‘CHILD THAT’S GOT HER OWN’ PERFORMS AT CCBC DUNDALK Oct 10, 2008
She said she tried to be everything else, including Billie Holiday, who she did play in the UK production of The Billie Holiday Story. Pryor wound down her performance emulating Holiday with words made to fit her life. (Dundalk Eagle, MD)
The joy of comfort Oct 7, 2008
From a session with Billie Holiday to a night with Dorothy and Toto, here is a look at how some Union-Tribune writers get away from it all ... The aching heartbreak of Billie Holiday is the most perfect of diversions. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Young Voices: Meet the 2008-09 team Oct 3, 2008
Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and many others. Reading is also something I enjoy doing. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Deep melancholy meets youthful zest Oct 3, 2008
It didn't always work - her take on God Bless the Child was more Blood, Sweat & Tears than Billie Holiday - but not because she relied on sheer vocal power to belt everything out. Her gender-corrected version of the Ray Charles chestnut Hallelujah, I Love Her So may have been delivered at full power, but it sounded absolutely right that way, while her encore rendition of Joni Mitchell's Circle Game was quiet and carefully nuanced, cutting straight to the heart of the song. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Radio host's wheels steal the spotlight Oct 3, 2008
MY CAR: BILLIE HOLIDAY ... That's why Billie Holiday drives a 2001 Audi TT 3. (Globe and Mail)
Jazz meets visual arts in a moment of synergy Sep 19, 2008
The paintings exhibited explore the sepia-colored steel drummers who perform through the streets during carnival; the beauty of the French-Creole women of the Caribbean, who wear white dresses with multicolored wraps around their waists; and the timeless artistry of jazz in portraits of Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and Billie Holiday. Richard Zandler, director of the Montpelier Arts Center and curator of the exhibit, said Boothman's visual work is the "perfect synergy between music and the... (Laurel Leader, MD)
Jazz Feast offers 5 courses of musical nourishment Sep 19, 2008
Its repertoire features a mix of classics from such artists as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Fats Waller and Frank Sinatra. Next up at 1:15 p.m. will be the Daryl Sherman Group, fronted by Manhattan-based pianist and vocalist Daryl Sherman. (NJ.com -- Times)
La Vie en Rose Sep 18, 2008
And Cotillard dives into them: The way Diana Ross dived into Billie Holiday except Cotillard shows a trained actress craft. (Hard to believe this was the same actress limited to French chick clich;s in Ridley Scott s A Good Year). (New York Press)
Main Street restaurateur to expand, double-time Sep 17, 2008
As for Nafaa s new concepts, Gibson s will serve prime steaks and chops in a setting of red-velvet walls, crystal chandeliers and Billie Holiday music. The restaurant will offer a selection of scotches and bourbons and will seat about 80 people, with additional sidewalk patio tables. (Houston Business Journal, TX)
Community datebook (9/16/08) Sep 16, 2008
Great Ladies of Jazz, 8 p.m., Rumrunner's, 415 E St. Melissa "Jazzmom" Fischer and her quartet pay tribute to the great ladies of jazz such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and more. Trumpeter Pat Owens joins Fischer on piano and vocals, Dirk Westfall on bass and John Nyman on drums. (Anchorage Daily News)
Verve Jazz Club offers more than jazz Sep 11, 2008
Divided into six colour codes (subtitled: trends, moods, world, etc) these compilations, basically, present an overview of the jazz names that really mattered with the larger jazz masses in the early part of the 50s and 60s (Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, etc) and through the later years of jazzs evolution, most of the funkier material that has registered cult fame in the global groove underground. The jazz legends are well represented, but what... (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Wein works to preserve the Newport festival legacy Sep 5, 2008
So I enjoy the festival for what it is," said Wein, sporting a madras patchwork cap and speaking with a distinctive Boston accent.Wein, a jazz pianist-turned-impresario, was running Boston's Storyville jazz club, when Newport socialite Elaine Lorillard walked in one night and invited him to present some jazz to liven up the summer social season. Wein ended up putting the affluent Rhode Island seaside town on the popular cultural map by organizing what would be the world's first outdoor jazz... (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Torch lights up the club Sep 2, 2008
Misra uses these techniques, plays with rhythms and follows behind the beat in a natural style reminiscent of Billie Holiday. The majority of Torch's performances take place at the Elephant Room and Luna, a club in San Antonio. (The Daily Texan, TX)
Plaza Grill, 4 stars Aug 27, 2008
That's Billie Holiday warbling through the speakers. And instead of Formica tops, paper-napkin dispensers and hot-sauce bottles on the tables, Plaza Grill opts for white tablecloths, cloth napkins and fresh flowers. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
