See Line Woman | Kinsey Sessions Live

See-Line Woman is one of the most mysterious songs ever recorded. It began life as a 19th-century African American folk song, passed from generation to generation before Nina Simone transformed it into one of the most hypnotic performances of her career. Like so much folk music, its original meaning has been lost to history—but that mystery is part of what gives the song its enduring power. For this performance, we weren’t interested in recreating Nina Simone’s version. Instead, we let the song become a vehicle for collective improvisation and groove. Mer Sal brings a fearless, soulful vocal performance while Gary Novak, Tim Lefebvre, Bob Reynolds and I gradually take the music somewhere entirely our own. One of my favorite moments comes near the end, when Tim Lefebvre begins to pull the music in an unexpected direction with an adventurous, almost otherworldly bass line. From there, the entire band follows, allowing the performance to evolve into something spontaneous that could only have happened in that moment. Recorded live at The Baked Potato as part of the Kinsey Sessions. Personnel Mer Sal – vocals Scott Kinsey – keyboards Bob Reynolds – saxophone Tim Lefebvre – bass Gary Novak – drums If this performance moved you, let us know what stood out in the comments—and subscribe for more live performances from the Kinsey Sessions. #ninasimone #scottkinsey #jazz #meredithsalimbeni #timlefebvre #garynovak