Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by you know how I feel
And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me
And I’m feeling good
I’m feeling good
— Nina Simone, Feeling Good, 1965
"How can you be an artist and not reflect the times?" asks asserts Nina Simone in the breathtaking new documentary What Happened, Miss Simone, which will start streaming on Netflix June 26. The Apollo Theater was the scene of the NYC debut of the film Monday night, which featured a mini concert tribute from Lauryn Hill.
The national secular religion of this country consists of a cluster of rarely questioned premises, usually inculcated in childhood, comparable to the articles of a real religious creed.
The first proposition is the idea that we live in a “free” country, as symbolized by the Statue of Liberty idol that towers over New York City’s harbor. The system absolutely insists on this point, incessantly hammering it in. It’s its basic tenet. Indeed it’s presented as “self-evident.” You’re in this country, ergo, you are FREE.
Nina Simone – “Mississippi Goddam”
The Soothing the Beast BFP/Jamiol Music Pick this week is a real treat. Once again it features the incredible Nina Simone. The song is Mississippi Goddam and was Nina’s response to murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four black children. The song was released as a single, and it was boycotted in certain southern states. It is one of my favorites of Simone’s performances. So tonight, listen up to a powerful song and powerful performance by music great Nina Simone…enjoy…DJPJ.
