3rd Annual Wild is the Wind Tribute to Nina Simone February 19, 2011

When? Saturday, February 19, 2011, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM (doors open at 6:00)
Where? King-Seabrook Chapel at Huston-Tillotson University
How much? $25 Advance / $35 Door – visit www.bembaentertainment.com to purchase tickets

Austin, TX – February 19, 2011: Bemba Entertainment is hosting the 3rd Annual Wild is the Wind Tribute to Nina Simone to highlight her life and musical career through music, dance, and film. The concert will present her music in chronological order with Yashi Vaughn, as Nina Simone, backed by the Simone Tribute Band. Dance interpretations by Ballet Afrique (the event beneficiary), as well as the documentary Nina Simone: La Legende (The Legend), will be shown in segments throughout the course of the concert.

Due to logistics, Brandon Badillo, founder and owner of Bemba Entertainment, had to move the venue from the 800-seat auditorium at the Texas School for the Deaf to the more intimate 400-seat King-Seabrook Chapel at Huston-Tillotson University. As their website states, “as an historically black institution, Huston-Tillotson University’s mission is to provide opportunities to a diverse population for academic achievement with an emphasis on academic excellence, spiritual and ethical development, civic engagement, and leadership in a nurturing environment.” There could not be a more fitting venue for a tribute to Nina Simone – a sacred place used for celebration and music. One of Simone’s first performances on the piano was as a twelve-year-old in a church.

As a black girl in Tryon, North Carolina, Nina Simone was able to become a leading musical figure in the 1960s, during one of the most controversial and turbulent periods in American history. Many artists cite her as a prominent influence in their music, and she is popularly remembered for being a legendary jazz, blues, soul, folk, R&B, and gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist. But she was also a civil rights activist, using her music to spread her message.

For her 1964 live album, Nina Simone in Concert, she recorded the song “Mississippi Goddam” as a response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama that killed four black children. Since that record, civil rights messages became a standard part of her recording repertoire, as well as her live performances. Other songs she performed speaking out against racial injustice were “Old Jim Crow,” “Backlash Blues,” and “Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead).”

There are four female performers in Ballet Afrique, the nonprofit beneficiary of the event, and each dancer represents a different woman from Nina’s famous tune “Four Women.” They will each perform before the set and have a final dance all together when the band performs “Four Women” to open up the last set. As a new nonprofit, Ballet Afrique is excited about connecting with Austin’s rich arts community as they convey the cultures and experiences of the African Diaspora through professional dance.

With this multi-dimensional performance honoring the music and life of Nina Simone, Bemba Entertainment seeks to deliver an extraordinary experience for Simone fans as well as illuminate to the Austin community how people like her paved the way for institutions such as Huston-Tillotson University to peacefully exist. Proceeds of the funds raised from the concert will go to Ballet Afrique’s youth programs. For the original press release, more information or high-resolution images, please contact Brandon Badillo at badillo@bembaentertainmentor (512) 577-4460.

Official Website: http://do512.com/event/2011/02/19/wild-is-the-wind-a-tribute-to-nina-simone