Sibungaza iciko lejazz uNina Simone

Phatha igama likaNina Simone kunoma yimuphi umthandi womculo ijazz uyothola bembalwa kakhulu abangathi abamazi. Lokho kudalwa wukuthi yize ayaziwa ngejazz kodwa wayesabalele nakweminye iminxa yomculo okuyiGospel, iPop, iClassical neRythm and Blues. Umlando wakhe uphinde ufake phakathi ukuzabalazela amalungelo alabo ababecindezelwe ngokobuhlanga e-United States of America (USA) okwamenza wagcogcoma ngokwenhlalo wagcina eseshonele eFrance emva kokuhlaselwa ngumdlavuza webele ngonyaka wezi- 2003. Empeleni wazalwa engu- Eunice Kathleen Waymon zingama-21 kuNhlolanja we-1933, waqala ukudlala upiyano eneminyaka emithathu vo.

Uzalwa emndenini ompofu eTyron, eNorth Carolina, e-USA. Wayevele enesifiso sokuba ngumdlali wopiyano nokuyinto eyenza ukuthi labo ababelandela ithalente lakhe lezomculo bamhlanganisele akwazi ukungena esikoleni somculo iJuilliard School of Music eNew York City. Esefuna ukudlulela eCurtis Institute of Music ePhiladephia wenqatshelwa imvume yokwenzenjalo phezu kokwenza kahle kunhlolokhono. Lokhu wakuthatha njengomphumela wokubandlululwa ngokobuzwe. Ngaphambi kokuthi adlule emhlabeni ngowezi-2003 sona leso sikole esamenqabela ukuthi afunde kuso samhlonipha ngeziqu.

Lapho umculo wakhe waqala khona eNight Club e-Atlantic City lapho ayezishayela upiyano aphinde aziculele. Waqhubeka waqopha ama-albhamu angaphezulu kwangama-40 phakathi kweminyaka ye-1958 neye-1974. Ingoma yakhe yokuqala yabe ithi: Little Girl Blue. Okuyiyona eyashisa izikhotha e-USA ngowe-1958 ngesihloko esithi: I love You, Porgy. Waqhamuka nesitayela esingandile sokudidiyela izinhlobo eziningi zomculo ndawonye. Umqambi wezingoma zeClassic ayemkhonzile wuJohann Sebastian Bach ayethaka umculo wakhe nephimbo lakhe eliyijazz contralto kuphume unqambothi lwento. Abamsiza ekutheni alolongeke ekuculeni nasekudlaleni upiyano wuVladimir Sokoloff, owayengusolwazi womculo eCurtis, no-Arlene Smith owayemlolonga izwi emfundisela nopiyano ekhaya lakhe ePhiladelphia.

Impilo yokuzabalaza yaqala esontweni iWeseli lapho uyise nonina babengabefundisi khona. Wayecasulwa wukuthi ngokwezikhundla zabo esontweni babehlala phambili kodwa kuthi kungangena abelungu baphoqwe ukuyohlala emuva. Wayeteleka ukudlala upiyano baze babuyiselwe endaweni yabo abazali bakhe. Waqala lapho ukuzihlanganisa nemizabalazo yamalungelo aboHlanga. Igama likaNina Simone waqala ukulisebenzisa ngowe-1954 esedlala ezindaweni zokucima ukoma e-Atlantic City. Inhloso yokuzinika igama likaNina Simone kwakuwucashela abazali bakhe, ikakhulukazi unina owayengayizwa nhlobo eyomculo oqhelile evangelini. Wabe esaziwa ngoNina Simone umhlaba wonke.

Iminyaka yakhe yodumo ngeye-1954 kuya kowe-1959 lapho asayina khona inkontileka yomculo neColpix Records waqopha inqwaba yama-albhamu estudiyo nabukhoma. Waqopha i-albhamu bukhoma eyayinesihloko esithi, Nina Simone at Town Hall eyayelama enye eyayithi, My Baby Just Cares for Me nokho angenzanga mali etheni ngayo ngenxa yokuthi amalungelo ayo wawadayisa ngezi-$3000. Ngalesi sikhathi wayesecula endaweni ayeyintandokazi kuyo ebizwa ngeGreenwich Village. Imali ayeyithola lapha wayeqhuba ngayo izifundo zakhe zomculo weClassic engenandaba nokusayina inkontileka nokuyinto ayenze kwaze kwacishe kwafika isikhathi sakhe sokwehlukana nomculo.

