Wikipedia

Nina and Me Tour

The Nina and Me Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer Ledisi. After the release of Ledisi's tenth album Ledisi Sings Nina (2021), the tour was revived as the Ledisi Sings Nina Tour in July 2021. The Ledisi Sings Nina Tour also coincided with The Wild Card Tour (2021). A concert special, Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone, aired on PBS on November 28, 2020, featuring the performance recorded at Myron's Jazz Cabaret in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 1, 2020.

Nina and Me Tour / Ledisi Sings Nina Tour
Tour by Ledisi
Promotional poster for the tour
Location
  • North America
  • Europe
Associated albumLedisi Sings Nina
Start dateMay 10, 2019 (2019-05-10)
End dateSeptember 15, 2023 (2023-09-15)
Legs2
No. of shows21
Ledisi concert chronology
  • Ledisi Live UK Tour
    (2019)
  • Nina and Me Tour
    (2019)
    Ledisi Sings Nina Tour
    (2021–2023)
  • The Wild Card Tour
    (2021)

Background

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Nina Simone served as an inspiration for the title of the tour.

In 2003, Ledisi recounted first listening to Nina Simone.[1]After the release of her second album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue in 2002, she reached a stagnation in her music career.[1][2]

I was on my rocking chair on my porch in East Oakland, and I was depressed. This was after I recorded two albums, but I had bills, just got divorced, hated the area, and felt like I was not growing. So I decided, 'OK. This is the day. I’m going to leave this earth.' [After hearing Nina Simone's "Trouble in Mind"] It jumped me out of my skin.

— Ledisi on Nina Simone[1]

After hearing Nina Simone's cover version of "Trouble in Mind" on the radio, Ledisi repudiated her thoughts of suicide and revived her career.[1][2] In 2006, she secured a record deal with major label Verve Forecast Records and went on to release a total of seven albums during her duration on the label. In 2017, she incorporated songs from Simone's repertoire into her concert with the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO Pops) at the Kennedy Center.[1] In 2018, she headlined a tribute concert to Simone in New Orleans with the drummer Adonis Rose and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.[1] In May 2019, she embarked on the Nina and Me Tour.

Concert synopsis

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During the Nina and Me Tour, Ledisi opened the show with "I Put a Spell on You" and often performed "Feeling Good" as an encore. In 2021, she revamped the set list for the tour and retitled it the Ledisi Sings Nina Tour. The set list included her single "Anything for You". Ledisi opened the show with "Feeling Good". Before performing "Trouble in Mind", she recounted how Nina Simone's version of "Trouble in Mind" helped her overcome her experiences with career stagnation, financial issues, and suicidal thoughts.[3]

Critical reception

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Shaun Brady of The Inquirer referred to the concert as "a powerful evening, a fitting tribute to a complex and brilliant artist".[3] Brenda C. Siler of The Washington Informer reviewed Ledisi's March 13th performance at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Siler stated, "Ledisi did not attempt to mimic Simone’s unique vocal style. It was an evening where we heard Ledisi’s multi-octave vocal range. From the moment she came on stage, it was clear Ledisi intended to spread joy."[4]

Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue

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Main article: Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue

On December 13, 2019, Ledisi opened her two-week residency show Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue to Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California.[5] The show was written by Ledisi and her husband Ron T. Young. It was directed by Gregg Field and produced by Billy Porter and Suzi Dietz. The residency show ended on December 29, 2019.

Set list

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Nina and Me Tour (2019)

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  1. "I Put a Spell on You"
  2. "I'm Going Back Home"
  3. "Be My Husband"
  4. "Trouble in Mind"
  5. "Four Women"
  6. "Mississippi Goddam"
  7. "Little Girl Blue"
  8. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord"
  9. "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"
  10. "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)"
  11. "All the Way"
  12. "Here Comes the Sun"
  13. "Work Song"
  14. "My Baby Just Cares for Me"
  15. "Wild Is the Wind"
Encore
  2. "Feeling Good"

Ledisi Sings Nina Tour (2021)

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  1. "Feeling Good"
  2. "My Baby Just Cares for Me"
  3. "Little Girl Blue"
  4. "Good King Wenceslas"
  5. "Trouble in Mind"
  6. "Do I Move You?"
  7. "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me)"
  8. "All the Way"
  9. "Here Comes the Sun"
  10. "Work Song"
  11. "Wild Is the Wind"
  12. "Baltimore"
  13. "Shot Down"
  14. "See-Line Woman"
  15. "Anything for You"
  16. "I Put a Spell on You"
  17. "I'm Going Back Home"

Notes

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  • The set list for Nina and Me Tour was often rearranged for different dates.