New on DVD: Recount' tallies critical acclaim Aug 22, 2008
Others, beware, though passing time with H&M's homogenized identities amid 3-D flurry is amusing without apology on a big-screen TV. Speaking of homogenized, so are the songs; it may be time for these alter egos to launch a "We Remember Billie Holiday" follow-up featuring Strange Fruit or Love for Sale. Coming to DVD Sept. 2: papa Billy Ray Cyrus in something called Bait Shop. (USA Today -- Life)
ANITA ODAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER Aug 15, 2008
According to experts interviewed in "Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer," they are Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Ms. O'Day, the only white chick in the bunch. Just why O'Day is ranked in such stellar company is on ample view in the worshipful film. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Lee Young, at 94; drummer with roots deep in New Orleans jazz, brother of saxophonist Aug 12, 2008
They toured for the USO, broadcast with Billie Holiday, and were a hit in New York. LA Weekly said in 2004 that Mr. Young for years was the only black staff musician at a major studio. (Boston Globe)
Amy Winehouse Aug 1, 2008
Her first album, 2003's "Frank," earned rave reviews in her native Britain for her unique voice -- an instrument that featured touches of Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Ray Charles -- and clever songwriting, attributes that were enough to put the jazz-inflected album on the shortlist for the UK's prestigious Mercury Prize and win Winehouse a top British songwriting award. Then, when her drinking and drug abuse first became topics of tabloid conversation, she turned the topic around with... (CNN -- Showbiz)
Can Amy Winehouse be saved? Jul 27, 2008
Amy was this very groovy and knowledgeable hip-hop fan who also knew all the jazz greats, from Billie Holiday to Thelonious Monk. She was plump and kind of sassy. (Times Online)
Indigo Girls' Amy Ray flies solo Jul 25, 2008
The song "Strange Fruit." I was first introduced to this song in the Billie Holiday recording, then I heard Siouxsie sing it on an Indigo Girl's tour. It made me love the song even more to see her do it live. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Montreux celebrates Quincy Jones' birthday Jul 16, 2008
"We went into his catalogue of albums which is an absolute treasure -- Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday -- and got arrangements out of vaults. Some have not been played in 30 years," he said. Jones, among the three biggest Grammy winners of all times with 27 Grammys, told reporters that he had no plans to retire and was currently working on nine movies and three albums. (MSNBC -- Music)
The look of Love: It's just not working Jul 15, 2008
And America is not kind to aging women, as we all know, especially catastrophic ladies such as Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Sylvia Miles or (former Russ Meyer goddess) Edy Williams, performers whose lives and talent were slowly devoured by their monstrous appetites and pain. It cannot be easy for Love to confront images of the still-27 Cobain, who looks less like her husband and more like her son every passing year. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Harriet Hilliard sang with Ozzie Nelson Jul 6, 2008
Billie Holiday also recorded this Frank Loesser and Burton Lane gem, but I ve always liked Harriet s version. Harriet, originally known as Peggy Lou Snyder, the second female vocalist to be featured with a big band; all the rest we ve listened to came later. (The Citizen's Voice, PA)
For Winehouse, it's one thing after another Jul 2, 2008
Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, and on and on. Why Winehouse hasn't viewed them all as cautionary tales and acted accordingly is beyond unfortunate. (CNN -- Showbiz)
Rockland has the blues Jun 27, 2008
He wasnt raised on a Southern farm or even on the South Side of Chicago he was raised in Harlem, N.Y. where he grew up with the sounds of Billie Holiday and James Brown and all the acts that played the Apollo Theater ... radio stations and the influences of Etta James, Billie Holiday, Elmore James, Aretha Franklin and others. (Courier Publications, ME)
Caroline Nin Jun 25, 2008
Having toured Europe's nightclubs channelling Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and even Grace Jones, Nin has finally returned to a childhood heroine. "I was fascinated by her," Nin admits as she recalls a childhood encounter with a Dietrich movie. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Billboard Bits: The Beatles, Morrison Hotel Gallery, Ding Jun 24, 2008
Among the stars captured in the photos, most of which were shot by Columbia staff photographer Don Huntstein in the 1950s and '60s, are Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, Miles David, Charles Mingus, Billie Holiday and Muhammad Ali. Prints signed by Huntstein will be available at the gallery and its Web site. (Billboard)
Zappa's Mothers jazz up festival circuit Jun 24, 2008