Ngowe-1963 kwaba nokubhonjwa kwesonto i-15th Street Baptist Church okwakungelaboHlanga e-Alabama. Ngokokuqala ngqa umculo wakhe wabhekana ngqo nempi yobuhlanga ebhekiswe kwaboHlanga ngokuqamba ingoma ethi, Mississippi Goddam. Kuleyo ngoma yakhe wakhomoza aboHlanga ukuthi kube khona umnyakazo abawenzayo ngokucwaswa nokubulawa kwabo. Emva kwaleyo ngoma akaphindanga wabheka emuva ngezingoma zakhe ezifaka phakathi umzabalazo. Ukuzihlanganisa nomzabalazo kwaba nomthelela wokungadayiswa kahle komculo wakhe.

Akaphelanga umoya ngokomzabalazo wayelandela izimfundiso zikaMalcolm X nowayakhelene naye eMount Vernon, eNew York. Wayengakholelwa emzabalazweni wokuthula owawushunyayelwa nguDkt uMartin Luther King Jnr efuna aboHlanga bathathe izikhali balwe nabacindezeli babo. Lokho wakukhombisa ngengoma yakhe iBacklash Blues ayiqanjelwa nguLingston Hughes owayengumholi wakhe eHaarlem. Ziningi izingoma ezaziphathelene nomzabalazo ezaseziyingxenye yomculo wakhe. Kuzona kunalezi: “I Wish I knew How it Would Feel to be Free; Turning Point ne-Albhamu ayinika isihloko esithi, Nuff Said.” Ezinsukwini ezintathu emva kokubulawa kukaDkt uMartin Luther King Junior ngowe-1968 wacula ingoma ayemhlonipha ngayo esihloko sithi; Why? (The King of Love is Dead). Ehlangene noWeldon Irvine baguqula umdlalo kaLorrainne Hansberry osihloko sithi: To Be Young Gifted and Black bawenza iculo lomzabalazo elinesihloko esifanayo. Uma ebheka emuva kuleso sikhathi uSimone aphawule athi encwadini engempilo yakhe: “Ngangizizwa ngiphila kakhulu kunamanje ngoba ngangizizwa ngidingeka, umculo wami ngangiwusebenzisela ukusiza abantu bakithi.”

Wakuvuma ukuthi ingoma iMississippi Goddam yalilimaza kakhulu ikusasa lakhe emculweni. Izinkampani zomculo zawuduba umculo wakhe nokuyinto eyamphoqa ukuthi afulathele i-USA waya esiqhingini iBarbados nokuyinto eyamqhatha nomyeni owayeyimeneja yakhe u-Andrew Stroud owahumusha ukufulathela kwakhe izwe nokushiya indandatho yomshado ngemuva njengenselelo yesehlukaniso somshado. Wathi ebuyela emuva wafika elindwe yisamanisi lokuboshelwa ukungayikhokhi intela ngoba ephambene nempi i-USA eyabe iyilwa neVietnam. Waphoqeka ukuthi agweme ukuboshwa ngokuphinde abalekele eBarbados.

Wabuye wadlula eBarbados wayozinza eLiberia ngokululekwa wumngani wakhe uMirriam Makeba. Ukuhlala kwakhe eLiberia kwenza waqhelelana nendodakazi yakhe uLisa eyamsola ngokuyihlukumeza ngokomqondo nangokomzimba yamshiya yaphindela kuyise e-USA. Ngeminyaka yowe-1980 emva kokuyaluza, wazithola ehlala eLondon lapho umculo wakhe wenza kangcono khona. Ingoma yakhe esihloko sithi: My Baby Just Cares for Me, yasetshenziselwa ukukhangisa isimonyo iChannel No 5. Waphoqeka ukuyiqopha kabusha le ngoma yenza kahle kakhulu ezinhlelweni zomculo ibambe indawo yesine ezingomeni ezenza kahle e-United Kingdom.

Wabuye wadlulela eSwitzerland wagcina e-Amsterdam. Ngowe-1992 wabhala ibhuku ngomlando wakhe walinika isihloko esithi, I Put a Spell on You. Ngeminyaka eyishumi yokugcina uSimone wadayisa amarekhodi angaphezu kwesigidi okumenza omunye wamaciko umculo wawo owadayisa kakhulu emhlabeni. Ngowe-1993 wazinza eningizimu yezwe iFrance lapho aqopha khona i-albhamu yakhe yokugcina enesihloko esithi, ‘A Single Woman’. YiseFrance lapho aze washonela khona ngowezi-2003 eneminyaka engama-70.

Umngcwabo wakhe wawuhanjelwe ngomntakabani kwezobuciko abafana noMirriam Makeba, uPatti LaBelle kwezomculo, usonkondlo uSonia Sanchez abadlali bengqayi o-Ossie Davis noRuby Dee namakhulu abanye osaziwayo. Umlotha wakhe wafafazwa emazweni ahlukene ase-Afrika.