Nina Simone Wild is The Wind

Nina Simone recorded the title track, originally popularized by Johnny Mathis, twice: it appears on her 1959 live album and again on this 1966 release. David Bowie's mid-1970s cover version was inspired by the rendition on this album and was recorded after Bowie met Simone. Also includes one of Simone's signature tunes, the stereotype-fighting Four Women, her only original number on this album. An anthem for the Civil Rights movement, the single was banned upon release by a New York jazz radio station due to what was considered controversial lyrical content at the time.

The story of Eunice Kathleen Waymon is that of an artist emblematic of the difficulty of being and being born in a country under the yoke of racial segregation. Nina Simone (The Word Nina, which means "little girl" in Spanish, is the nickname given to her by a boyfriend and Simone is borrowed from the actress Simone Signoret whom she saw in the film Casque d'or by Jacques Becker) is an American pianist, singer, songwriter and civil rights activist in the United States. Originally wishing to become a classical pianist, she eventually performed and radiated in various musical styles including jazz, blues, classical, soul, folk, R & B, gospel and pop.

Thanks to a steady stream of reissues and her central role in Questlove's 2021 Summer of Soul documentary, Nina Simone has lately been accumulating some of the overdue praise she was denied in life. This fiercely gifted and intelligent pianist, who out of necessity eventually discovered her distinctive singing voice, was especially productive from 1964 until 1967 when she recorded most of what's on this compilation. That mid-'60s period is also when Simone moved from innocuous pop standards to protest songs, many of which she wrote or rearranged herself. Many of her best-known mid-period tunes are here: "I Put A Spell On You," “Sinnerman," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and the triumphant and justly famous 1964 live version of "Mississippi Goddam" from Carnegie Hall. This brief best-of is completed by the addition of her first hit, "My Baby Just Cares for Me" from 1957. What's new here are remixes of seven tunes whose original versions also appear on this reissue. Opener "Feeling Good," gets a ready-for-the-club makeover from DJ Joel Corry while dance duo Sofi Tukker, who've worked with Lady Gaga and Rodrigo y Gabriela, emphasize Simone's piano part on "Sinnerman" before settling into a standard dance beat. UK duo HONNE evade the dance beat sameness with a downbeat mix of "My Baby Just Cares For Me" that changes the melody entirely while leaving the words intact—an imaginative if not entirely successful reimagining—while the remix of "Take Care of Business" by drum and bass duo Rudimental adds a rumbling undercurrent to the original. The single comes from UK electro-pop band Hot Chip who slow "Be My Husband" and add a fat bass part on keyboards, synth flourishes, and looped reverb to Simone's voice, finishing with a shaking of tambourine. Though not quite the hoped-for hit, the efforts required for a remix adds to the body of respect and awe Simone's work righteously inspires.

Nina Simone was one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation, and also one of the most eclectic. Simone was a singer, pianist, and songwriter who bent genres to her will rather than allowing herself to be confined by their boundaries; her work swung back and forth between jazz, blues, soul, classical, R&B, pop, gospel, and world music, with passion, emotional honesty, and a strong grasp of technique as the constants of her musical career.

Nina Simone was one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation, and also one of the most eclectic. Simone was a singer, pianist, and songwriter who bent genres to her will rather than allowing herself to be confined by their boundaries; her work swung back and forth between jazz, blues, soul, classical, R&B, pop, gospel, and world music, with passion, emotional honesty, and a strong grasp of technique as the constants of her musical career.

Opening the celebrations of the great Nina Simone's 90th birthday is a collection of the great and iconic singer's most famous songs, complemented by two "live" versions - recorded in 1964 at New York's Carnegie Hall - of "I Loves You Porgy" and "Missisippi Goddam."

To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story is a 3 CD Career Retrospective (1957-1993) including her work for Bethlehem, Colpix, Philips, RCA, CTI and Elektra, PLUS a DVD featuring the 1970 Emmy-nominated never-before-released documentary. This package includes 54 songs, 8 previously unreleased tracks, including some never recorded elsewhere. The box includes all chart hits (U.S. and U.K.) and her most famous signature songs. An added bonus are liner notes which include track-by-track commentary from Simone biographer, David Nathan, and introduction by Ed Ward, NPR's "rock & roll historian", and never-before-seen photos from her family archives, recording sessions and performances.