A few years ago (almost 18) I was in Montreux (Switzerland) during the music festival "Montreux Jazz".
For a series of lucky circumstances, I went to finish, along with some friends, in a night bar. The night could seem quite trivial if it were not for the arrival on the scene (in the sense of entry) of a woman accompanied by two men's and 3 other women's. One of my friends stood and motioned the group to sit at our table, he made ​​the presentations and explains `who was the lady in question.
I confessed my ignorance on the subject of jazz but none of those present remarked to me, in fact the conversation `move on completely different subjects.
The woman spoke in good French with a strong American accent and I felt suddenly lifted from my heavy italian accent.She expressed his love for Europe and especially for the south of France where he was to buy a house to reside permanently. The night `slide gently as it had begun, the lady went to the hotel she thanks for the company and giving me his autograph, who kept of one the my most cherished memories.
The next night I went to listen to the Auditorum of Montreux and I was as enchanted as she sat at his piano and sings a song by Jacques Brel that I knew already but by her, with her ​​American accent, he took another form and become "one of his songs", one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard and a wonderful interpretation.
I not see her again but I continued to listen to it, until the day of his death, which occurred a few years later at his home, in the south of his loved France.
"Adieu Madame Nina Simone, je vous embrasse tres fort"
Nina Simone was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music. Simone aspired to become a classical pianist while working in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop.