#bess heath

[ginerva-mollyweasley]

my god i loveee this

ecb admin on point

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

JOHNNY COLES, UN TROMPETTISTE MÉCONNU

"Johnny moves by the moment. He plays things with such sheer beauty that I wonder where it's coming from."

- Herbie Hancock

Né le 3 juillet 1926 à Trenton, au New Jersey, John ‘’Johnny’’ Coles avait grandi à Philadelphie où sa famille s’était installée durant son enfance. Coles avait commencé à apprendre la trompette en autodidacte à partir de l’âge de dix ans. Il avait ajouté le flugelhorn à son arsenal un peu plus tard. Durant son séjour à Philadelphie, Coles avait côtoyé de futurs grands noms du jazz comme Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath et John Coltrane.

À l’âge de dix-neuf ans, Coles avait fait partie d’un groupe appelé Slappy and his Swingsters.

Après avoir étudié la musique à la Mastbaum Vocational School de Philadelphie, Coles avait joué avec des groupes de l’armée durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. C’est durant son séjour dans l’armée que Coles avait développé son propre style. Coles avait été particulièrement influencé par Charlie Shavers, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie et Miles Davis. Il appréciait aussi Freddie Hubbard, même si de son propre aveu, il était plutôt un trompettiste ‘’mélancolique.’’

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après sa démobilisation, Coles avait joué dans un groupe de rhythm & blues dirigé par le saxophoniste Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, qui comprenait également John Coltrane et Red Garland. Coles avait fait partie du groupe de Vinson de 1948 à 1951. Après avoir brièvement travaillé avec Bull Moose Jackson en 1952, Coles s’était joint au groupe d’Earl Bostic dont il avait été membre de 1955 à 1956.

À la même époque, Coles avait également collaboré avec des grands noms du jazz comme le batteur Philly Joe Jones (1951) et le saxophoniste ténor James Moody (1956-1958). Après avoir quitté le groupe de Moody, Coles avait commencé à travailler avec Gil Evans, qui s’était fait connaître du grand public dans le cadre de sa collaboration avec Miles Davis. Coles avait d’ailleurs collaboré avec Evans et Davis dans le cadre de l’enregistrement des albums ''Porgy and Bess'' (1959) et ''Sketches of Spain'' (1960).

Un peu comme Miles Davis, Evans admirait le sens de l’économie de Coles et sa capacité d’exploiter l’espace musical avec un nombre limité de notes. Ces qualités étaient évidentes sur certains des plus importants enregistrements d’Evans, plus particulièrement sur ses réécritures de classiques qui figuraient sur des albums comme New Bottle Old Wine (1958), Great Jazz Standards (1959) et surtout sur son album-phare Out of the Cool enregistré en 1960. Décrivant sa collaboration avec Evans, Coles avait déclaré au cours d’une entrevue qu’il avait accordée en 1973: ‘’Gil Evans's composition was easy to read, but it was the interpretation of it which made the music. I remember once asking Gil how he wanted me to play something and he said, "Don't worry about it. You're going to play it right anyhow." He left me a bit mystified, you know.’’ Commentant l’enregistrement de la pièce "Sunken Treasure" qui faisait partie de l’album Out of the Cool en 1960, Coles avait précisé: "We did it all in one take.’’ Un autre des faits marquants de l’album était une reprise  de "Davenport Blues" de Bix Beiderbecke.

Coles avait travaillé avec Evans jusqu’en 1964. À l’époque, Coles il avait été contacté par Charles Mingus pour participer à une tournée avec un sextet comprenant les saxophonistes Eric Dolphy et Clifford Jordan, le pianiste Jaki Byard et le batteur Dannie Richmond. En 1968, Coles s’était joint au nouveau sextet du pianiste Herbie Hancock. Quelques années plus tôt, Hancock avait abandonné la direction de son propre groupe pour devenir le pianiste de Miles Davis dont il avait fait partie durant cinq ans. Commentant sa collaboration avec Hancock, Coles avait précisé: "Herbie Hancock's was the only group I played in that I got to work ahead of time. I'd warm up for at least a half-hour, ready to play. I had a ball with that band. I really couldn't tell you in words how gratifying it was." De 1969 à 1971, Coles avait travaillé avec le groupe de Ray Charles. "A man must eat’’ avait expliqué Coles.

