CLAUDE HALL

Fri., Oct. 27.  CLAUDE HALL perfects her tribute to Nina Simone, backed by Musical Director Jamieson Trotter.  Born in Brooklyn of Haitian parents, Miss Hall moved to Paris in 1989, but an autumn weekend in Prague in 2003 proved pivotal when a friend overheard her singing a few Gershwin tunes and asked her to record a demo of “When I Fall In Love.”  This led to a sojourn in Saint Bart’s, where she became the resident singer at Casa Nikki and La Plage, and found delight in discovering musical ways to express the multiple facets of her personality. She has been resident artist at l’Ermitage Hotel, Hotel Angeleno’s West Penthouse Lounge, La Valencia Hotel, and at Bar Marmont, and has taken her show to the Metropolitan Room in New York City.  “The voice of Claude Hall….has grown beyond her New York City roots and her Caribbean background.  Her live show offers tales full of jubilation, boldness, musicality, and improvisation.”—Miguel Costa for Music Connection Magazine.  This show examines the remarkable arc of Nina Simone’s life, from Simone’s “discovery” in an Atlantic City piano bar singing “I Loves You Porgy” through her participation in the civil rights movement.