#167 The Work of a Genius: 'Nina Simone at Ronnie Scott's'
Are you a genius?
Perhaps many people would answer no.
However, some might answer, 'I am a genius.'
To those people, I would ask, 'Well, even after seeing this, can you still call yourself a genius?'
If they answer, 'Yeah, I still think I'm a genius,' then I believe their talent is only at the level where they wouldn't be able to recognize a true genius even if they met one.
#NinaSimone I have written about her before. And I called her a genius.
I still firmly believe that 'Nina and Piano' is a miraculous record that captured the greatest brilliance of a genius in the best possible way.
And the 'Live at Ronnie Scott's' that I am introducing this time is a video work that makes it painfully clear just how different the 'class' of a genius is when they descend into everyday life.
Although I am introducing the DVD, you can actually watch the whole thing on YouTube (though I think it's illegal).
The members are just Nina and a percussionist. With just that, every single moment is terrifyingly musical. There are even songs where she sings with only percussion, but even without accompaniment, she manages to make the audience swing happily.
More than that, what about Nina's vocals, which sound like a divine revelation? She has no great vocal volume, and her expression is understated, yet there is no other voice that evokes such deep emotion. The tone of her piano is the same; what do you think of such a rich, profound tone?
The percussionist is probably an unknown person, but they are very skilled, sticking perfectly to Nina. Even though it's percussion, it has a melody. They trust each other and build the music together. I often think that truly talented people exist in a very casual way.
Sometimes she wipes her sweat and misses a piano note, but for a genius, music doesn't stop for such things. You realize that in a performance with the power to draw in the listener, mistakes or missed notes are just trivial matters.
Nina is like that, but in this DVD, she pleads that she is 'looking for a collaborator.' Even though she is a genius, she is lonely. And she says with a completely straight face, 'I am a child of God.' You realize that the talent of a conceited person is tiny.
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