Coco Zhao Imagine if Billie Holiday had been male and sang in Cantonese, and you'll have some idea of the heartbreak Coco Zhao can pack into a melody. Born in Shanghai and conservatory trained, he brings a genuinely singular perspective to jazz - plus some of the finest musicians in Montreal. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Reflections of a shooting star Jun 23, 2008
I'd pretty much freak out," she says. Almost dutifully, Cilmi mentions Aretha Franklin and "Billie Halliday" (no doubt meaning Billie Holiday) as role models, but says "it was those other ones [the rockers] that really did it for me. " Cilmi loves the idea of switching between genres - from blues to pop to rock and country - and she seems certain of her own future in the music industry. "I can see myself doing this for a long time. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation to Commemorate 40 Years of History and Service At Annual Gala 'Cultivating An Abundant Community' Jun 20, 2008
In addition Restoration's Center for Arts and Culture is home to the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Skylight Gallery and the Youth Arts Academy with year-round offerings of performances, exhibitions and workshops. Launched with Bi-partisan support from Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Jacob K. Javits and local community participation in 1967, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation has been recognized as the pioneering model for non-profit community development corporations across the country. (Primezone Releases)
Paris Bennett on her films, Philips show Jun 19, 2008
She ll tackle Summertime by Billie Holiday and promises more of a Billie twist than Fantasia did back in 2004. -She s looking forward to the concert this Saturday. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Theater Review | 'Arias With a Twist': Effigies and aliens cavort in a cross-dressing wonderland Jun 19, 2008
Arias, a cross-dressing vocalist notable for the weight of his false eyelashes and his gift for replicating the raspy wail of Billie Holiday, returns to New York after doing time in Las Vegas as a mistress of ceremonies for the racy Cirque du Soleil show Zumanity. And while the stage he commands at Here is, in size, but a fraction of the one he played at the New York New York hotel, it cannot be said that he has hit the small time. (International Herald Tribune)
Q&A with rapper RZA Jun 17, 2008
She sounds like a mix of Billie Holiday and some other [expletive. I met her a few years ago and I've been using her for my movie soundtrack, but I never used her for hip-hop because I don't like her cursing. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
CARLSBAD: For one gay couple, marriage a natural step in relationship Jun 16, 2008
Evenings at home are spent cooking together while listening to Thomas' collection of Billie Holiday, Nancy Wilson and Barbara Streisand vinyl albums. They share the New York Times crossword puzzle each day, rent movies ---- Thomas likes mysteries and Sanders prefers love stories ---- and like to take long walks on the beach. (North County Times)
Meklit Hadero opens up to the world as soloist Jun 15, 2008
Hadero sang in choirs in grade school - she was 12 when a piano teacher turned her on to Billie Holiday - and in high school, and occasionally sang a tune a cappella in a performance series she started at Yale, where she studied political science. After moving here, she studied voice with David Babich and other local teachers and took songwriting, musicianship and guitar classes at Blue Bear School of Music. (San Francisco Chronicle)
This Week's Best Bets Jun 12, 2008
" Tickets are $20 or $5 for students. (706) 342-4743 or . Maria Taylor 10 p.m. Saturday, Caledonia Lounge Before she was a solo artist, Taylor was a member of Azure Ray, which she founded in 2001 in Athens before moving to Omaha, Neb., to work with Saddle Creek records. Currently working on her third solo album, Taylor will bring her carefully crafted songs and beautifully delicate vocals to town. Folk rocker Jonathan Rice and indie pop musician Nik Freitas will also perform. Admission is $6 to... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to Swing Across the Atlantic on Crystal's 2008 Big Band Cruise Jun 10, 2008
-- Battle of the Big Bands (Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington) -- Big Band Singers Who Became Legends (Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and the American Tradition in Singing) -- The Jazz Cadence of American Culture: What's American About This Music That Sounds So Good. Bill Boggs, Emmy Award-winning television host and producer, will present a salute to Frank Sinatra and the days of the Rat Pack, featuring classic performances and interviews with the "Chairman of the... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
New Amerykah Jun 8, 2008
The songs are inseparable, as they mesh into an organic aural experience but 'The Healer', which sees Badu at her Billie Holiday best claiming that hip-hop 'is bigger than religion' over an ominous Madlib backing, is particularly resonant. This is enchanting listening, everything Lauryn Hill's ill-fated last offering should have been. (iAfrica.com)
Sound off: U.S. indie rock resuscitated for now Jun 4, 2008
