Nina Simone (1933-2003) is certainly not an unknown singer. She is well-liked for her singing style, her voice for social issues, and her appeal to things “hip.” And I also really like the way she played piano; she’s somewhere between Horace Silver and Terry Adams in my appreciation. Her piano playing combined a lively and quirky right hand with a soulful left. Her playing is foregrounded on the 1961 Roulette title, At the Village Gate. I recommend “Just in Time” for your playlist, but this title is full of good tunes done well. Dig her playing on “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which is one of my favorite versions of this standard and becomes an all-out rocker.