Centenary Tribute to Legendary Jazz Singer Billie Holiday
Known for her definitive interpretations of classic jazz standards such as Summertime, Love Me or Leave Me and God Bless the Child, Billie Holiday is considered to be one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. Listen to vocalist Julie Dunn and pianist Philip Clouts in a centenary tribute to Holiday’s ongoing legacy at the Bridport Arts Centre Jazz Café on Friday 17 July.
Born in America in 1915, by 1933 Billie Holiday was already singing in Harlem jazz clubs, where she was discovered by the producer and talent scout John Hammond. Hammond immediately arranged three recording sessions for her with Benny Goodman and found more work for her in New York clubs. In 1935, he began recording her regularly, usually under the direction of Teddy Wilson, with studio bands that included many of the finest jazz musicians of the day. These recordings, made between 1935 and 1942, constitute a major body of jazz music; many include work by saxophonist Lester Young, with whom Holiday had particular empathy. The recordings caught the attention of musicians throughout America and soon other singers were working in Holiday’s light, rhythmic manner.
Popularity with a wider audience came more slowly. Holiday joined Count Basie in 1937 and Artie Shaw in 1938, becoming one of the first black singers to be featured with a white orchestra. She started to have success with slow, melancholy songs of unrequited love, particularly Lover Man (1944). By the end of the 1940s, she was a popular star, and in 1946 took part in the film New Orleans with Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory.
At the same time as her career was taking off, Holiday’s private life was deteriorating. She was jailed on drug charges in 1947 after a highly publicized trial. She compulsively attached herself to men who mistreated her, and she began drinking heavily. Her health suffered; she lost most of her by then substantial earnings, and her voice coarsened through age and mistreatment. Although she continued to sing and record, and to tour frequently until the mid-1950s, it was no longer with her former spirit and skill. She died in 1959.
Holiday is often considered the foremost female singer in jazz history, a view substantiated by her influence on later singers. Her voice carried a wounded poignancy that was part of her attraction for audiences.
Julie Dunn is the perfect vocalist to pay tribute to Billie Holiday. She has released four CDs, playing alongside Johnny Dankworth’s son Alec, and she has toured the country playing in prestigious venues such as the Vortex and the 606 Club in London. She has garnered widespread acclaim in the press, with Chris Parker describing her as “a class act – warm, compelling…impeccable” and Muse Magazine praising her as a “soulful jazz songstress who effortlessly sings in her distinctively rich and smooth vocal style.”
Julie will be joined by pianist Philip Clouts of whom Jazzwise Magazine has said “Clouts’ solos have an attractively crisp, bluesy clarity that’s punctuated with evocative impressionism”
Friday 17 July 8pm £10
Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR
Box Office 01308 424204
