Nina Simone

[blueskies]

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/nina-simone...501047095.html

[marv2]

I am watching it right now on Netflix. Thanks.

[marv2]

This is an excellent documentary on Nina Simone.........very deep as well.

[Bluebrock]

She was quite a character was our Nina. The older I get the more interested I become in her life and music. She was a one off for sure.

[Jerry Oz]

Excellent documentary. But heartbreaking. Her activist period sadly reflects the current state of race relations in the US. We are still facing the same divide and anger 45 years later. Miss Simone's heart would break to see that we haven't progressed since then.

After watching the doc, I read more on line and found out that the Zoe Saldana film has angered her family due to liberties taken with telling the story off her latter years. As if her story isn't compelling enough.

[RobertZ]

I thought "What Happened, Miss Simone?" was excellent,showing all [[?) the sides of this brilliant and inspirational talent. Much was troubling [[Ms. Simone calling for her audience at the Harlem Arts Festival to “…smash white things”, “…kill ifnecessary”; the abuse of her daughter, etc) but the film-maker never lost sightof the music, with frequent and thrilling live clips throughout the film. Personally I would have liked more information about Ms. Simone’s recording career [[material selection, musicians,arrangement choices, etc) but perhaps that would be a different film.

Ms. Simone seemed to be an unhappy woman, which is her tragedy. I can’t help but wonder what she would have thought [[and said!) about today’s leg-spreadin’bendin’-over “lady” singers who claim Nina Simone as an inspiration!

In closing, if you can, by all means watch the film. I looked it up on Amazon but there does notyet seem to be a DVD; when one is available put in a request to your local library to buy a copy; it’s history.

Here’s a troubling item currently for pre-sale on Amazon,which I think is a terrible invasion of privacy of a deceased person:
http://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-...ed+miss+simone

[Jerry Oz]

If you have Netflix, you can watch it there. Did I miss it or was "I'm Feeling Good" not in the film? I found that odd, especially since it's been given new life in television commercials.

[midnightman]

Nina was a very complex character. At one time, she called for a black uprising, the next, she wanted to unite all races [[I think near the end, she was more on the latter than in the former). Racism nearly left her real bitter and it didn't help that she was bipolar, which led to a lot of mood swings and unpredictable behavior. Despite that, she was a symbol of not only black excellence but also packed a wallop of talent that enable her to use that voice to cross over into various genres without trying to be hip, she just was hip on her own.

I think in some ways Lauryn Hill has some semblance of Nina but Nina left a shadow that even Lauryn [[or anyone else for that matter) could fill.

[mr_june]

I saw the Netflix documentary also and liked it very much. It too made me do some research on Nina and to play her music. She was one of kind and pound for pound was equal in talent with Ms. Franklin. Nina didn't have the hits cause she dabbled in many genres but she had the voice and much talent on the piano and also was very expressive. The two most soulful songs I've ever heard are Nina's "The King of Love is Dead" and Ray Charles live version [[there are two or more out there) of "Drowning In My Own Tears" that appears on the Ray Charles Story Vol. 2 and recorded at Herdon Stadium. Those two songs have more feeling in them than anything I've heard before. I'm sorry I never saw Nina in concert also.

[mr_june]

Regarding the documentary, I wished they had not included the sexual situation that later developed between her and her husband. Such privately written thoughts should have been kept private. Definitely goes under "too much information." I had the same feeling about the Herb Kent book when he would let us in on the many escapades that took place in radio station with various females. He should have kept that stuff to himself.

[Bokiluis]

If you have Netflix, you can watch it there. Did I miss it or was "I'm Feeling Good" not in the film? I found that odd, especially since it's been given new life in television commercials.

I was going to finally take the Netflix plunge, only to discover my flatscreen was not compatible. My flatscreen is not a smart television so said a not very confident Samsung technician over the phone. I am looking for another opinion because programming like the Nina Simone documentary finally convinced me to join the Netflix generation.

[Bokiluis]

Regarding the documentary, I wished they had not included the sexual situation that later developed between her and her husband. Such privately written thoughts should have been kept private. Definitely goes under "too much information." I had the same feeling about the Herb Kent book when he would let us in on the many escapades that took place in radio station with various females. He should have kept that stuff to himself.

That's sorta how I feel about the Jan Gaye book. Alas, without it, she wouldn't have much of a book, never mind her poor fact checking on things like "Here My Dear" being reevaluated critically as a continuation of his golden decade beginning with 1971's "What's Going On" through 1978's "Here My Dear" or 1979's "?In My Lifetime"
depending where you stand.