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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

April 7, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Remembering Lady Day

Today marks the centennial of the birth of America’s greatest jazz singer: Billie Holiday.

photograph by William Gottlieb
photograph by William Gottlieb

Much has been said about the life of Billie Holiday. A life that was much too short and full of pain, for sure.

But I wish to think of her because of her amazing music. She is the inspiration of singers the world over. As we speak, there are tribute concerts being held all over the world by the great singers of jazz: male and female.

For those, like me, who care deeply about her music, I would like to recommend a new book by jazz historian John Szwed — Billie Holiday: The Musician And The Myth. In this book, Szwed explores her voice, her singing, her inestimable contributions to vocal jazz. Here a few links to reviews of this book, which is available, of course, from Amazon.

The Guardian
The Wall Street Journal
The New Yorker
The New York Times

Or better yet, just listen. The new Billie Holiday Centennial Collection is available from Amazon, iTunes and even Spotify.

The Centennial Collection

Listen to The Centennial Collection on Spotify. Billie Holiday · Compilation · 2015 · 20 songs.

Forget the drugs, the alcoholism, the rumors and the exaggerations. Remember the musician. Remember the voice.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Billie Holiday, Billie Holiday birthday, Lady Day

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