Billie Holiday – lady-blues

Blues, sounding as confession…

Just like this sang Billy. It was able to carry all of depth of experiencing to the listener, and when it sings: «My man doesn't love me…» to it, trust undecidedly. Was there a lot of having loud voice singers on the jazz American stage, but who of them sings that for it on a heart?

Ability of Billy Holiday to pass authentic sense puts it in one row with the best jazz musicians of America.

James Lincoln Collier

Billy Holiday one of small quantity singers of possessing original, shocking feeling of classic blues. Shi is radically changed a concept about the American jazz vocal. Not much, perhaps, only Bessie Smith and Ma Rayne gave recording possibility to reflect the senses experienced by them. Personal contribution of Billy Holiday to interpretation of blues tradition allowed making revolution in vaudeville vocal. Before a performer had to sacrifice the artistry to either the composer either arranger or bandolier. In fact jazz vocalist in a greater degree, what a musician depends on a melody. And only Billy Holiday succeeded to decide this problem. Actually her style was exactly her style and nobody else. That is talked Billy Holiday about it:

«I don't think that I am sing. I don't feel that I am singer. I feel so, as though I play on some instrument. I try to improvise, like it is done Lester Yang or Lowie Armstrong, or somebody other, who I delight in to the innermost of one's the heart. That takes a place here, and there is that, that I feel. I hate singing on notes. I must change a melody in the way – how I always do it and as I feel. That is all that I know about singing»

The exact date of her birth is unknown. On one information she borned in 1912, on other – 1915 to the year in town Baltimore. Her parents met each other when they was a teenagers (a father was 15 years ago, and mothers – 13), but her father Clarence Holiday did not have an official marriage with her mother. Their marriage was not happy from the beginning and disintegrated too quickly. By the way he was a quite good musician and worked in the orchestras of MacKinnon and Fletcher Henderson. In the first world war-time he was strongly poisoned gas on a battle-field and forced was to part with a dream, become a trumpeter.

Their marriage disintegrated very originally – Clarence simply evaporated in one day, leaving family in a very narrow financial circumstance. Her mother, leaving Billy with relatives who did not spare to her due attention and anxiety, was given on earnings to New York. So she was very beautiful woman (half Irishwoman), she tried itself on the walk of life of model, but unsuccessfully. Billy felt herself deprived and outcast, and in it sense of pity developed to itself, a suspiciousness was intensified. On any actual or seeming display of inattention to itself Billy answered a hysterics. Possibly, turn of her soul and generated that touching tenderness which pierces the best standards of her creation. In fact mainly she sang about love – lost and found. A mother took away it to itself only in 1927. So, early Billy gets to know bad taste of loneliness and abandonment. Beaten out a mother from forces, what to feed them and already in childhood tried Billy to get the slice of bread: «One madam had me on parcels from home on the corner (this house was none other than den), but I worked for this woman – did everything: took away numbers, washed floors and bathrooms, because she allowed me in living room to listen the plates of Bessie Smith and Lowie Armstrong, especially him «West End Blues».I love this blues so much. When we moved to New York, I left for listen his appearance in «Lafayette Theatre». He did not play my favourite blues, and then I went for the stage, to ask him about it. When I was on run errands, I was only nine years ago. But, since that time and until now, I always listen Lowie and Bessie». Legends walk about beginning of song career of Billy – one more beautiful than other. But it is better to appeal to the autobiography of Billy Holiday:

«Then we starved often. Indeed very heavily it lived us. In sew on it always was cold into the room. A father gave up us and married in second times, when I was ten years ago. My mother was a chamber, but also she could not find a job. I was hired to rub floors in rich houses, but it badly turned out for me. We lived then in New York, on 145th street, near a 7th avenue. We were so hungry once, that barely could breathe. I nerved and went out on a street. It was devilish cold, but I trudged from 145th street to 133rd along on a 7th avenue, calling at every beer house with hope to find some work though. Finally I came in blank despair and stopped at a club «Log Cabin», which was managed by Jerry Preston. I said to him, that wants to be warmed and have a drink, but I have no money in a pocket. Nevertheless, I ordered a gin, (this was my first drinking-bout, because to this moment I could not distinguish a gin from wine) and had a drink his volley. At once a heat became me, and I asked Preston to give me some work – I said him, that I can be a dancer. He ordered that I dance for him. I made an effort to do it, but did not quite please him. Then I said that I can sing. He answered: «Sing». In a corner some old man jingled on fortepiano. He began to play the melody of «Travlin», and I began sing. Visitors in barins, left off to drink, turned and began to look after me. Then a pianist (this was Dick Wilson, as I knew later) was commuted on «Body and Soul». Goodness, you would see these people – they began to yell and cry one and all. This was very simple public. Preston walked up to me, rocked a head and said: «Baby you won». Whew I and began to sing.

