The woman said “yes”, but she didn’t want to sell the few she had. There were no records out but I asked if there were any. Don’t let that stop you from buying this “must have” record. It’s as if the engineer in 1957 was experimenting with stereo as he went. Simone’s voice is in one channel only, the rhythm section of piano, drums and bass in the other, though there is some attempt to integrate the two in the ambience, with the drums having a “stereo” spatial quality.
This sounds as if it was a two track recording meant to be mixed to mono and in fact, I have a mono original that I prefer spatially, but it can’t otherwise begin to compare to this reissue’s remarkable clarity, transparency and black backgrounds. Transparency and timbral accuracy are high points, the ‘stereo’ spread, the low point. She’s backed by Jimmy Bond on bass and Al Heath on drums and that’s all that’s needed as she idiosyncratically covers familiar territory like “Mood Indigo”, “Don’t Smoke In Bed”, “Love Me Or Leave Me” and “Porgy”. Her piano style is at times fierce and blocky as you’d expect from a jazz artist, and at other times heavily arpeggiated and almost baroque as you’d expect from a classical musician, but at all times, Simone is deep and soulful as you’d expect from someone steeped in gospel and church music. Here, and especially on Nina Simone at Carnegie Hall (Colpix/Pure Pleasure PPAN SCP 455), you always have the sensation that she’s singing to just you, so intimate is her communication and so intense is her gravitational pull. The label founder Gus Wildi wisely gave Simone complete control and she produced an eclectic, sophisticated album that showcased her deft arranging, her unusual mix of jazz and classical piano playing and especially her soulful, intimate singing. She began playing jazz in Atlantic City and New York clubs and recorded this album at age twenty five. Simone was a classically trained concert pianist (Julliard) but because of the overt discrimination at the time, her career was stymied. You’ll sit transfixed by this exceptional woman’s remarkable and often tragic life story. Seeing the superb documentary “What Happened, Miss Simone” isn’t mandatory but you’ll so much more enjoy this astonishing debut album recorded in 1957 (but not released until 1959) that it’s highly recommended, especially if you have Netflix.