PRINTER'S NO. 572
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
69
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, KEARNEY, FONTANA, BROWNE, KANE, YUDICHAK,
COMITTA, BREWSTER AND HUTCHINSON, APRIL 13, 2021
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, APRIL 13, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the month of April 2021 as "Jazz Appreciation Month"
in Pennsylvania and paying tribute to the late Nina Simone
for her contributions to the world of jazz.
WHEREAS, "Jazz Appreciation Month," known as JAM, was created
in 2002 at the Smithsonian Museum to herald and celebrate the
extraordinary heritage of jazz each April; and
WHEREAS, JAM is intended to stimulate and encourage people of
all ages to participate in jazz by studying music, attending
concerts, listening to recordings and reading books about jazz;
and
WHEREAS, This year, JAM continues its efforts to celebrate
and recognize women's contributions to jazz from the genre's
earliest development to present successes and challenges; and
WHEREAS, Expanding on its 2020 "Women in Jazz" theme, JAM
pays homage to the dynamic impact and often overlooked
contributions women have made to the rich historical legacy of
America's original art form; and
WHEREAS, This year's featured artist is the incomparable
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pianist, singer, songwriter, storyteller and civil rights
activist Nina Simone, who used her remarkable talent to create a
legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion and love through her
musical anthology spanning over four decades and more than 40
original albums; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on
February 21, 1933, in Tryon, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone's mother was a Methodist minister and her
father was a reverend and handyman; and
WHEREAS, It was evident early on that Ms. Simone had an
exceptional talent when she began playing piano at age 3; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone was a virtuoso, being able to play
virtually anything by ear; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her gospel repertoire, Ms. Simone
began studying classical music and developed a lifelong love of
Bach, Chopin, Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert that informed her
work as a classical pianist; and
WHEREAS, Hometown supporters raised money for Ms. Simone to
study at The Julliard School in New York City after she
graduated from high school graduation as valedictorian; and
WHEREAS, Wanting to study at the Curtis Institute of Music in
Philadelphia, Ms. Simone moved to this Commonwealth with her
family; and
WHEREAS, Despite an excellent audition, Ms. Simone was denied
admission to the Curtis Institute of Music, which denial she
attributed to racial prejudice; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone encountered racism in the past at her
first classical piano recital, at age 10, when her parents were
forced to move to the back of the hall to make room for white
audience members; and
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WHEREAS, Ms. Simone, who declined to perform until her
parents returned to the front, cited this incident as a
precursor to her involvement in the civil rights movement; and
WHEREAS, Discouraged but undeterred, Ms. Simone began taking
private lessons while also teaching music to local students to
support herself; and
WHEREAS, In 1954, to supplement her income, Ms. Simone
auditioned at the Midtown Bar and Grill in Atlantic City, New
Jersey, a defining moment in her career; and
WHEREAS, Knowing that her mother would not approve of
singing in bars, Ms. Simone adopted the stage name "Nina Simone"
at that time; and
WHEREAS, In 1957, at age 24, Ms. Simone signed with Bethlehem
Records, where she would record her debut album "Little Girl
Blue," featuring her iconic version of George Gershwin's "I
Loves You, Porgy" and her rendition of "My Baby Just Cares For
Me," a standard in her live performances; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone's next album, "The Amazing Nina Simone,"
recorded with Colpix records, brought critical acclaim and an
opportunity to perform at her first major New York City venue,
Town Hall in Midtown Manhattan, where her momentous September
12, 1959, show was recorded for a subsequent album, "Nina Simone
at Town Hall"; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone emerged as a captivating and dynamic live
performer, showcasing her improvisational genius with a wide-
reaching repertoire that incorporated classical, jazz, blues,
folk, pop, show tunes and gospel genres and an equally nuanced
and emotive vocal presence; and
WHEREAS, The 1960s through early 1970s proved to be Ms.
Simone's most prolific period, yielding such iconic renditions
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as "I Put a Spell on You," "Feeling Good," "Don't Let Me Be
Misunderstood," "See-Line Woman," "Sinnerman," "Here Comes the
Sun" and "Baltimore"; and
WHEREAS, Transformed by the killing of Medgar Evers, the
Birmingham church bombing and friendships with Langston Hughes,
Lorraine Hansberry and James Baldwin, Ms. Simone also released
politically provocative originals such as "Mississippi Goddam,"
"Four Women," "Backlash Blues" and "To Be Young, Gifted and
Black" during that period; and
WHEREAS, Often called "the High Priestess of Soul" and "the
civil rights diva," Ms. Simone is regarded as one of the most
influential artists of the 20th century, capable of weaving a
classical and jazz repertoire while simultaneously elevating
issues of race and gender; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in
2000; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone, who died on April 21, 2003, was inducted
posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018; and
WHEREAS, The Library of Congress selected Ms. Simone's 1964
performance of "Mississippi Goddam" as culturally and
historically significant, adding it to the National Recording
Registry in 2018; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Simone was a pioneer who broke from industry
conventions to produce a musical legacy that is as socially
reverberant as it is brilliant; and
WHEREAS, Jazz is a vital part of our American culture and
part of the rich and diverse musical background of this
Commonwealth; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize the month of April 2021
as "Jazz Appreciation Month" in Pennsylvania and pay tribute to
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the late Nina Simone for her contributions to the world of jazz.
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