Nina Simone was trained as a concert pianist. She was playing piano at a lounge in order to pay for her studies, when the owner told her she had to sing; and of course the rest is history.
The reason I mention this is because on her early albums, you got a double treat; she could play jazz piano as good as "Bud Powell", and she always included a couple of instrumentals. As time went by, she focused less and less on the piano; especially since the vocals paid the bills.
Although I'm glad to have her pianistic prowess in my collection, her vocals move me even more; I can feel the emotion, like when she sings "Do I move you, let me know it!"
Yes, she has long been a favorite of mine.