• Voto:
Ahhh, Nina Simone, quella brutta, brutta donna con una magnifica voce d'angelo, strapazzata sul suo piano a portarci in deliquio nota dopo nota. Scelsi questa raccolta perché mi serviva un suo disco per un viaggio e dopo una carrellata allo scaffale del caro negozio "Psycho" gettai l'occhio sul volto che appariva nell'angolo della copertina: ma quella è Dianne Reeves!!! E chi è Dianne Reeves? Beh ovviamente non lo so, ma i due attempati commessi di "Psycho" mi dissero che trattasi di fondamentale jazz singer dei nostri tempi... ah beh... allora tornai a casa, alla faccia della consecutio temporis e infilai il cd nel lettore.
Dopo un primo brano di sola voce che si sfila maestoso come una messa ecco il capolavoro, il brano che mi ha fatto ballare e sudare di passione: "Four Women", semplicemente un piccolo pizzo prezioso fatto con amore tra le cosce di una contadina del Missisippi. Un battito cardiaco lento e sontuoso accompagna i pochi accordi del brano che potrebbe far parte di un disco dei Bad Seeds, o di Scott Walker... pura estasi musicale e sensualità ad affogo immediato. Gioia per le mie orecchie sterili... perché cercare vibrazioni moderne se il passato racchiude gioielli tanto preziosi? Mah... Ed ecco "Wild Is The Wind", la fosca e tonante voce di Nina ricopre la marea degli strumenti: eccezionale. "Don't Smoke in Bed" oltre a denunciare un'usanza screanzata porta uno standard classico alle sue estreme conseguenze: pause e sussulti di piano e voce ti fanno assopire (nel senso buono ovviamente); l'ascolto è consigliato immersi nella propria vasca da bagno con un Martini in mano e la propria donna che vi massaggia la schiena seguendo incerta i vocalizzi della Dea Nera. Indubbiamente viene da pensare, molto piacevolmente direi, ad Antony e i suoi Johnsons che molto hanno imparato da questa grande interprete/autrice e che hanno saputo rielaborare questo linguaggio in chiave più contemporanea e "pop". "Lilac Wine" è il brano che Jeff Buckley riprese in "Grace": canzone classica nel vero e profondo senso del termine, commovente nel testo e nella musica, impreziosita da accenni lievi di percussione ed archi... con una voce potente e una tecnica pianistica poderosa a dare man forte. Tutte le grandi interpreti femminili hanno imparato da questa immensa donna che con una ridda di impressionanti pezzi: "Don't Explain" (Damien Rice, remember?) "Be My Husband" (il già citato Antony) "If I Should Lose You" ci impartisce una lezione di musica nera da tenere nel cassetto dei ricordi preziosi finché la morte non ci impedirà di ascoltare più musica... forse, chissà.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
02 Solitaire (00:00)
Carl Nutter, Renee Borek, King Guion
Since you've gone I spend each lonely night,
Dealing out the cards from left to right,
And the King of Hearts is there to remind me
That I'm all alone playing solitaire.
Love was just another game for two,
I see now that's all it meant to you,
And my heart got lost somewhere in the shuffle,
So I'm all alone playing solitaire
In each romance there's an element of chance,
A gamble to win or to lose,
You play to win, then you find you're playing in a game with no rules,
Just made for fools.
Now, the Joker has a laugh on me,
'Cause I played my hand so carelessly,
And until you wanna share that old feeling,
I'll be dealing time away with solitaire.
And until you want to share that old feeling,
I'll be dealing time away, dealing time away with solitaire.
10 I Loves You Porgy (00:00)
I loves you Porgy
Don't let him take me
Don't let him handle me
And drive me mad
If you can keep me, I wants to stay here
With you forever and I'd be glad
I loves you Porgy
Don't let him take me
Don't let him handle me
With his hot hand
If you can keep me, I wants to stay here
With you forever
I got my man
Someday, I know he's comin' back
To call me...
He's gonna handle me and hold me so
It's gonna be like dyin', Porgy,
Deep inside me,
But when he calls I know I have to go
Porgy, I's your woman now
I is, I is...
And I ain't never goin' nowhere
'Less you shares the fun
Want no wrinkle on your brow,
No how
Because the sorrow of the past is all
Done, done
My Porgy,
Now the real happiness is just begun
There's no wrinkle on my brow
No how
And I ain't goin'
You hear me saying, if you ain't goin',
With you I'm stayin'
Porgy, I's yo' woman now
I's yours forever
Mornin' time and evenin' time
And summer time and winter time
Mmm
Oh my Porgy
My man Porgy
From this minute I'm tellin' you
I keep this vow
Porgy, I's yo' woman now
15 Work Song (00:00)
Work Song
Breaking rocks out here on the chain gang
Breaking rocks and serving my time
Breaking rocks out here on the chain gang
Because they done convicted me of crime
Hold it steady right there while I hit it
well reckon that ought to get it
been
working and working
but I still got so terribly far to go
I commited crime Lord I needed
Crime of being hungry and poor
I left the grocery store man bleeding (breathing?)
When they caught me robbing his store
Hold it steady right there while I hit it
Well reckon that ought to get it
been
working and working
but I still got so terribly far to go
I heard the judge say five years
On chain-gang you gonna go
I heard the judge say five years labor
I heard my old man scream "Lordy, no!"
Hold it right there while I hit it
well reckon that ought to get it
been
working and working
but I still got so terribly far to go
Gonna see my sweet honey bee
Gonna break this chain off to run
Gonna lay down somewhere shady
Lord I sure am hot in the sun
Hold it right there while I hit it
well reckon that ought to get it
been
workin' and workin'
been
workin' and slavin'
an'
workin' and workin'
but I still got so terribly far to go
19 Stompin' At The Savoy (00:00)
(1934) Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, Edgar Sampson, Andy Razaf
Savoy, the home of sweet romance,
Savoy, it wins you with a glance,
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Your old form just like a clinging vine,
Your lips so warm and sweet as wine,
Your cheek so soft and close to mine, divine.