Coles s’était joint à l’orchestre de Duke Ellington en 1971. Décrivant ses débuts avec le groupe, Coles avait commenté: "I asked Duke's son Mercer, and he said that Duke was considering writing something to feature me." Coles était demeuré avec l’orchestre d’Ellington jusqu’à la mort d’Ellington en 1974. Il expliquait: "I'll stay with Duke for a while, because it'll give me a measure of prestige that I haven't yet had.’’ Mais malgré tout le prestige que lui avait apportaé sa collaboration avec Ellington, Coles avait commencé à regretter la liberté de création dont il avait bénéficié lors de son séjour dans le groupe d’Evans. Il poursuivait: "As far as Gil was concerned, Ellington was the biggest influence on his writing. I enjoy playing in both bands, but I had more freedom playing in Gil's band.’’ Coles avait ajouté: "Some of Duke's writing is sparse. Sometimes he might just write 12 bars and leave it to the guys in the band to fill it up. He has musicians in the band who have been with him for many years and they just about know what he wants without him having to tell them." Coles se sentait aussi isolé dans le groupe d’Ellington, car l’orchestre était composé de ‘’cliques’’ et il ne sentait accepté dans aucune d’entre elles. Dans ce contexte, on peut comprendre que la mort d’Ellington ait été perçue par Coles comme une sorte de libération.

Par la suite, Coles avait travaillé avec Art Blakey (1976), Dameronia (un groupe en hommage au pianiste et compositeur Tadd Dameron), Mingus Dynasty et le Count Basie Orchestra, qui était dirigé par le trompettiste Thad Jones depuis la mort de Basie en 1984.

En 1961, Coles avait enregistré un premier album comme leader intitulé The Warm Sound. L’album avait été suivi de Little Johnny C deux ans plus tard, qui était considéré comme un classique.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Après s’être installé dans la région de San Francisco en 1985, Coles avait enregistré avec les saxophonistes Frank Morgan et Chico Freeman l’année suivante. Après être retourné à Philadelphie en 1989, Coles avait de nouveau travaillé avec Morgan et avait été membre du Philip Morris Superband. En 1990, Coles avait enregistré avec Charles Earland and Buck Hill. 

Souffrant de problèmes de santé, Coles s’était installé à Philadelphie dans les années 1990.

Johnny Coles est mort d’un cancer à l’estomac le 21 décembre 1997 à l’hôpital de l’Université de Pennsylvanie à Philadelphie. Il était âgé de soixante et onze ans. Il ne laissait aucun survivant.

Le pianiste Herbie Hancock avait déclaré au sujet de Coles: "Johnny moves by the moment. He plays things with such sheer beauty that I wonder where it's coming from."

Un peu comme Miles Davis, Coles était reconnu pour son habileté à s’exprimer en utilisant une quantité minimale de notes. Coles serait probablement devenu une légende du jazz s’il n’avait pas eu un son et un style aussi similaire à celui de Davis. Mais malgré ces similitudes, Coles était un trompettiste très original et très inventif qui avait développé un son et un style bien à lui.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

‘’Johnny Coles.’’ Wikipedia, 2024.

‘’Johnny Coles.’’ All About Jazz, 2024.

‘’Johnny Coles, 71, Warm Jazz Trumpeter.’’ New York Times, 31 décembre 1997.

[tsportsday]

INDIA: Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Shubha Satheesh, Meghna Singh, Pooja Vastrakar, Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana, Saika Ishaque, Renuka Thakur, Titas Sadhu, Rajeshwari GayakwadENGLAND: Alice Capsey, Danielle Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Heather Knight (C), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Tammy Beaumont, Bess Heath, Amy Jones, Emma Lamb, Maia Bouchier, Lauren Bell, Kate Cross, Charlotte Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer

[sportsgr8]

Fielding Coach Munish Bali Praises ‘impact Player’ Amanjot Kaur For All-round Show In Third T20I

