendre, author of Don't Stop
The Carnival: Black Music In Britain.
The three spoke
of the impact Simone has had on their work and recalled her style and
performances. Responding to certain questions, they also discussed the abuse
she suffered from her second husband and the painful relationship she had with
her only daughter, Lisa, whom Simone in turn physically abused.
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| The Nina Simone programme at the Proms. |
In an email
interview after the tribute, Le Gendre said Simone’s music had had a “profound
effect” on him throughout his life.
“There are so
many anthems that she recorded it is difficult to know where to start, but a
song like ‘Four Women’ can still move me to tears because it is such an
unflinchingly honest depiction of the black condition that African-Americans,
African-Caribbeans and black Britons can easily relate to,” he told SWAN.
“The way she
broaches the very real historical issues of rape on a plantation, girls forced
into prostitution and the internal battles based on skin shade affected me a
great deal because, having lived in the West Indies and the UK and visited
America several times, I know that what she is talking about is simply the
truth,” he added.
“There is a war
within the race as well as between the races, and we will only move beyond
self-destruction if we firstly recognise these painful facts. I continue to be
inspired by her ability to 'keep it real' as well as her great musicianship.
Above all else she has made me think, as well as listen and dance.” – A.M. /
SWAN
The BBC Proms
classical music festival runs until Sept. 14 at the Royal Albert Hall in
London. A concert on Aug. 29 features “Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music”, with
conductor Peter Edwards, pianist Monty Alexander and tap dancer Annette Walker. Photos are courtesy of the organizers.
Follow SWAN on
Twitter: @mckenzie_ale