How my heart is singing,
While the band is swinging,
I'm never tired of romping,
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
What joy - a perfect holiday,
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
Savoy, let me stomp away with you;
The home of sweet romance,
It wins you at a glance,
Gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Just like a clinging vine,
So soft and sweet as wine,
So soft and close to mine, divine.
How my heart is singing,
While the band is swinging,
I'm never, never, never tired of romping,
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
What joy - a perfect holiday,
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
Savoy, let me stomp away with you;
24 Willow Weep For Me (00:00)
(1932) Ann Ronell
Willow weep for me, willow weep for me,
Bend your branches green along the stream that runs to sea,
Listen to my plea, listen willow weep for me,
Gone my lover's dream, lovely summer dream,
Gone and left me here to weep my tears into the stream,
Sad as I can be - Hear me willow and weep for me.
Whisper to the wind to say that love has sinned
To leave my heart aching and making this moan,
Murmur to the night to hide her starry light,
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone,
Weeping willow tree, weep in sympathy,
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me,
When the shadows fall, bend oh willow and weep for me.
To leave my heart aching and making this moan,
So none will find me sighing and crying all alone,
Weeping willow tree, weep in sympathy,
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me,
When the shadows fall, bend oh willow,
Bend oh willow and weep for me.
27 I Like The Sunrise (00:00)
(1947) Duke Ellington
I like the sunrise cos it brings a new day
I like the new day it brings new hope they say
I like the sunrise blazing in the new sky
Nighttime's so weary and oh so am I
Every evening I wish upon a star
That my brand new tomorrow isn't very far
When that heavy blue curtain on night
Is high in the sky way out of sight
I like the sunrise so heavenly to see
I like the sunrise and I hope it likes poor me
28 Solitude (00:00)
(1934) Eddie Delange, Irving Mills, Duke Ellington
In my solitude you haunt me
With reveries of days gone by
In my solitude you taunt me
With memories that never die
I sit in my chair
Filled with despair
Nobody could be so sad
With gloom ev'rywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm praying
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
Original lyric
In my solitude you haunt me
With reveries of days gone by
In my solitude you taunt me
With memories that never die
I sit in my chair
I'm filled with despair
There's no one could be so sad
With gloom ev'rywhere
I sit and I stare
I know that I'll soon go mad
In my solitude
I'm praying
Dear Lord above
Send back my love
29 The Gal From Joe's (00:00)
(1939) irving mills, duke ellington
She’s leavin’ and folks are feelin’ so low
They’re grievin’ and they’re kinda consolin’ poor joe
Gonna miss her song
Gonna miss her smile
She’ll be travlin’ alone down that last long mile
They’re sighin’
With all thei trouble and woes
They’re cryin’ ’cause they all loved
The gal from joe’s.
Way down at mister joe’s cafe
They’re takin’ someone far away
And if you hear a song today
It’s a sad tune that you’ll be playin’:
She’s leavin’ and folks are feelin’ so low
They’re grievin’ and they’re consolin’ poor joe
Gonna miss her song
Gonna miss her smile
She’ll be travlin’ alone down that last long mile
They’re sighin’
With all thei trouble and woes
They’re cryin’ ’cause they all loved
The gal from joe’s.
30 Satin Doll (00:00)
(1953) Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington Cigarette holder which wigs me over her shoulder, she digs me. Out cattin' that satin doll. Baby, shall we go out skippin ? Careful, amigo, you're flippin', speaks Latin that satin doll. She's nobody's fool so I'm playing it cool as can be. I'll give it a whirl but I ain't for no girl catching me, swich-e-rooney. Telephone numbers well you know, doing my rhumbas with uno and that'n my satin doll.
31 It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (00:00)
Choir:
Doo do do, do do do-oo do, do do Doo do do, do do do
Doo do do, do do do-oo do, do do Doo do do, do do do
It don’t mean a thing, if you can’t swing
Dooa doa doa doa doa doaa
Well, it don’t mean a thing, all you gotta do is sing
Dooa doa doa doa doa doaa
Makes no diff’rence if it’s sweet or hot
Give that rhythm ev’rything you've got
It don’t mean a thing, all you gotta do is swing
Dooa doa doa doaa
Choir:
It don’t mean a thing, if you ain’t got that swing
Piano
It don’t mean a thing, all you gotta do is sing
Piano
Makes no diff’rence if it’s sweet or hot
Piano
It don’t mean a thing, no, it don’t mean a thing
Piano
It don’t mean a thing, if you ain’t got that swing Yeah, doa, ooh, doa, ooh doa, oyeah
It don’t mean a thing, all you gotta do is swing Well, doa, ooh doa, ooh doa (doa doa)
Makes no diff’rence if it’s sweet or hot Give that rhythm ev’rything you’ve got
It don’t mean a thing, if you can’t swing It don’t mean a thing, if you can’t sing
Sing your song, all day long All the time, right on time
Ev’ry day, ev’ry way Makes no diff’rence, sweet or hot
Give that song, all you got Sing it, sing it,
Doa, doa, o yeah, doa, allright, o yeah, Sing the song, all day long Doaa, o yeah
45 Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (00:00)
(1943) duke ellington, bob russell
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
Don't you know, I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with somebody new
But does that mean that I'm been untrue?
When we're apart the words in my heart reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And others arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear from me
And baby you never will
Original lyric
Someone told someone and someone told you
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
Sine ev'ry one spreads the story
With his own little personal touch
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue?
When we're apart the words in my heart reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memroy
And others arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear from me
And you never will
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