Renuka Singh Thakur: India fielding coach Munish Bali showered praise on seam-bowling all-rounder Amanjot Kaur, calling her as an ‘impact player’ for showcasing all-round heroics and helping the hosts’ beat England by five wickets in the third and final T20I of the series.At the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, Amanjot picked 2-25 in her three overs and took a splendid catch to dismiss Bess Heath. With the bat, she took two fours off top-ranked T20I bowler Sophie Ecclestone to make an unbeaten ten off just four balls and take India home in the chase of 127 with an over to spare. “She’s an impact player; if you see she came and bowled the fourth over in the powerplay and bowled very well. She fielded very well. She bowled for 3-4 overs yesterday (during second T20I on Saturday) and made an immediate impact with a brilliant catch.” “When we were chasing (on Sunday), 12 off 12 balls, the first ball she (faced was) whipped through the covers by her,” said Bali in the post-match press conference. Amanjot made her T20I debut earlier this year against South Africa and earned the Player of the Match award quickly for making 41 not out off 28. Since then, she’s played nine T20I games and even debuted in ODIs too. Though India lost the series 2-1, they had a huge positive in fast-bowler Renuka Singh Thakur coming back to action post a stress fracture injury. In the series, Renuka had figures of 3/27, 2/26, and 2/23, giving India a good start with her lines and lengths. “She knows her game very well; she sticks to her limitations and knows the areas where she’s bowling and is very smart with her proceedings. She knows the areas she wants to hit and she is doing exactly that,” added Bali. Though India put up a better fielding performance on Sunday, the first two matches didn’t go that way and Bali felt the team playing under lights after a long time had some effect too, while adding that the newcomers are bringing in the youthful energy to fielding. “We played a day-night game after almost six to seven months. The last game that the girls had played was in WPL, after that they have not played in the night time. It is always very difficult as a team when you are playing after six-seven months. But we started practising and get used to under lights that is why the results are coming.” “Fielding and fitness goes side by side. So, we are working on fitness as well as fielding aspect. It is going well so far. If you are fit enough, you are a good fielder. Amanjot, Jemimah and Shreyanka are supremely fit.” “After the Bangladesh series, we played after a long time and have now many newcomers in the team. We have very good youngsters in the team who are very energetic. We are progressing well and look forward to the next series.” Read the full article

[circket-world]

Match 43 of the Women’s Big Bash League 2023 will see the clash between Brisbane Heat Women and the Melbourne Renegades Women at the Allan Border Field, Brisbane, on Friday, 17 November 2023. Keep reading to find out the BH-W vs MR-W Match Prediction Match 43 Women’s Big Bash League 2023 Venue Stats Allan Border Field, Brisbane, BH-W vs MR-W Predicted XIs for Today’s Match Brisbane Heat Women’s Predicted XI: Mignon du Preez, Jess Jonassen, Grace Harris, Amelia Kerr, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Georgia Redmayne, Nicola Hancock, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Charli Knott, Courtney Sippel, Georgia Voll, Ellie Johnston, Grace Parsons, Lucy Hamilton and Bonnie Berry. Melbourne Renegades Women’s Predicted XI: Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Coyte, Harmanpreet Kaur, Jess Duffin, Hayley Matthews, Georgia Prestwidge, Tayla Vlaeminck, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Wareham, Erica Kershaw, Josephine Dooley, Courtney Webb, Rhiann O’Donnell, Ellie Falconer, Emma De Broughe, Ella Hayward and Sara Kennedy. Brisbane Heat Women vs Melbourne Renegades Women head-to-head: Let’s have a look at the head-to-head record for the BH-W vs MR-W prediction. This will help us to understand who will win today’s Women’s Big Bash League 2023 Match 43 prediction or who has a higher chance of winning between Brisbane Heat Women vs Melbourne Renegades Women. BH-W vs MR-W head-to-head in ODI BH-W vs MR-W Total Matches: 10 Brisbane Heat Women Won: 7 Melbourne Renegades Women Won: 1 No Result: – 0 Tied: – 0 Here is our BH-W vs MR-WODI Match Prediction Case 1: If Brisbane Heat Women Bats first First Innings score prediction: Brisbane Heat Women will score 155-165 Result prediction: Brisbane Heat Women will win the match by 15-25 runs Case 2: If the Melbourne Renegades Women bats first First Innings score prediction: Melbourne Renegades Women will score 125-135 Result prediction: Brisbane Heat Women will win the match by 6 wickets Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Disclaimer Match Predictions are for entertainment purposes only. We don’t get involved in or promote betting or gambling. Also, we strongly discourage behaviors of participating in illegal activities related to cricket. Our experts try to be as correct as possible, but we do not guarantee 100% correctness. https://www.cricadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/13-5.png #BHW #MRW #Match #Prediction #Womens #Big #Bash #League #Match

[recipescraving]

In the world of international cricket, England pick Mahika Gaur and team selection is a critical chess game, with each move meticulously calculated to achieve strategic objectives. The recent announcement of England’s decision to include Mahika Gaur and Bess Heath in their lineup for the Sri Lanka series marks a pivotal juncture in the team’s composition. This article endeavors to unravel the intricacies of these selections, delve into the qualities that earned Gaur and Heath their spots, and analyze the potential impact of their inclusion on England’s performance. By employing transition words and passive voice, we embark on a comprehensive exploration of England’s tactical maneuvering.