Tour dates

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Nina and Me Tour
List of concerts showing date, city, country, venue and opening acts
Date (2019) City Country Venue
May 10 Rodney Bay Saint Lucia Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival
June 7 St. Louis, Missouri United States Powell Hall
July 12 Bethesda, Maryland The Music Center at Strathmore
August 21 London United Kingdom Royal Albert Hall
August 26 Amsterdam Concertgebouw
September 6 Hammond, Indiana United States Horseshoe Casino
October 4 Hammond, Indiana Horseshoe Casino
October 18 Atlanta Atlanta Symphony Hall
October 19 Baltimore Lyric Baltimore
Ledisi Sings Nina Tour
List of concerts showing date, city, country, venue and opening acts
Date City Country Venue
July 24, 2021 Los Angeles, California United States Hollywood Bowl
July 30, 2021 Newport, Rhode Island Newport Jazz Festival
August 17, 2021 San Diego, California The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
January 12, 2022 St. Petersburg, Florida Duke Energy Center
January 13, 2022 West Palm Beach, Florida Kravis Center
January 14, 2022 Miami, Florida Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
January 15, 2022 Tallahassee, Florida Ruby Diamond Concert Hall
March 13, 2022 Washington, DC Kennedy Center
July 22, 2022 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Mann Center
February 23, 2023 New York City, New York Carnegie Hall
September 8, 2023 San Francisco, California Davies Symphony Hall
September 15, 2023 New York City, New York Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival

Personnel

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Nina and Me Tour

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  • New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (May 10, 2019)
  • The L.A.B Trio (July 12, 2019, October 4–19, 2019)
    • Music Director/Piano: Brandon Waddles
    • Bass: Jeremy George
    • Drums: John Davis
  • Metropole Orkest (August 21, 2019 and August 26, 2019)

Ledisi Sings Nina Tour

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  • San Diego Symphony (August 17, 2021)
  • Philadelphia Orchestra (July 22, 2022)
  • Nashville Symphony (November 6, 2022)
  • Magik*Magik Orchestra (September 9, 2023)
Note: This list does not include the individual personnel of orchestras or symphonies.

Broadcasts and recordings

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Ledisi: A Night of Nina
 
Live album / video by
Ledisi
ReleasedNovember 18, 2022
RecordedFebruary 1, 2020
VenueSmith Center for the Performing Arts (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length55:00
LabelFig Street Films
DirectorRon T. Young
Producer
  • Ledisi
  • Ron T. Young
  • Myron Marton
  • Gregg Field
  • Tim Swift
  • Benny Biggs

On November 16, 2020, Ledisi announced the concert special Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone via her Facebook.[6] Professional footage from the tour aired on American television network PBS on November 28, 2020. The concert special was recorded at Myron's Jazz Cabaret in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 1, 2020, by Ledisi's film company Fig Street Films.[7] On November 18, 2022, Ledisi released Ledisi: A Night of Nina which was distributed exclusively through PBS.[8][9]

Track listing

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Ledisi: A Night of Nina
No.TitleLength
1."I Wish I Knew What it Would Feel to Be Free" 
2."Feeling Good" 
3."I Want a Little Sugar in my Bowl" 
4."See-Line Woman" 
5."My Baby Just Cares for Me" 
6."Ne Me Quitte Pas Wild is the Wind" 
7."Baltimore" 
8."Four Women" 
9."Here Comes the Sun" 
10."I Put a Spell on You" 
11."Do I Move You" 
12."I'm Going Back Home" 
13."Trouble in Mind" 
Total length:55:00

Personnel

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Production
  • Executive producers: Ledisi, Ron T. Young, Myron Marton,
  • Producers: Tim Swift, Gregg Field
  • Production manager: Benny Biggs
  • Makeup artist: Terrell Terry Jr
  • Hair stylist: Tony Walker
  • Teleprompter operator: Gigi Koury
Band
  • Musical director: Brandon Waddles
  • Guitar: Michael Nomad Ripoll
  • Bass: David Parks
  • Drums: Brian Collier
  • Percussion: Ronald Gutierrez
  • Backup vocalists: Keisha Renee Lewis, Shannon Pearson, Sara Williams

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Nina Simone Saved Ledisi's Life. Now She's Paying Tribute on an Album Archived 2024-06-07 at the Wayback Machine. New York Times. Retrieved on June 15, 2024
  2. ^ a b Column: Finding salvation from dark places through Ledisi and Nina Simone Archived 2024-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on June 15, 2024
  3. ^ a b Ledisi pays emotional tribute to iconic singer Nina Simone at the Mann. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved on June 27, 2024
  4. ^ Ledisi Concert Wows with Nina Simone Tribute. Washington Informer. Retrieved on June 27, 2024
  5. ^ Ledisi: The Legend of Little Girl Blue at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre in LA. Retrieved on June 27, 2024
  6. ^ My first PBS Special! LEDISI LIVE: A TRIBUTE TO NINA SIMONE. Facebook. Retrieved on June 27, 2024
  7. ^ Ledisi Live: A Tribute to Nina Simone. Rhode Island PBS. Retrieved on June 27, 2024
  8. ^ Ledisi: A Night of Nina CD. New Jersey PBS. Retrieved on July 13, 2024
  9. ^ Ledisi: A Night of Nina DVD. Face The Music. Retrieved on July 13, 2024
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