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Billie & Me features some of the most inspirational female singers of our time including Dianne Reeves, Fontella Bass and Rokia Traore, accompanied by audio and film footage of the renowned singer in her heyday.
It's no easy task to portray the genius of a legend. But, when it comes to Billie Holiday, there's none better at paying tribute to the impossibly talented jazz singer than the vocalists involved in Billie & Me.
Conceived by BBC Radio producer Sara Cropper and USC faculty member Terri Lyne Carrington, Billie & Me features some of the most inspirational female singers of our time including Dianne Reeves, Fontella Bass and Rokia Traore, "a superb cast of female vocal talent and predictably sensational results," according to the Evening Standard (UK). As if their faithful reinterpretations of Holiday’s repertoire weren't enough, the performance is accompanied by audio and film footage of the renowned singer in her heyday.
The result is a fascinating tapestry of stories from Holiday's life, through which she emerges fresher than ever before. Billie & Me takes the audience on a voyage from Holiday's Baltimore childhood, through her early struggles performing for tips in Harlem nightclubs and finally portrays her emergence as one of the most successful jazz artists of all time.
A recent performance of Billie & Me on BBC Radio and sold-out shows at The Barbican in London featured Reeves, Bass, Traore and Carrington spinning the tale of a black female artist making her way in the segregated, male-dominated world of the 1930s and '40s. "A reappraisal of Billie Holiday as a positive, complex, life-embracing genius rather than the usual tragic victim… a tour de force," said The Guardian (UK).
A world-renowned drummer, composer and producer, Terri Lyne Carrington has been working in the music industry for over 20 years. Even as a child—she was given her first set of drums at age 7—Carrington found herself jamming with such jazz legends as Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson. Her most recent release, Real Life Story, featured Carlos Santana and John Scofield and was nominated for a Grammy.
Diane Reeves resume includes a performance on one of the world's largest stages, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and an appointment as the very first Creative Chair for Jazz with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her magic, timeless voice, exceptional personality and the sheer force of her performance mark her as a captivating world-class artist. Reeves has won three consecutive Grammy awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album, the first artist in history to do so.
While Fontella Bass' most popular accomplishment was her debut single "Rescue Me," she is anything but a one-hit wonder during a career that spans five decades and includes performances in Paris with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and at Carnegie Hall. Daughter of vocalist Martha Bass, Bass' skills as a pianist and organist as well as incredible range and distinctive delivery make her a great asset the jazz community.
Rokia Traore rounds out the group of performers with her unique African style. A student of the myriad African instruments and intonations, Traore is an innovator that brings her own individual sound while incorporating touches of Holiday’s authentic expressionism. The 29-year-old has released three solo albums, the second of which, Wanita, garnered praise as a New York Times' Top Ten Critic's Choice in Pop and Jazz as well as a Billboard Critic's Choice.
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