Robbi Kumalo Pays Homage To Nina Simone At Rockwood Music Hall

Robbi Kumalo will pay homage to Nina Simone at Rockwood Music Hall, Sunday May 20, 2018. The show will begin at 7pm, doors open 6:30 pm. Buy tickets here.

Robbi Kumalo's backed up superstars like Dave Matthews at Carnegie Hall, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Edie Brickell, John Hiatt, Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart, Jewel, Arif Mardin, Luisa, Ashford & Simpson, Deepak Chopra, Eileen Ivers, Edie Brickell, Chieli Minucci, Gino Sitson, Jimmy Owens, & Bakithi Kumalo, Mary J. Blige, & Harry Belafonte among others - sang on some of the biggest stages in the world -- and now you can experience award-winning singer Robbi Kumalo front and center as she brings her musical tribute - Nina & Me to the stage.

Named a "Best Bet" by The New York Times, Kumalo's larger-than-life voice and personality adds new dimension to the music of the "High Priestess of Soul," famed for her unforgettable renditions of classics like "My Baby Just Cares for Me" "Be My Husband" & "Feeling Good." Robbi's joined on stage by Leopoldo F. Fleming, who's played with a cornucopia of great artists such as Miriam Makeba since '65 AND Nina Simone 31 years. The Kumalo Fleming pairing happened over 30 years ago doing theatre at NYC's oldest children's repertory company, Shadow Box Theatre.

Like Simone, Robbi's musical roots run deep from classical beginnings, thru soul to pop, along with rhythm & blues centered on a grounding in jazz & church music. Like Makeba, she sings in many languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian English, German, and Zulu. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Kumalo honors many iconic women from her Great African-American Songbook. She skims the surface of the classic sounds associated with Miriam Makeba, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack, Brenda Russell, Lena Horne, & Pearl Bailey; legends that still have the power to bring a tear to the eye & joy to the soul, decades after the fact.

Robbi takes an intimate journey into the mind, music, story & songs of these artists in addition to celebrating herself as a performance artist. Kumalo's recordings released include Montana Bound, a live jazz recording of her ensemble. and Second Take - a pairing of originals songs & American classics. CDs for children include - Set It Free (2000), Keep the Beat! (winner of a 2003 Parents' Choice Award) and the star studded Music Makes Me Happy (winner of a 2007 Parents' Choice Silver Award & an iParenting Award of Excellence).