Erika Sings Nina

As part of our ongoing series Jazz and the Visual Arts, The Nu-Art series proudly presents Erika Sings Nina, featuring Erika Johnson, back by popular demand, doing the works of Nina Simone on Saturday, January 15, 2011, from 3 to 6 p.m. The performance takes place at the Nu-Art Series' Metropolitan Gallery, 2936 Locust Street, St. Louis MO 63103. Admission $10.00.

Nina Simone was a classically trained pianist who became a famous nightclub singer, thanks to an early hit, 1958's "I Loves You Porgy." She famously interpreted and composed classical, jazz, pop, gospel, folk and blues songs of love and bitterness and had a worldwide following over a fifty-year career that earned her the nickname of "High Priestess of Soul." A poor black girl from the American south, she was enough of a musical prodigy that community patrons financially supported her musical education. She went to the Julliard School of Music in New York and earned a living as a pianist, accompanying singers and playing in nightclubs. She began singing in 1954, and audiences loved her deep voice, raw emotions and soulful interpretations of standards. Simone was a self-described diva of the temperamental genius variety, and she so detested racial injustice in the United States she lived abroad after 1974 (in Barbados, Africa, Switzerland and, finally, France). A surge of popularity during the 1990s created a new generation of fans. Her records made the jazz charts again and she was heard in TV commercials, movies and hip-hop samples. Some of her more well-known songs are: "My Baby Just Cares For Me," "I Put A Spell On You," "To Be Young, Gifted and Black," "See Line Woman," "Sinnerman" and "Mississippi Goddam."

Erika Johnson, an East St. Louis native, comes from a long legacy of Jazz. Her career began in 1990 when she opened for Boyz to Men and Betty Wright. Soon after, her love for jazz was nurtured at Lincoln Senior High School with their world-renowned jazz band under the direction of Mr. Ron Carter, now lead Professor at Northern Illinois University. Erika followed Carter to the Jackson State big band, and her continued development brought her great success. Her love for bebop and traditional jazz has taken her around the world, including the Blue Note in Milan, Italy as a featured vocalist for Grammy award-winning saxophonist James Carter. Erika now performs at Spruill's International in St. Louis with Willie Akins, as well as many other great musicians in the area.

The Nu-Art Series is a Not-for-Profit Arts Organization.