"The breathtaking originality of the second half of the show is what makes this album great. Opening with Oscar Brown, Jr.’s “Brown Baby” and then Michael Olatunji’s “Zungo” and delivering a long version of another traditional song “Children, Go Where I Send You”, Simone makes a profound stand on the black musical tradition, drawing on her deep reading in Frantz Fanon’s auto-theory and Léopold Senghor’s ideas on négritude to create a body of work that transcends jazz styles and critical pigeonholes. She was unique, but only because she drew on multitudes."

PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ


"Always surprising, but nevertheless totally coherent and devoid of any artifice, At the Village Gate is one of the most emblematic albums recorded by the unparalleled talent of Nina Simone."

JAZZ MAGAZINE


Tracklist

01 JUST IN TIME
02 HE WAS TOO GOOD TO ME
03 HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN
04 BYE BYE BLACKBIRD
05 BROWN BABY
06 ZUNGO
07 IF HE CHANGED MY NAME
08 CHILDREN GO WHERE I SEND YOU 09 SUMMERTIME*
10 EXACTLY LIKE YOU*
11 THE OTHER WOMAN*
12 FINE AND MELLOW*
13 TROUBLE IN MIND*
14 YOU’D BE SO NICE TO COME
HOME TO*

NINA SIMONE, vocals & piano
AL SCHACKMAN, guitar
CHRIS WHITE, bass
ROB HAMILTON, drums

The Village Gate, New York, April 1961.

*Bonus tracks