Then I first of all asked from Preston sandwich and here swallowed him. Trust, these people gave me whole eighteen dollars of gratuities! I ran out, purchased in a bench the real, large hen and began to tear along from all of feet home, on a 7th avenue. In this night we with a mother first for a lot of days ate ones fill one's fill. Since we always had a lot of meal…»

Since then began Billy to work in clubs in the 132nd street. There in 1933 she and ubiquitous «opens of talents» John Hammond found. Holiday did the first records with the just organized orchestra of Benny Goodman, concluded a contract with a manager by Joe Glycerol. To invite her steel on appearances in prestige halls, for example in «Apollo» is a not best movie theatre in Garleme. Then Hammond decided to organize appearance of Billy with small bands at the head with Teddy Wilson, which did records for musical automats. First such record was done in January, 1, 1938, and then during six years it wrote down more than forty plates. Holiday worked practically with all of leading jazzmen. Among them there is Benny Gudmen, Ben Webster, Dig Eldritch, Tank Clayton, Johnny Khodzhes, Harry Carney, Benny Morton – this list can be continued for ever and ever. Its records are remarkable standards of the jazz singing. Maybe, that always sounded Billy Holiday tragic, but in intonations of «Lady Dye» a humour, playfulness, and tenderness, was audible. By the way together with the orchestra of Teddy Wilson did Billy the first record with Lester Yangon, they are although acquainted were considerably before – in 1934, when Lester arrived to New York to shop around, it entered him in the jazz circles of this city and it succeeded it. Authority of it at that time was already great enough – pick-a-back there were more than 20 written down disks, or as then talked «more than forty sides» – obligatory condition at the record of plates for musical automats. Serious fascination of that time was a novel with Benny Goodman. Yes, exactly with him.

BOBBY TAKER: «It was the real pleasure to play for her! She possessed the greatest sense of rhythm - I did not yet meet such. Had no value, what song it carried out. She could sing the most rapid melody or anything like funeral service, but if you took a metronome in hands, she always appeared on a necessary place. That there to talk! With she you would play accompaniment in general how pleasingly, you could simply forget a melody, improvise and feel freely».

Billy Holiday was very talented. However folded her professional life was unsimply. Passionate nature, she was subject to influencing of moment; on her mood not always friends and admirers influenced beneficially. She came forward in the different clubs of New York, including in a club «Onyx» in the 52th street, drove out on a tour in other cities of America. In March, 1937, on insistency Khemmonda she came in the orchestra of Kaunta Beysi, then yet being in the stage of becoming. Beysi to the that moment was very popular and among experiments, conducted them there was invitation of Billy in addition to the vocalist to Dzhimmi Rashingu. But their collaboration was transitory. If Billy was not in a spirit, she came forward badly, was often late, and even quite not reported for work. Among other versions of care of Billy from an orchestra there was its refuse to carry out the blues standards of 20th. In future she nowhere stayed too long for hours and by the end of 40th practically abandoned the stage and again returned on the stage of night-clubs.

KARMEN MAKREY: «In regard to Billy Holiday I do not simply know that to you about her to say. As far as I understand, she for herself is the wicked enemy. She is a very eccentric woman with enormous temperament. I think that she was borne together with him. I don't think that it's happened because she became a «star». She was very unhappy during long time. I don't know how now, but, apparently, all of her misfortunes result from – that life not good until now for her.

I can say you following: her singing is such, which she is in life. She really «Lady», even when you hear her voice on a plates. Be that rapid melody or quiet ballad, whatever you listened from her records is always actual «Lady». Singing – it unique, in what she can declare oneself such, what she want be in life. And she can be happy only in singing; it is her unique exit which can not be taken away. I don't think that she would express itself similarly, if you met her personally. Her life – in songs, only in work she as though rests and feels freely, but not then, when she under influencing of alcohol or anything other.

It is never impossible to guess the acts of «Lady». She is very unstable woman. Sometimes people listen her singing and think that she exhausted herself already. She always was my idol».

In spite of everything, obtained Billy Holiday popularity, tours on the cities of the states passed with full houses, and plates did not lie too long on the shelves of musical shops. Already in prewar years she obtained the peak of the popularity, and many musical critics and journalists, suppose that all of the best she had time to sing to 25 years. By that time already obtained Billy fame and was here accepted (practically in a month after a care from Kaunt Beysi) in the orchestra of Arti of Show. Musicians and Shows tried to support Billy (she desirable to remind that an orchestra of Show was «white» and to have a swarthy soloist at that time was the terrible uprising), however during concerts every now and again there were conflicts on racial soil. As a result Billy abandoned an orchestra. For help Khemmond came again. He acquainted Billy with Barni Dzhozefson, proprietor of cafe of «Sesayeti», and that offered her for a work.

