AAA 100% Analogue This LP was Remastered using Pure Analogue Components Only from the Master Tapes through to the Cutting Head
Pure Pleasure / Colpix PPAN SCP421 - 180 Gram Virin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue
Pure Analogue Audiophile Remaster - Pressed at Pallas Germany - Limited Edition
Mastered at Abbey Road by Sean Magee - Colpix SCP 421
Featured in Michael Fremer's Heavy Rotation in the June 2012 Issue of Stereophile!
Embracing the jazz culture’s awareness of African culture, “Zunga” is revelatory. A chant-based work song from West Africa, Simone pieces together a lighthearted piano intro before morphing into the steady pulse of the number. It is difficult to compare this singer with others. She is truly unique, like a “singing method actor”. Her spirituality is always on display, especially on tracks like “If He Changed My Name” and “Children Go Where I Send You”. Nina Live At The Village Gate exudes a raw energy—partly due to the live, in-person vinyl sonics—that brings a definitive spotlight to a jazz pioneer." - Robbie Gerson , www.audaud,com, Sound 4.5 Stars!
Nina Simone is somewhat of an audiophile favorite, and Nina At The Village Gate is a classic, utterly timeless. Pure Pleasure, courtesy of a fine Abbey Road analog remastering, give it optimal, atmospheric sound that place Simone in a real acoustic space. LP review
Experience the powerful and persuasive voice of Nina Simone Live from 1961!
Nina Live At The Village Gate exudes a raw energy—partly due to the live, in-person vinyl sonics—that brings a definitive spotlight to a jazz pioneer.
Experience the powerful and persuasive voice of Nina Simone Live from 1961! 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl from Pure Pleasure Records!
Nina Simone was one of the most gifted vocalists of her generation, and also one of the most eclectic. Simone was a singer, pianist, and songwriter who bent genres to her will rather than allowing herself to be confined by their boundaries; her work swung back and forth between jazz, blues, soul, classical, R&B, pop, gospel, and world music, with passion, emotional honesty, and a strong grasp of technique as the constants of her musical career.
In the intimate ambiance of The Village Gate, Nina Simone made pure magic with her voice and on the keyboard, one Manhattan evening back in 1961. She sang and played with a trio, which featured her favorite guitarist, Al Shackman. We are so fortunate that the moment was captured and recorded.
"I can't really categorize Nina's sound or her music and call her "just" a fabulous jazz vocalist. Although, she plays extraordinary jazz with her voice, as in "Just In Time." She has been often called a musical anomaly, because there is no one category for her work. She was trained as a classical pianist, and in cuts like "Bye Bye Blackbird," the complexity of her piano comes through loud and clear. Her folk songs, like the biting "House Of The Rising Sun," and "Zungo" an African work song, place her at the top of a long list of folk singers. Ms. Simone's gospel songs, i.e., "Children Go Where I Send You," can raise the roof and bring down the house, as she did at the Gate in '61. She is a protest singer, "Brown Baby," and an actress, capable of an extraordinary range of emotions.
Nina has the rare ability to dig into her material and bring unexpected meaning to familiar lyrics. She is eclectic with her taste and her repertoire. But whatever touches Nina, and whatever Nina touches, will reach you and evoke an emotional response. Her music is as fresh today, as it was 42 years ago, singing for that Manhattan audience. They could not have loved her more then, than we do now." - Jana L. Perskie
"Embracing the jazz culture’s awareness of African culture, “Zunga” is revelatory. A chant-based work song from West Africa, Simone pieces together a lighthearted piano intro before morphing into the steady pulse of the number. It is difficult to compare this singer with others. She is truly unique, like a “singing method actor”. Her spirituality is always on display, especially on tracks like “If He Changed My Name” and “Children Go Where I Send You”. Nina Live At The Village Gate exudes a raw energy—partly due to the live, in-person vinyl sonics—that brings a definitive spotlight to a jazz pioneer." - Robbie Gerson, www.audaud.com, 4.5 Stars!!
unice Kathleen Waymon (a.k.a. Nina Simone) did not seem destined to be the next great jazz/blues vocalist. She was a classical piano student, who did not get into Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music (an incident which sparked her predilection toward civil rights), but ended up at Juilliard in New York. Her lifetime appreciation of classical composers like Bach, Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert provided a formal background that made her comfortable with jazz, r&b, gospel and popular music of the day.
As the story goes, a demo led to a deal with Bethlehem Records. The stunning debut included a memorable version of “I Loves You Porgy” from the Gershwin musical. Later recordings of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, “I Put A Spell On You” and “Wild Is The Wind” enhanced her reputation as a versatile and daring performer. Simone’s albums have been released continuously, long after her passage. She is revered among musicians in numerous genres.
Nina Live At The Village Gate is an unusual live set that showcases the vocal and instrumental talent of this performer. The opening track “Just In Time” (from the Broadway play, Bells Are Ringing) sets the tone for this unpredictable artist. With her vibrato-alto, Simone removes the song from its popular origins and reinvents it with an edgy interpretation. Unlike her peers, she is an adept musician, combining rhythmic chords and individual notation with forceful technique. Her timing is never interrupted by having to sing and play concurrently. The piano accompaniment of “He Was Good To Me” reflects the classical training as it complements the jazzy nuanced vocals. Simone expresses heartbreak with wistful agony. On the sole instrumental, “Bye Bye Blackbird”, the virtuosity is displayed with transitions from harmonic piano runs to syncopated Monk riffs. Her ability to blend with the rhythm section or lead the group is impressive. There is no doubt that the audience is enthralled by her.
More than stylized covers of standards, the album unleashes some unexpected gems. “House Of The Rising Sun” reverts to 3/4 time as a folk song. Guitarist Al Schackman offers a nimble solo that is contrasted by the ethereal arrangement. Subsequent renditions by Bob Dylan (who allegedly based his 1961 version on this one) and The Animals (with their organ-laden 1964 hit) followed her lead and brought the Appalachian standard into modern context. Known for her dedication to civil rights, a topical bluesy “Brown Baby” features gospel styling and “voice effects”.
Embracing the jazz culture’s awareness of African culture, “Zunga” is revelatory. A chant-based work song from West Africa, Simone pieces together a lighthearted piano intro before morphing into the steady pulse of the number. It is difficult to compare this singer with others. She is truly unique, like a “singing method actor”. Her spirituality is always on display, especially on tracks like “If He Changed My Name” and “Children Go Where I Send You”.
Nina Live At The Village Gate exudes a raw energy—partly due to the live, in-person vinyl sonics—that brings a definitive spotlight to a jazz pioneer.
Nina Simone is somewhat of an audiophile favorite, and Nina At The Village Gate is a classic, utterly timeless. Pure Pleasure, courtesy of a fine Abbey Road analog remastering, give it optimal, atmospheric sound that place Simone in a real acoustic space.
Musicians:
Nina Simone - piano & vocals
Al Schackman -guitar
Chris White - bass
Bob Hamilton - drums
Selections:
Side 1:
1. Just In Time
2. He Was Good For Me
3. House Of The Rising Sun
4. Bye Bye Blackbird
Side 2:
1. Brown Baby
2. Zungo
3. If He Changed My Name
4. Children Go where I Send You
Recorded in New York City in 1961.
Pure Pleasure Records
The Restoration of the Art of Sound
180g Vinyl Mastered From The Best Available Sources
At the beginning of the 90s, in the early days of audiophile vinyl re-releases, the situation was fairly straightforward. Companies such as DCC, Mobile Fidelity, Classic Records and, of course, Pure Pleasure all maintained a mutual, unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records. During the course of the present vinyl hype, many others have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of securing a corner of the market. Very often they are not so ethical and use every imaginable source to master from: CDs, LPs, digital files, MP3s – or employed existent tools from the 80s and 90s for manufacturing.
A digital delay is gladly used when cutting a lacquer disc because tape machines with an analogue delay have become quite rare and are therefore expensive. When cutting the lacquer, the audio signal is delayed by one LP revolution against the signal, which controls the cutter head, and for this a digital delay is very often employed. Of course, the resultant sound signal is completely digital and thus only as good as this delay.
We should like to emphasize that Pure Pleasure Records on principle only uses the original master tape as the basis for the entirely analogue cutting of lacquer discs. In addition, the pressing tool is newly manufactured as a matter of principle. We only employ existing tools for manufacturing if an improved result is not forthcoming, e.g. the title Elvis Is Back, which was mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, or several titles from our Philips Classics series, which in any case Willem Makkee cut from the original masters at the Emil Berliner Studios in the 90s. It goes without saying that we only used the mother and that new tools were made for our production. To put it in a nutshell: we can ensure you that our releases are free from any kind of digital effects and that the lacquer discs are newly cut.
There really is nothing quite like it. It’s the touch, the feel, you have to stop and stare, the cover, the real thing, even the smell.
Its tangible, you can feel it, see it, study it, muse/dream over it, it’s real, someone has spent hours and hours over its construction and presentation. Pure Pleasure Records is just that, Pure Pleasure and that is what it has set out to be.
The music and the physical record. Something to keep, treasure, admire and above all enjoy.Of course with vinyl it’s not just a record, it’s the cover, the sleeve notes, you are holding a unique package, produced by craftsmen.
Pure Pleasure Records bring you vinyl albums of quality Jazz - Blues - R+B - Soul - Funk, remastered by some of the best engineers in the world and pressed on 180 gram audiophile vinyl at what is probably the best pressing plant in Europe
Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering - Plated and Pressed at Pallas in Germany on 180 Gram Virgin Vnyl - Released in Limited Quantities
60 Years Pallas
Audiophile Vinyl - Made in Germany For over 60 years the family business in the third generation of the special personal service and quality "Made by Pallas" is known worldwide. Our custom PVC formulation produces consistently high pressing quality with the lowest surface noise in the industry. Our PVC complies with 2015 European environmental standards and does not contain toxic materials such as Lead, Cadmium or Toluene. Our vinyl is both audiophile and eco-grade!