Summertime and the living s easy: so sung Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sublime s Bradley Nowell, and nearly 4,000 others who covered the George Gershwin-composed classic. It s now summer 2008, and the concert series in your area is in full swing. (Kingston Mariner, MA)
Coca-Cola Celebrates Essence Music Festival at the Apollo - Thursday, June 5th Jun 3, 2008
Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis, Jr., James Brown, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, DAngelo, Lauryn Hill, and countless others began their road to stardom on the Apollos stage. Based on its cultural significance and architecture, the Apollo Theater received state and city landmark designation in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
The week in books May 31, 2008
The question, as actually presented to those finalists, invited them to compare an "anatomy of love" lyric by Sir Walter Raleigh with "Fine and Mellow" by Billie Holiday, "Boots of Spanish Leather" by Bob Dylan and "Love is a Losing Game" by Amy Winehouse. Why, one may ask, no protest against the other two. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
A&E notebook: Summer's on May 29, 2008
Your Connection to the. Web Search powered by YAHOO. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Amy Winehouse gets into Cambridge May 28, 2008
Students sitting the paper were also asked to compare the Raleigh poem with two other songs Fine and Mellow by Billie Holiday and Boots of Spanish Leather by Bob Dylan. Some students said they felt that comparing Winehouse to Raleigh arguably the enfant terrible of his day, with a similar passion for smoking exotic substances was entirely warranted. (Times Online)
Cambridge students get an English lesson from Amy Winehouse May 28, 2008
They were told to compare Winehouse's Love is a Losing Game to songs by Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday and 16th century explorer Sir Walter Raleigh ... They were asked to contrast aspects of the pop song with Bob Dylan's Boots Of Spanish Leather, Billie Holiday's Fine And Mellow and Sir Walter Raleigh's As You Came from the Holy Land in an examination question. (BBC News -- UK)
University exam pits pop's lyrical prowess against Raleigh May 28, 2008
The final-year paper in "practical criticism", sat by English students at the university, asked for a comparison between Raleigh's poetry and a choice of songs by Winehouse, Bob Dylan and Billie Holiday ... The three songs were Fine and Mellow by Billie Holiday, Boots of Spanish Leather by Bob Dylan, and Love is a Losing Game by Amy Winehouse. (Guardian Unlimited)
Cannes Film Festival May 23, 2008
During the end credits, as Nina Simone sings the old Billie Holiday standard "Strange Fruit," we see a series of real images of the war taken by the French photographer Patrick Robert. One picture shows a man clutching what looks like a human femur and another shows two small, presumably dead children in a puddle of blood. (International Herald Tribune)
A finer way to dine May 21, 2008
At Ciro's supper club on Sunset Boulevard - a favourite of Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner - the entertainment was provided by luminaries such as Edith Piaf, Mae West and Billie Holiday, while Bogie and Bacall used to eat at the Mocambo, a Brazilian-themed venue that was inhabited by a flock of showbiz parrots. This was the golden, maribou-trimmed era of supper clubs, yet now, despite lean times looming, ritzy restaurant-cum-nightclubs are experiencing a revival. (Guardian Unlimited)
The real dreamgirl May 20, 2008
She donned a striking silver ensemble for Love Child -- an already gritty track that gained even more muscle thanks to a funky Latin percussion break -- Upside Down and Ease on Down the Road, then slipped into a risque peekaboo number for the jazz numbers Fine and Mellow and Don't Explain, songs that helped earn her an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues. Ross' most recent album was referenced with a cover of the Frankie Lymon classic Why Do Fools Fall in... (Winnipeg Sun)
Duffy Rockferry Review May 14, 2008
Duffy s sound is deeply rooted in the swinging sixties era of girl groups like the Supremes, the dark soul of Billie Holiday with a contemporary update. Blue eyed UK soul hasn t had a sound this fresh and exciting since the glory days of. (Suite101.com)
Erykah Badu's whirling cosmic tour May 14, 2008
She can sing in flinty syncopated interjections, in sassy turns and in cooing long lines, and her voice alludes to Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington as well as to Diana Ross. Most of her songs are undulating two-chord vamps that give her room to free-associate between choruses. (International Herald Tribune)
Singer Can't Reach Apollo Heights May 14, 2008
When you play there, you're making a statement that you think you have the voice and stagecraft to stand toe to toe with the greats - from Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to Mariah Carey - who all launched their careers on that revered stage. I liked Duffy. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
King, Mitchell, Simon: A musical journey May 14, 2008
The song choices and lush arrangements on some of Mitchell's later records pay homage to her favorite Billie Holiday torch songs. Related Articles. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Acoustic supergroup making stage debut May 11, 2008
