Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue

Little Girl Blue (1957), Nina Simone’s debut on Bethlehem, pairs her with bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath. The album reveals her mysterious, sensual ballad voice and authoritative, down‑home yet elegant up‑tempo jazz. A fine pianist and solid improviser who stayed close to the blues, Simone opens with a finger‑popping, deep‑blue "Mood Indigo" and follows with a definitive, steamy "Don't Smoke in Bed." The title track (Rodgers & Hart) uses "Good King Wenceslas" as a classical prelude to a stunning pop ballad, then shifts into the funky swing of "Love Me or Leave Me," featuring a smoking piano bridge that blends Bach with Horace Silver and Bobby Timmons.