Live at Berkeley (also released as Nina Simone Live at Berkeley/Gifted & Black) is the tenth live album by jazz singer/pianist/songwriter Nina Simone. It was recorded at the University of California in Berkeley during the Third Annual Berkeley Jazz Festival in 1969. All arrangements were written by Simone, and it was produced by Jean-Luc Young.[1][2]
| Live at Berkeley | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Recorded | April 26, 1969 | |||
| Venue | University of California, Berkeley | |||
| Genre | Vocal, jazz, blues, folk | |||
| Label | Stroud | |||
| Producer | Jean-Luc Young | |||
| Nina Simone chronology | ||||
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The album has also been released combined with a previous Nina Simone LP from the early 1970s, Gifted & Black (1970), which was released on her then husband/producer Andrew Stroud's record label.[3][4]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
In a review for AllMusic, Richard Mortifoglio commented on the 1970 album Live at Berkeley: " ... the Berkeley campus in the early '70s was such a hotbed of anti-Vietnam sentiment and the songs performed here, including "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" from HAIR, "Four Women," and the soon-to-be classic "To Be Young, Gifted & Black," partake of the political ferment that was in the air. They are not screeds, however; the band plays with a funky conga-propelled ease, and Simone is thoroughly in her element, relaxed and having fun as she gets her message across."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" | 6:13 |
| 2. | "Four Women" | 8:43 |
| 3. | "Backlash Blues/Dialogue" | 5:27 |
| 4. | "No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed" | 4:42 |
| 5. | "The Assignment Song/Dialogue" | 7:12 |
| 6. | "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" | 4:14 |
Personnel
edit- Nina Simone - Arranger
- F. Byron Clark - Engineer
- Monk Higgins - String Arrangements
- Jean-Luc Young - Executive Producer
References
edit- ^ "Nina Simone - Live At Berkeley". Discogs. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "The Nina Simone Database - Live At Berkeley". Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ "SIMONE, NINA - LIVE AT BERKELEY / GIFTED & BLACK - CD, 8,85 &euro". tanteguerilla.com. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
- ^ "Nina Simone's Live Performances of Her Poignant Civil Rights Protest Songs". openculture.com. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Live at Berkeley/Gifted & Black - Nina Simone - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- ^ "Live at Berkeley/Gifted & Black - Nina Simone - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2018.