Originally released by Bethlehem Records in 1959, Nina Simone and Her Friends was a compilation album comprised of the few remaining, unreleased tracks from the Little Girl Blue recording session plus songs recorded by two other former Bethlehem artists, the powerhouse jazz vocalist Carmen McRae and the elegant song stylist Chris Connor.
As Daphne Brooks explains in the release’s brand new essay, “Bethlehem clustered their work – tracks that had previously appeared on the label’s Girlfriends compilation – together with the younger, upstart Simone’s and essentially offered up a collection of songs that span a range of genres – folk, jazz, pop song staples, and torch song laments, plus a couple of provocative original compositions by McRae and Simone. Each track is a reminder of the clear-eyed independence, verve, and confidence of three artists whose music, taken together, brims with the majesty and the assured talents of the late 1950s women artists who led with conviction and invention as musicians and song interpreters.”
Featuring a brand new stereo mix by four-time Grammy winner Michael Graves. Includes new essay by author of Liner Notes For The Revolution, Daphne A. Brooks
1. Nina Simone – “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”
2. Chris Conner – “Someone to Watch Over Me”
3. Carmen McRae – “Old Devil Moon”
4. Nina Simone – “I Loves You, Porgy”
5. Chris Conner – “I Concentrate On You”
6. Carmen McRae – “You Made Me Care”
7. Nina Simone – “For All We Know”
8. Chris Conner – “From This Moment On”
9. Carmen McRae – “Too Much In Love To Care”
10. Nina Simone – “African Mailman”
11. Chris Conner – “All This And Heaven Too”
12. Carmen McRae – “Last Time For Love”