It is necessary to say that Dzhozefson played a considerable role in jazz of that time. Former salesman of shoe shop to New Jersey, he, accumulating money, decided to open a night-club, which, on his project, must become under race, – both for musicians and for visitors. In fact to the end of 30th there almost were not clubs in the USA, where would accept Negroes, even if Negro musicians came forward there. Dzhozefson risked overcoming this barrier. Khemmond sent him in the choice of musicians, and soon a new club in Grinvich-villidzh conquered popularity. When «cold war» began at the end of 40th, some reactionary – the adjusted journalists began to attack him, laying to the collaboration with left forces. Dzhozefson began to lose a clientele and in 1950 was forced to close a club.

Scarcely anywhere yet would find Billy Holiday such public, as in the cafe of «Sesayeti». For the artiste of her storage it was ideal job. Not only musicians and connoisseurs of jazz but also people, ready to express feeling with a talented Negro singer, to testing suffering and humiliation from the colour of skin came here. Some of habitues of cafe had connections and influencing. They began to patronize her, and Billy Holiday become a star. True, not such large, as Frank Sinatra or Bing of Crosby, but nevertheless known an entire country. Exactly then first carried out Billy song which in future was always associated with its name? This was a song on the verses of poet Lewis Allen (habitue of cafe), it was named «Strange Fruit» («Strange fruit»). Strange an author named a «black fruit, hanging down from ebony».

A song turned out sad. Slow, complete dramatic effect recitative of Billy about the painful irreparableness of racism which continued to rage on American South, yet more strengthened the tragedy of situation. A song abandoned nobody indifferent, and public required its reiteration every time. In spite of the bright political colouring of this composition, John Khemmondu succeeded to assist what able Billy Holiday to write down this single on «Commodore», libel, belonging to the proprietor of shop of jazz phonograph records to Miltu Gebleru.

Success, coming to her lately, impelled Billy to give up blueses and easy melodies. She began to give a preference sorrowful lyric songs about unshared love, such, as «Lover Man» and «Gloomy Sunday». Changing the manner of singing, yet more began Billy to like public. However, doing support on a text, a singer lost much of that belonged to jazz observation of phrasing and that before did her the idol of admirers of jazz.

Creative re-orientation of Billy is explained not only storage of her psyche but also abortively folded personal life. She was very single and always suffered from the lack of confidence. Not surprising, that weight of vital circumstances, multiplied on specific dispositions and terms of playing jazz in night-clubs, which required complete emancipation, inspiration, special mood of psyche every evening, eventually, brought Billy over to the drugs – misfortune of many jazzmen.

Drugs not once put her for different sides with a law, and in 1947 it were placed in prison for the term of 7 months, thus this fact was widely lighted up in a press – and, however paradoxical it is woke up additional interest to creation of Billy Holiday, increasing the amount of her potential listeners. In 40 she conceived a liking to smoking of opium together with the first husband Johnny Monro. After parting with Monro the hasty second marriage with a trumpeter Joe Guy and joint fascination followed with him by a heroin. There was not only love.

Among colleagues, except for Lester Yang (from an easy hand which, a nickname gained a foothold after her, rather title: «Lady of Day»), for her, perhaps, there were not unselfish friends, ready to support, help. By the way, she in same queue named him «Prez» – that meant president among saxophone players. Lester Yang was very near for her, although sex was not between them. He even settled in its New York apartment rescued from depression and loneliness. Billy was given by part of life of «Prez» and his saxophone in same queue named the «second voice of «Lady Day». Billy never was spoiled attention of men, but as her famous grew, and fees were increased, round her crowd of permanent admirers began to twirl - mainly different easy riders and drug addicts, hoping easily to profit for her account. Never earned Billy millions, however much the name of large singer and stars brought her enough handsome sums, sometimes a few ten of thousands of dollars is in a year. But complete chaos reigned in her financial businesses.

It is separately desirable to remember participating of Billy Holiday in the surveys of sensational full-length film about history of jazz – «New Orleans», to the surveys of which in 1946 the «factory of dreams» began at active participation of Louis Armstrong. When a question decided about a candidature on a leading womanish role, doubts were not – ideally walked up Billy on the role of swarthy maid, a leading masculine role was carried out by «Bing» of Crosby. Resonance which was caused by a picture entailed the series of concerts, where the participants of film appeared on one stage, and similarly issue of series of plates, where a duet of Billy is with Sachmo: «Do you Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?». At the beginning of 50th from the use of drugs the health of Billy was sharply worsened, it began it difficultly to sing, voice weakened sharply.