Anthology

“These are the songs I grew up with,” says music veteran Simone about the set list at her May 13 show at Anthology. “I bring myself to the stage, and do things to the songs – a riff here or there – and I can really feel the connection to my mother.”

And what songs they are. Oh, and what a mother.

Because Simone is the daughter of singing legend Nina Simone, the songs she’s referring to include classics like “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “I Put a Spell on You,” “Four Women,” “I Loves You Porgy,” “Feeling Good,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “Sinnerman,” “To Be Young, Gifted and Black,” “Mississippi Goddam,” “Ain’t Got No, I Got Life” and “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl.”

Simone, who was born Lisa Celeste Stroud, titles her show, “Simone Sings Simone,” and, fittingly, sings many of the songs that her mom made famous. However, many of the songs she sings are tunes that have been under-recognized.

When Nina Simone died from breast cancer in 2003, Simone was the executor of the estate and while going through her mom’s records, both financial and musical, she found many arrangements that her mom hadn’t used.

These make the bulk of her show, which features the backing of the Rob Stoneback Big Band.

Not every song has her mom’s stamp on it, but it does have her sprit. One tune, “Child In Me,” is an original tune written by Simone that is dedicated to her mom. Another is a rendition of “Autumn Leaves,” that is a tribute to another great singer, Eva Cassidy.

“I never thought about singing ‘Autumn Leaves’ until I heard Eva’s version,” Simone said. “She turns it into a personal love story.”

Simone grew up close to her mother, but her first musical “a-ha!” moment came while in church.

“I remember going to church when I was very young – it was an integral part of life,” Simone said. “During one service, I was hearing the gospel singers and realized that if I were to accept God the way he needs to be, it would be through music.”

She’s done pretty good with the music thing. Before she created her musical tribute, she had a successful career performing major roles in Broadway hit shows like “Rent,” “The Lion King” and “Aida.”

“The best compliment the producers gave me on those shows was they would give me the freedom to sing the song how I felt it,” Simone said. “If there was a line that I felt could use a riff or a run, they would trust that it fit the story or the character.”
But for someone who has loved music all her life, and was familiar with the inner workings of the industry, Simone did not jump into showbiz right from the gitgo.

Instead, she joined the Air Force and spent 11 years as a civil engineering assistant, eventually becoming a staff sergeant.

“It provided valuable lessons to becoming an adult,” she said of the experience. “And it is where I decided to become a singer.”

Some celeb singers might try to talk their child out of pursuing music as a career, but Simone says her mom felt they both had a calling.

“My mom felt she and I were both griots,” Simone said. “That’s the term for a storyteller in a tribe, the person who keeps the history of the tribe alive through storytelling,” Simone said. “When my mother included me as a griot that was one of the proudest days of my life.”

Simone tries to honor that title with every show and considers it a good show when people feel comfortable enough to tell her their own personal experiences after the show.

“I will have people say, ‘My husband enjoyed the music so much, he cried,’” she said.

By David Moye

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WHAT: Simone
WHEN: Thursday, May 13th, 2010, 7:30pm
TICKETS: $10 – $27 BUY TICKETS
MORE INFO: Artist Profile