Nina Simone will be celebrated in a three-day event taking place at London’s Southbank Centre, as part of an inaugural residency with Montreux Jazz Festival.
Part of a three-year creative partnership that explores the question, ‘What is jazz today?’, the first event will host performances by Black female artists who have been inspired by the legendary singer, who died in 2003, including Laura Mvula and Corinne Bailey Rae.
Mvula and Rae will open the residency at the Royal Festival Hall on 31 January 2025 with “Mississippi Goddam: A Celebration of Nina Simone”, performed by Tomorrow’s Warriors’ Nu Civilisation Orchestra, with arrangements by Jules Buckley.
Led by conductor Peter Edwards, Mvula and Rae will sing alongside China Moses, Ni Maxine and Tony Njoku.
On Saturday 1 February, musician, historian and political commentator Soweto Kinch will premiere music from his new album, Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, on the Queen Elizabeth Hall stage. Peng Femme Jamm, the Southbank Centre’s house band comprising all female and non-binary musicians, will lead a jam session in the Queen Elizabeth Hall foyer that same evening.
The following day, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra – led by Lucy-Anne Daniels and Peter Edwards – will perform “The Fire Inside”, a tribute to writer and political activist James Baldwin, who shared a close friendship with Simone.
A press release states: “Both were trailblazers in the civil rights movement, using their platforms to challenge racism and push for change. Together, they embody the spirit of resistance, resilience and Black joy.”
Mathieu Jaton, CEO of Montreux Jazz Festival, said: “What better way to showcase the incredible diversity of the modern jazz scene than through the lens of Nina Simone. Few artists have shaped the history of music and the Montreux Jazz Festival as profoundly as she has. Her legacy of resilience and artistic brilliance remains a source of inspiration for us all.”
Southbank Centre Artistic director Mark Ball added: “We are delighted to announce the first names as part of the Montreux Jazz Festival x Southbank Centre Residency. Opening with two British icons – Laura Mvula and Corinne Bailey Rae – celebrating Nina Simone 26 years on since she graced the Royal Festival Hall, we are also making space for new and emerging creatives who are shaping jazz today, whether that’s the National Youth Jazz Orchestra or Peng Femme Jam. As we continue to ask, ‘What is jazz today?’, this partnership will further strengthen the genre’s exciting future.’
Tickets go on general sale on Thursday 7 November at 10am.
