JAM presents the film “Billie”, Saturday, March 22nd
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies and the Portland Conservatory of Music are pleased to present “Billie” a documentary film about Billie Holiday, the great Lady Day, who was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. Billie Holiday’s unforgettable voice, her famous phrasing, and sensual singing have often been imitated but never been equaled to this day.
Director James Eckstine’s movie “Billie” does not try to glorify Lady Day like some other films do. It is the unvarnished story of a exceptionally talented singer and hard living woman who lived her life to the fullest and then some.
Watching Billie Holiday perform songs like “Don’t Explain” and “Fine And Mellow” is like hearing her sing her own life story. Billie possessed a sultry, sensuous voice that was steeped in a lifetime of pain, and there was truth in every note she sang. Her classic song “God Bless The Child” told of her childhood struggle against poverty and standing on her own two feet. Holiday’s haunting “Strange Fruit “ was about the brutal lynching of blacks in the south and a stunning public rebuke of racism. It became an anthem of the civil rights movement and one of the most famous protest songs of all time. It also made this outspoken black woman the target of a campaign of fierce harassment from J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, and high-ranking government officials who wanted her silenced. Even though Billie’s singing had won her international celebrity and fame, her personal life remained dogged by racial discrimination, abusive relationships, police harassment and exploitation.
This film contains wonderful footage of the dazzling Lady Day in performance along with interviews with close friends like Count Basie and Charles Mingus, who knew her well and really cared for her. Sadly, she died before her time. Despite her high flying career, there were the personal demons of drugs and abuse she could never escape .
The movie “Billie” pulls no punches. It’s an honest portrait of a bold and brave woman who despite her faults still remains one of the most loved and admired singers of all time.
WMPG’s Jazz At The Movies invites you to be our guest for “Billie”, a portrait of the legendary Lady Day, on Saturday, March 22cd, 7PM, at Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Portland. Admission is FREE.