[youblogzz]

Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Northern Diamonds begin title defence with win, Sunrisers stun Southern Vipers | Cricket News

Northern Diamonds began their defence of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with an emphatic 105-run victory over Western Storm at Headingley. Half-centuries from Lauren Winfield-Hill (75), Bess Heath (71) and South African debutant Chloe Tryon (63) took Diamonds to a commanding total of 290-8 off a rain-reduced 37 overs. In reply, Storm were bowled out for 185 in 33.3 overs, with leg-spinner Katie…

[geniusgp13-blog]

England's Bess Heath To Replace Jemimah Rodrigues In Initial Stages For Melbourne Stars

England’s Bess Heath To Replace Jemimah Rodrigues In Initial Stages For Melbourne Stars

Women’s Big Bash League commenced on 13th October. This tournament is considered to be one of the biggest in Women’s Cricket. England Women’s Cricket Team batter Bess Heath has been roped in as an International replacement for Jemimah Rodrigues as she is unavailable for the weekend games. Bess Heath has not featured in WBBL She had scored 78 runs in 6 matches of the Women Hundred 2022. The batter…

[dansnaturepictures]

26/05/2021-Birds, butterflies, blossom and flowers at Lakeside and home 

I must admit I did a walk at lunch time and set up the potential for photos during my working at home day so as to not take many photos, as in another of my interests football its a very important night with my team Manchester United in the Europa League final. So tonight was perhaps the one night of the year I didn’t want to be processing or posting photos and blogs whilst watching the TV too much, with kickoff at 8:00. I did still enjoy a very sunny morning today with not a cloud in the sky to begin with for a change, I took the first picture in this photoset of the view out the back with the sun shining of very deliciously dark green and well grown leaves now trees and the second of a view out the back with nice pretty yellow bits of colour from vegetation again. Before leaving for my lunch time walk over Lakeside I got a cracking view of a Jackdaw quite rarely in the garden on the ground. I saw a Magpie very closely and noisily upon entering Lakeside on the field right to the east of the site east of the allotments which I nickname Kestrel corner. On the way here going past the allotments on the tarmac pavement to the north I took the third and fourth pictures in this photoset of some more great cow parsley to see again there is so much about lately which is brilliant for showing spring and some pleasingly immaculate scarlet flowers bouncing bess. This looked so beautiful and stunning, a flower I first saw in Norfolk last September. 

I took the fifth picture in this photoset of some hawthorn blossom which looked lovely as it does here a lot as I walked through the grassland, this is a sight to observe on BBC Springwatch which started last night’s spring watch list https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3SZ2jD895Cy3Hyp6kdsx2hm/the-spring-watchlist on Twitter last night I contributed some of the sights I have seen so far this spring and photos taken of them and this gave me a chance to do another so I was pleased to see it and I love being a part of this. What the show and the benefits of social media to share the arrival of spring is all about and its so exciting. 

On the way to and reaching the area I nickname Marbled White meadow I enjoyed oxeye daisies, daisies and buttercups everywhere really making the whole area in the grass look so pretty and colourful like a work of art. The grass and other bits looked increasingly longer and very interesting too. I also saw a reptilian being scuttle away in the long grass, most probably a slow worm it seemed a lizard but I didn’t get any further look at it as I was looking at the oxeye daisies in a corner and saw another nice hoverfly too. I took the sixth picture in this photoset of some of the buttercups I saw some interestingly in a wet area with the rain lately too, seventh picture of two of the oxeye daisies and eighth and tenth pictures in this photoset of views. I also took the ninth in this photoset of more lovely blossom, probably apple blossom which looked striking too south of the bowl area. 

Rounding the bowl to the north and on my way out I got an anticipated moment when my first bright little Small Heath butterfly seen on my patch this year flew by, four days after seeing my first of the year at Martin Down. It was great to see this and shows the butterfly season ticking along very nicely locally for me now. When home this evening I heard the birds very well again and liked seeing Goldfinch and Blue Tit very well on the balcony feeders out the front. 

Wildlife Sightings Summary: One of my favourite birds the Buzzard out the window, Jackdaw, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, lots of House Sparrows and Starlings again, Black-headed Gull, Small Heath, bee, hoverfly and possible slow worm. 

[adalheidis]

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes is a three-part narrative poem about an eerie heath and how it came to feel haunted. The epilogue suggests that the ghosts of the characters still meet on windy winter nights. It is written in italics to indicate it takes place in a different time altogether.

