Nina Simone You've Got to Learn LP

Commemorating a milestone year for one of music's most revered trailblazers, Verve Records and UMe announce a 2023 yearlong celebration of Nina Simone on what would have been her 90th birthday. The "Happy Birthday, Miss Simone" campaign invites the world to celebrate Simone's renowned career and lasting impact across music, fashion, and more. A highlight of the campaign includes a previously unreleased live album, You've Got to Learn, recorded at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival.

Across a six-song set, including the title song and "Mississippi Goddam," Simone leaves the listener as entranced as the festival audience, whose fervent applause was rewarded with a show-stopping encore. The Newport Jazz Festival was a special place for Simone, and this previously unknown recording is a tremendous showcase of her commanding power onstage.

Jamie Krents, President of Verve Records, says, "There is no way to adequately describe the impact Nina Simone continues to have on music and culture. We are thrilled to be spending 2023 celebrating her life and legacy and continuing to help her music find new audiences around the world."

Bruce Resnikoff, President& CEO of UMe, adds, "Nina Simone's music and message remains as vitally important today as ever, perhaps even more so, and we look forward to celebrating her genius and influence all year long."

Ken Druker, SVP of Jazz Development, says, "Over the years, we've learned that as soon as someone hears Nina Simone for the first time, they become Nina Simone fans. Through celebrating this milestone birthday, we hope to give more people the opportunity to benefit from all that Miss Simone's music has to offer."

You've Got To Learn is both lush and haunting... The songs are so good; it's kind of shocking to hear the audience applaud in places, or cheer for Simone's cover of George Gershwin's 'I Loves You, Porgy.' It's hard to imagine any audience was lucky enough to witness this live.

The release of this magnificent album, recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966, is headline news for fans of Nina Simone. None of the material, all of it high grade, has been made available before. The album is killer... At times, as Simone bares her soul to the audience, one wants to weep, and yet You've Got To Learn is, ultimately, a profoundly fortifying and uplifting experience.