Ms. Understood - 2018
Ms. Understood is a portrait of the iconic Nina Simone. Known as a talented musician, her genres included classical, blues, jazz and more. Though originally classically trained, aiming to become the first black classical pianist, Nina's music took a turn during the civil rights movement where she felt obliged to bring light to the importance of what was going on with her voice. The title Ms. Understood is in reference to the song "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and aims to highlight the vulnerability of Nina despite her strength.
“ I choose to reflect the times and the situations in which I find myself. That to me is my duty and at this crucial time in our lives when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you can help but be involved. How can you be an artist and not reflect the times? ”
- Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Nina Simone was born Eunice Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina in 1933. She began to play the piano at the age of 3 and for 5 years she studied classical piano with Mrs. Mazzanovich, a music teacher who decided to give her lessons after hearing her play in church. Nina crossed the railroad every weekend to get to her teacher. At that time railroad tracks in the south had the purpose of dividing the black people from white people. Mrs. Mazzanovich had it in her mind that Nina would be one of the greatest concert pianists so it was all very disciplined classical music including Bach, Beethoven and Debussy. Mrs. Mazzanovich set up the “Eunice Waymon Fund” to help further her education after she had left her.
After graduating from high school the money that was saved from the “Eunice Waymon Fund” sent her to The Julliard School in New York, 1950. She then applied for a scholarship to Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She knew she was good enough but they turned her down and it took her about 6 months to realise it was because she was black.
Eventually her funding ran out so she had to go to work to support her family and fund her classical piano training. Nina got a summer job in Atlantic City playing the piano and a mixture of jazz, blues and classical music. She had never sung before and the owner told her if she wanted to keep the job she had to sing so she did and sang ever since. She didn’t want her family to know where she was working so she changed her name to Nina Simone. “Nina” stood for the little one and “Simone” came from the French actress Simone Signoret.
As her career developed, in the early 60’s Nina performed at the Newport Jazz Festival and Carneige Hall in New York City where she was happy to be playing but sad not to be playing classical music. After Carneige Hall she was getting airplay and media coverage all over the country and became highly successful and recognised.
On Sunday 15th September 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed as an act of white supremacist terrorism against the African American community. Four young girls aged 11-14 were killed and 22 injured. This incident deeply affected Nina and as a result she wrote “Mississippi Goddam” which was a revolutionary song to be released.
Nina Simone selflessly converted her career to making Civil Rights Music even though this hurt her career. Throughout her life she became more aggressive and depressed and was eventually diagnosed with Bi-polar and Manic Depression. Nina Simone received 15 Grammy nominations and the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000. Two days before her death in 2003 she was awarded an Honorary Diploma from Curtis institute of Music, the school that declined her when she was 19.