To fit the evocative feeling of this lingering epilogue, I explored a different illustrative approach. In the last few pages of this book, the colour red is (almost) entirely missing and the blankness of the page becomes prevalent, as if to allow the reader to wander through these pages themself.

Often when I take a walk through the countryside and hear the sound of the wind whistling in my ears, the rustling of the grass under my feet and the growing clapping of the rain, I feel like time flows differently and it’s a unique sensory and narrative experience. I find myself wondering what past stories may have taken place there. I wanted the reader to imagine that the highwayman and Bess’ story was one crafted by their imagination upon walking through the heath, to give them fragmented images conjured by the undefined form of the wind and ideas conjured by surrounding natural noises.

I drew the epilogue as spontaneously as possible, with minimal sketch-book pencil strokes to fit this expressive feeling. As a result, it’s a part of the book that’s very dear to me because it allowed me to show my art process at its rawest but also most passionate state.

---

Find out more about my illustrated adaptation of this poem - There are less than 10 days left to back it on Kickstarter!

[books0977]

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #22). Carolyn Keene. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1945. 

A sprawling estate was willed to a dancer who has vanished several years earlier. During their investigation at Heath Castle, Nancy, Bess and George realize that its crumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? They search for clues in the neglected gardens of the vast estate, hoping to find a lead to the missing woman. Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds as Nancy exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her inheritance.

[ambitiousauthor]

Bess Harding:

Birthday: March 27th

Zodiac sign: Aries

Hair color: brown

Eye color: blue

Height: 5’8 (1.72 meters)

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality bisexual

Favorite color: green

Biological mother: Lou-Ellen

Bilogical father Rex Harding

Siblings: Jonah Harding

Kids: Cassidy Harding, Desiree Harding.

Heath/ mental health issues/disabilities: nearsighted

Likes: baking, her brother, learning, fish, spending time with friends

Dislikes: paperwork, things going wrong, electrical storms

[newsbuzzfinderblog]

Diamonds spinners hold nerve at death after Bess Heath's 60

Diamonds spinners hold nerve at death after Bess Heath’s 60

Northern Diamonds 145 for 5 (Heath 60, Kalis 39, Armitage 30) beat Lightning 140 (Claridge 41, Harmer 35, Armitage 4-27, Smith 3-18) by five runs Northern Diamonds kept their Charlotte Edwards Cup hopes on course by holding their nerve to defeat Lightning by five runs at Seat Unique Riverside. The home side set an imposing total of 146 after Bess Heath led the way with a great knock of 60,…

[recipescraving]

England Pick Mahika Gaur And Bess Heath For Sri Lanka Series

In the world of international cricket, England pick Mahika Gaur and team selection is a critical chess game, with each move meticulously calculated to achieve strategic objectives. The recent announcement of England’s decision to include Mahika Gaur and Bess Heath in their lineup for the Sri Lanka series marks a pivotal juncture in the team’s composition. This article endeavors to unravel the intricacies of these selections, delve into the qualities that earned Gaur and Heath their spots, and analyze the potential impact of their inclusion on England’s performance. By employing transition words and passive voice, we embark on a comprehensive exploration of England’s tactical maneuvering.

[leanstooneside]

mustard greens

JOAN BIALYSTOK

ADV

LESSON

SCOTT FINGERNAIL

CORROSION JOHNSON

CONNIE WRATH

MAYA

IAN GREMLIN

KENNETH

RACHAEL

MARJORIE

BENEDICT FASCICLE

SOIL LI

ELOISE COLLOQUY

MARK TWAIN

EARL

JENNIFER

RHO CLARKE

EMILY

WEI LI

DON

DAVIS

ALI DUTY

MARY ANNE

BRBR

ELAINE OXYGEN

CARMELA

MADELINE

STAR COMPLIANT

RACHAEL ADAMS

JESSICA

DREW THE LUCKY

BROTHER

ANABEL FIGURINE

PACT

MADONNA BOOKBIND

WOMAN

ISAIAH ENTICE

LEN

BESS

IRVING DEWEY

DONNIE

SIR

ESTER

ILONA CONJUNCT

MAX

HEATH STALLION

MR JONES

ADMIRAL TURNSTONE

THOMAS WATSON

LI

MIRA

CHRISTINA

WARREN BILINEAR

DIAMETER LINCOLN

LACY REPULSION

ROOD SULLIVAN SEDER SMITH

ALLEN LUCAS

WOODROW CHIANTI

PIERRE LAPLACE

JILL INTERMIT

DON WADE

MALLORY COLGATE DEBBY

MAN

PROF SALVATORE SACCHI

ALLEN

LATOYA

MORGAN CAPACITY

SOMEONE

[acrossthestreetsofmanhattan]

L’engagement politique de Nina Simone

Nina Simone (dont le nom de naissance est Eunice Kathleen Waymon) donne son premier concert à l’âge de 10 ans, dans une église de Tryon, la ville qui l’a vu naître en 1933 en Caroline du Nord. 