" The extremely versatile Enghauser is also a major asset to Curley Maple. Besides playing with the Blackmons and Lopez, he holds membership in Dromedary Quartet, PrimeTime Jazz, Super Combo and Athens vocalist Leslie Helpert's Billie Holiday Tribute band. He's also the section bassist for the Macon Symphony Orchestra and has contributed to the symphonies in Columbus and Gainesville. "Chris is very well schooled in music and we're lucky to have him with us on this project," says Blackmon. Noel... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Drenched in the blues May 9, 2008
"She put herself into the hands of Gordy, who took her to watch such established performers as Dakota Staton, Dinah Washington and Della Reese at Detroit's Flame Showbar, so that she might observe and learn from the finer points of their presentation. Eventually her mentor felt she was ready for her own spot at the club, and she shared the bill with Billie Holiday only a couple of weeks before the great singer's death in 1959.Gordy wrote and produced a handful of singles for her between 1960 and... (Guardian Unlimited)
Frock show makes grade May 5, 2008
He credited his father, who is blind, as a huge influence on his musical taste, introducing him to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sting. "We couldn't really go out and toss the football around unless I was going to give him a black eye.". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Clive James asks'Does Amy Winehouse really have a duty to her sublime talent?' May 4, 2008
Billie Holiday, by the end, had reasons to feel like that. But at the start, she guarded her gift. (BBC News -- UK)
First sight: Little Lost David May 2, 2008
There are similarities, not least that all three are influenced by the pathos of Billie Holiday and the Buckleys. Being English, David also credits such closer-to-home figures as William Blake, Simon Armitage and the painter David Shrigley for the dark, misty bent of his music. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
'Remote Sense' May 2, 2008
Also from Kansas City, Henry started Billie Holiday and Miles Davis songs by age 12 and won the 1994 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition. She also tours around the world. (Anchorage Daily News)
Prairieville drummer Davis keeps beat in two JazzFest shows May 2, 2008
In 1990, Davis started touring with New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard, whom Davis regards as "the best trumpeter in the business." He recorded on Blanchard's first four albums, including the popular "Billie Holiday Songbook," and critically acclaimed breakout album "Romantic Defiance." Davis was also one of the drummers on "X," Blanchard's soundtrack to Spike Lee's movie about Malcolm X.. Over the years, Davis has recorded dozens of albums, including soundtracks for "Eve's Bayou," and... (Gonzales Ascension Citizen, LA)
Cipri, Maresco honor bebop hero Apr 23, 2008
Scott, who played with Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, among others, wound up in Rome during the 1970s, having gained a considerable reputation. He settled in Italy until his death in 2007. (Variety)
Cassandra Wilson Apr 20, 2008
It's a gift that can be scary, as Billie Holiday once showed. Yet the one contemporary vocalist extending the tradition of the great jazz singers of the past, such as Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter, has tended to distance herself from their legacy. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Travis Sullivan's idea: jazz meets Bjork Apr 18, 2008
Interpreting Bjork's singing style, says Sullivan, is "similar to assimilating Billie Holiday. There are a lot of parallels, actually, in terms of nuance. They're both incredibly distinct. The minute you imitate her, people go, 'Oh, that's Bjork.' ". The arrangements on "Enjoy" befit Bjork's own catholic interests, ranging from the guitar-heavy downtown funk of "Army of Me" and the danceable reggae groove of "Human Behavior" to the murky mystique of "Hunter." Far from boxing him in, Sullivan... (Boston Globe)
NEWHALL, 37 AND MACMILLAN, 37 Apr 13, 2008
After a Central Presbyterian Church ceremony, the pair danced to "I Wished on the Moon" by Billie Holiday, as 105 guests watched. "The song captures how we feel," gushes the bride, a partner at a private equity firm. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Jacksonville Jazz Festival: Back to basics Apr 11, 2008
With more than a little Billie Holiday in her voice, she's carved out her own path, recording songs from such diverse sources as Robert Johnson to the Monkees, from Van Morrison (a great version of Tupelo Honey) to Hank Williams. And she's sung on Blanchard's albums before, so maybe. (Florida Times-Union)
Diddy Says Finding Out-Of-This-World Singer Janelle Monae Was 'A Gift' Apr 10, 2008
It's something that once you see it, you're like, 'If I get a chance to be involved in nurturing this artist, this is more than a business or making money in the music industry, I could be a part of giving a gift to the world of something like Billie Holiday. That's a gift. (VHI.com -- Music News)
