THE ALBUM
Power, poise and passion reign supreme in this pairing of voice and strings that celebrates the legendary—and at times uncharted—canon of Nina Simone. Drea d’Nur (Vocalist, Pianist) and House of Rootstock (Strings, Arrangements) share center stage in this uniquely intimate and newly orchestrated songbook of Nina’s Love Songs, Blues and Protest Music.
After three years since our first commission, we are excited to finally record our re-imagination of Nina Simone's songbook—allowing us to preserve her legacy and carry her stories forward.
Album to include: "Four Women," "Ne Me Quitte Pas" and "I Put A Spell On You."
"The audience was spellbound by the vocals and arrangements. Nina Simone’s fire and tenderness were on full display." — The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
DEAR NINA
A delicate twist on the the familiar notion of a tribute show, “Dear Nina: A Sonic Love Letter to Nina Simone” is a love ode that commits to honoring the wisdom, truths and stories embedded in Nina Simone’s legacy—musically, socially and politically. The work was originally commissioned by The Albright-Knox Art Gallery (Buffalo, NY) in affiliation with their “We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women 1965-1985” exhibit (March 2018/International Women’s Day—World Premiere). Later that same month, "Dear Nina" premiered in NYC to a sold-out audience at The Public Theatre’s Joe’s Pub. In the 2019 season, "Dear Nina" was met with high praise and back-to-back sold out audiences: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s Women’s Jazz Festival, (March 2019), the 1st annual “Singing Nina Festival” (May 2019—Headliner), Rootstock Republic’s new acoustic, seasonal salon series ’HOME,’ with the support of NewMusicUSA (June 2019), and the Niagara Fall Underground Railroad Heritage Center’s “400 Years of Resistance” (October 2019).
Members: Malcolm Parson, Jarvis Benson, Chris "BassPlayaPlaya" Johnson, Drea d'Nur, Riza Printup, Juliette Jones, Monique Brooks Roberts
“The music is characterized by sweeping chamber style arrangements whereby the audience is swept up into the beauty of orchestral strings.” — JazzBuffalo
MEANINFUL ADVOCACY
We imagined "Dear Nina" to be our love ode to Nina Simone and a safe space for ourselves and our community. Now more than ever, we are all reimagining what safety and community means to us. In this time of urgency, Nina reminds us of ‘our’ duty “to reflect the times.” The stakes are high and the time is now. We are reminded that art is still at the root of our collective solidarity. We welcome you into our 'Dear Nina' family as we cultivate new opportunities that reflect our ‘now.’
Your advocacy will allow us:
- Clearances + Licensing to Record
- Studio + Engineer
- Mixing + Mastering
- Limited Edition Vinyl
- PR
" 'Dear Nina…’, is a great and noteworthy tribute to our High Priestess Of Soul. Highlighting Juliette Jones’ beautifully-crafted arrangements, the string ensemble and Drea d’Nur’s voice, transported us to a most sacred space." — Diane Monroe
FUNDRAISING TIMELINE
Round 1
- August 10th - September 9th
- Goal: $15,000
Round 2
- September 10th - October 9th
- Goal: $10,000