Ses parents, ouvriers, s’installent au premier rang pour écouter leur fille au talent si précoce. Mais ils devront assister au concert depuis le fond de la salle, les places de devant étant réservées aux blancs. Nina en gardera une rage sourde pendant toute sa vie.

Ce jour-là, elle va refuser de jouer tant que ses géniteurs ne seront pas replacés devant, et elle va continuer le combat pour le respect des droits civiques toute sa vie.

Après avoir découvert le piano à l’âge de 8 ans à l’église, elle suit des cours payés par l’employeur de sa mère, femme de ménage, qui a entendu parler de son don. A 17 ans, elle s’installe à Philadelphie où elle donne des cours de piano pour financer ses études à la prestigieuse Juilliard School of Music de New York.

Quand elle décide de s’installer à Atlantic City, elle commence à se produire dans des cabarets. Le patron de l’un de ces établissements lui fait comprendre qu’elle a intérêt à chanter en même temps qu’elle joue si elle veut réussir. A cette époque-là, elle choisit un pseudonyme pour ne pas que sa mère, fervente méthodiste, ne sache qu’elle joue la “musique du diable”. Nous sommes alors en 1954 : son pseudo sera Nina, qui veut dire petite fille en espagnol, et Simone comme l’actrice française de Casque d’Or. En 1958 elle enregistre son premier disque, une reprise de Porgy and Bess, dont le petit succès lui permettra de signer avec le label Bethleem Records.

Dans la foulée, elle enregistre son premier album, Little Girl Blue, dont elle cède tous les droits contre 3000 dollars. Elle forme un trio avec Jimmy Bond à la basse et Tootie Heath à la batterie. Puis elle signe chez Colpix Records, où elle enregistrera neuf disques entre 1959 et 1964. A cette époque, Nina poursuit son rêve d’être instrumentiste classique et enregistre de la variété pour gagner sa vie. Dans ces albums, on trouvera notamment un disque où elle reprend des chansons de Duke Ellington, ainsi que des compositions personnelles.

En 1964, son engagement politique va éclater au grand jour. A la faveur de son premier disque dans sa nouvelle maison de disques, Philips, elle signe un texte engagé, Mississipi Goddam, qui rend hommage au militant Medgar Evers et qui dénonce les exactions du Ku Klux Klan. La chanson sera boycottée dans de nombreux Etats du Sud. Puis Nina Simone devient au fil des années une rare diva, ses six albums chez Philips comportant des titres marquants tels la reprise de “Strange Fruit” de Billie Holiday. Puis elle signe chez RCA où elle enregistre “Backlash Blues” avec son ami le poète afro-américain Langston Hughes.

Au début des années 70, elle quitte son pays pour s’établir à la Barbade. Mais elle négligera alors l’aspect administratif de ses affaires et aura des problèmes de droits à son retour aux Etats-Unis. Elle s’exile donc de nouveau à la Barbade où elle aura une relation amoureuse avec le premier ministre Erroll Barrow.

Elle continuera de voyager pendant les décennies suivantes : au Liberia d’abord sur l’invitation de son amie Miriam Makeba, puis en Suisse, en Hollande et dans le Sud de la France, à Carry-le-Rouet près de Marseille en 1992. 

Si elle garde l’image d’une grande dame de la chanson, écorchée vive, elle a profondément marqué des artistes de toutes générations. Citons Timbaland, Kanye West ou encore Common comme personnalités ayant samplé ses morceaux. 

Nina Simone avait également un côté borderline, elle a par exemple tiré sur un employé de maison de disques et une autre fois sur le fils d’un voisin qui troublait sa concentration. Dans ses engagements politiques, elle s”opposait à Martin Luther King, car elle estimait qu’une révolution pacifique avait peu de chances d’aboutir. Elle meurt à 70 ans, le 21 avril 2003, d’un cancer du sein, dans son village de Carry-le-Rouet dans les Bouches-du-Rhône.