The ideal companion to shed light on Lady DayOne of the most troubling, and troubled, artists in the history of jazz, Billie Holiday remains an enigma despite numerous attempts to eulogize, analyze, and criticize her life and career. This fifth entry in the Schirmer Books Companion Series draws on 26 diverse writers, and on Holidays own interviews and recordings, to provide an objective assessment of Lady Days life, her talent, and of her place among the legends of jazz.
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The legendary jazz vocalist is given the treatment she deserves in this thoughtful collection of essays, interviews, reviews, and news articles. The artistry of "Lady Day" is noted by such writers as Leonard Feather, Nat Hentoff, Ralph J. Gleason, Whitney Balliett, and Elizabeth Hardwick. An interview with John Hammond, the legendary Columbia Records executive who discovered Billie Holiday (among other music greats) is particularly insightful. This book is a must for Billie Holiday fans and will also serve as an excellent introduction to her body of work.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A challenging and intimate look at Lady Day's legacy,
By DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Billie Holiday Companion: Seven Decades of Commentary (Companion Series) (Paperback)
Whenever confronted with the eternal question of what my "desert island discs" would be, I always start the list with Columbia's set of Billie Holiday double LPs which came out in the 1960s... and invariably my questioners will comment on what a depressing choice that would be. I feel somewhat vindicated by this book's firm assertions that Holiday was not, in fact, a downcast performer. Like the other volumes in Schirmer Books' excellent "Companion" series, this anthology draws on a wide range of sources, including artist interviews and autobiographies, contemporary newspaper reviews and formal music criticism. This patchwork of Holiday's admirers and intimates creates a warm and frequently contradictory portrait of the world's greatest jazz vocalist. An extremely vulnerable yet extremely toughened, capable artist, Holiday's life is often seen through the filter of her tragic drug abuse, which led to her complete physical breakdown and death in 1959. This sordid reduction of Holiday's life has led many of her biographers to protectively soften or cover up aspects of her personality, which in turn has contributed to the confusion about her life. Editor Leslie Gourse skillfully weaves through these various accounts, offering illuminating commentary as to their relative strengths and blind spots. Included are entries by musicians such as Buck Clayton, producers John Hammond, Milt Gabler and Leonard Feather, and a host of journalists and biographers, including Gourse's own essay, "There Was No Middle Ground With Billie Holiday". An invaluable resource for anyone who wants to find out more about Lady Day, her influence on modern vocals, and her sad yet glorious life. Highly recommended.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A fine companion,
By "nathanark" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Billie Holiday Companion: Seven Decades of Commentary (Companion Series) (Paperback)
I bought this book some time back and have dipped into it regularly for research purposes. A must for all Billie fans.
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