Description

Masters of American Music: Lady Day - The Many Faces of Billie Holiday (DVD)

UPC: 880242570987

Product Features

Format: DVD
Series: Masters of American Music
Title: Lady Day - The Many Faces of Billie Holiday
Featured Artists: Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Artie Shaw, Bessie Smith, and others
Guest Appearances: Carmen McRae, Annie Ross, Buck Clayton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Mal Waldron, Milt Gabler, Albert Murray, and others
Running Time: Not specified
TV Format: Not specified
Sound: Not specified
Languages: English
Region Code: Not specified

Overview

Masters of American Music is an award-winning television series that celebrates the greatest innovators in jazz. This series traces the lives and works of master musicians who defined the course of America's classical music. From its birth in New Orleans to swing, big bands, bebop, free jazz, and beyond, the series explores the genre with sensitivity and unique depth.

Lady Day - The Many Faces of Billie Holiday invites viewers to explore the many facets of this "dark lady of the sonnets" and to appreciate her undying art more deeply. While most presentations feature Lady Day as the sad victim of hard times and drugs, this documentary emphasizes the single fact that matters above all others: she was a great artist who, alongside Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing. The producers mine a treasure trove of completely new information to set the record straight beautifully. Stage and screen star Ruby Dee reads from Holiday's autobiography Lady Sings the Blues, adding authenticity to the narrative.

Interesting Facts

Innovative Jazz Singer: Billie Holiday, with Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing, profoundly impacting the genre.
Rich Interviews: Over 80 interviews were conducted for the Masters of American Music series, offering in-depth insights into the lives of jazz legends.
Notable Narration: Ruby Dee, a celebrated stage and screen star, reads from Billie Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues.
Award-Winning Documentary: The documentary received the 1994 Cable ACE Award for Best Documentary Cultural or Performing Arts Special.
Historical Performances: Features performances by legendary artists such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, and others.

Track Listing

Performances by Billie Holiday and Others

What a Little Moonlight Can Do
God Bless the Child
Strange Fruit
Summertime
Fine and Mellow
Easy Living
and many more

Awards

1994: Cable ACE Award - Best Documentary Cultural or Performing Arts Special

Publishers

Label: Medici Arts
Directed by: Matthew Seig
Written by: Robert Meally
Produced by: Toby Byron and Richard Saylor
Distributed by: EuroArts Music International GmbH
Co-production: Toby Byron/Multiprises, Taunus Film, Marith, CBS Music Video Enterprises, WNET/New York
Artwork & Editorial: 2009 EuroArts Music International GmbH