British guitarist analyses the one of a kind Billie Holiday live in 1958! 

Thank you, Sue Prost...no wonder it has such a sincere heart breaking feel.

Thank You Fil for honoring one of the all time Greats. Is this Jazz? The Blues? It’s Lady Day. ‘Nuff said. It’s the Soul in her, so deep. She, who experienced every degradation and humiliation being Black in a Jim Crow world, and every abuse and exploitation as a Woman in a Mans world, she knew of pain and the low down blues. The song “Strange Fruit” was awarded the best American song of the century by Time magazine, and it was one of 50 recordings entered into the National Recording Registry in 2002. Like her recording here, one word describes them... haunting. The holographic theater that opened in Hollywood a couple of years ago featured Billie Holiday in concert as their 1st featured artist, before MJ and all the rest, and to have her holograph sing on stage from a live concert, loaded, leaning on the piano, with her band behind her was a stunning experience. Then I got it- what makes this singer, with not the prettiest voice, but a singular voice, the legend she is.

Truth

This song is not on that album!

​@@karlsmith2052 She wrote don't explain

She left fabulous legacy.

@atomic3939 YES, I KNOW MY BRO. BUT IT NEVER DESTROYED HER SOUL!!

@atomic3939 has anyone stated she was happy? She Lived, broken, hurting, but she lived...don't judge.

If her childhood was the same, then yes she would have the same problems. Realistically though, her problems would be different, because her life as a child would have been substantially different. Even back then her life could have been drastically different with one simple decision: _if her grandparents had not kicked her mom out when she was pregnant_ (and needed them more than she had since she herself was a child). As far as substance abuse, no one could ever say since they would have to observe her in *both* circumstances and that is impossible. Yes it is easier to find help for addictions these days. But the problem is not finding a cure, it is finding a prevention, and all of the problems that led to addiction in the past are still with us today. We've made some baby steps in the right direction, but many out there are trying harder than ever to pull us back into the dark ages.

Her upbringing was awful. Abused as a child, turned out at a young age - just horrible

Thanks, I meant to say Teddy! That's annoying!

I know huh? Wait I don't smoke (lol).

Thanks!

Thanks!

Great artists don't appear out of a void. There has to be a supporting cultural milieu. The 1930's and 40's were the peak of American popular song writing and performing, and great singers emerged to sing those songs. A "Billie Holiday" would not happen today IMO.

@@John_Malloy I remember when ppl compared Macy Gray 2 her ~ b/c of the unusual voice~

No, that would *not* happen. If she was a pop singer it certainly would. But as a recording engineer/ guitarist of many genres, I can tell you that pop and jazz are recorded very differently. When recording pop you will pull out all the stops as an engineer and record each track separately to a grid. Whereas jazz is an entirely different animal and you basically set up the band with mics live and press record, then sit back and enjoy the show. That's not 100% entirely true, but to a greater extent that is what happens more than say 90% of the time. But if you ever hear a jazz artist using autotune, it would be as an effect (my least favorite effect ever, but an effect nonetheless), not as a crutch like is often done with pop these days.

@@John_Malloy : _"The 1930's and 40's were the peak of American popular song writing and performing"_ While I respect that this is your opinion, it is not an opinion shared by me and most likely not shared by most people in the world either. Most people alive today would say the best songs were written decades later. I also would disagree with them. It is just my opinion, but I happen to love something from every genre and time period. I am not tied to a single era or style, and that's why I am constantly finding awesome new music from all of the exceptional artists out there today. I can assure you that for one thing there are so many more great musicians around these days than ever before, and they are playing in every style you can think of and some that are completely new that most have never even heard of. The music scene today is actually far more vibrant than it ever has been. *But* I strongly advise not looking to the radio to find any of them. That is unless you love pop songs riddled with autotune and recorded to a static meter. In witch case you're in luck because that's all there is on the radio (unless they play stuff from the 90's and earlier). It may take some searching, but even I find plenty to suit my tastes witch are *very* eclectic and unusual. But all the more common styles are much easier to find, but you do have to use the search bar a lot before the stupid algorithms catch on and start showing you things you might actually enjoy. Good luck in finding the stuff that moves you all personally, but it is out there. Unless you want carbon copies, in witch case much of that is out there too, but I fail to see the point of that personally. Regardless, I hope everyone finds what they love and personally enjoy most. ^-^

If you have not already featured her, I recommend, the song : AT LAST BY ETTA JAMES. Thanks Fil.

Thanks! Yes as she didn't sing the normal lyric I was taking a guess!

Wings of Pegasus That’s the wonder and glory of jazz! She co-wrote the song years before, and as a great performer and improvisationalist felt free to change things as she saw the need.

I was just thinking that.

you are a fast clicker!

Lynn Dow Thanks!

Thanks!

David Robinson, Yeah - the ultra-talented are ofttimes the ultra-tragic. The genius/madness, blessed/cursed thing is real in many instances. Don’t know Amy’s bio well and if Billie was an influence, but they definitely had a similar vibe not only in their history, but their vocal style.

Amy was heavily influenced by Dinah Washington.

@@filmmekker Good info. Forgot about her torch singing and similar-ish, short life 👍

Sadly brought to mind. I cannot watch Amy’s later live performances without crying.

Amy studied Billie