I’m halfway through James Gavin’s biography of Lena Horne, and once in a while, I find myself having to stop and listen to her recordings or watch her videos on Youtube. Gavin’s account is vivid, and Horne’s life is, of course, fascinating. Of course the book deals with the racism that Horne had to deal with as one of the first black film stars in Hollywood, and those are also the sections which are the most galling. Another interesting aspect of Horne’s life and career is her growth as a performer, especially as a singer. She had never been very confident with her vocals, and listening to her recordings through the years, I can’t help being struck by the vast difference between her earlier and later work. I remember being gobsmacked by certain notes she could hit at the age of 64 in her “A Lady and Her Music” Broadway show, not to mention the self-assurance of her interpretations, even though these were songs that she had performed all her life. Apparently, she worked hard at her singing, with a variety of coaches including Kay Thompson and Roger Edens, and simply became better. I have always been of the opinion that great singers are mostly born and not made, but Lena Horne proved to be the exception to the rule, an example of how an artiste can grow and grow. Just compare the two versions of “Stormy Weather”, the Harold Arlen-Ted Koehler song that became her anthem, one from the 1943 film of the same name, the other probably from around the same time as her 1981 Broadway show. Not only had her voice grown in size and range and power, but her interpretation had deepened to encapsulate all the despair she must have had to face through the years.
The saddest thing to read in the biography is how embittered she eventually became about her entire life, despite her illustrious career and her status as an icon for black people and women. Behind that dazzling smile was a woman who can’t help but wonder out loud to James Gavin,” Why am I still here?”
I thought I’d end this post with one of my favorite videos of Lena Horne that I found on Youtube. Her beauty and her talent was there for all to see and hear.
Postscript: Just hours after writing this post, I found out that Lena Horne had passed away the same day, aged 92. I hope she found some peace at the end of her long, eventful life.
Looking absolutely gorgeous and sounding in her prime, the regal Miss Peggy Lee was nominated for an Academy award for her role as a gangster’s moll in this movie which also featured Ella Fitzgerald. It’s curious that Miss Lee didn’t have a bigger film career since she was such a consummate actress, and definitely had the looks for it. But no matter. Every song she sings is transformed into a mini-movie by her laser beam artistry, and she gave new meaning to the term, a singing actress.
P.S. Watching this again, I’m struck by how much Peggy Lee comes across as a white Billie Holiday. The way she carries herself, the cock of an eyebrow… it’s almost as if she’s consciously imitating Lady Day in this performance. Peggy Lee could always do a devastating imitation of Billie and her vocal mannerisms, so much so that early in her career she was dismissed as a copycat. I have to wonder if this is deliberate here. Hmm….
I just bought this. I don’t really need it. 26 CDs of Maria Callas? I already have several of her complete operas and recitals on EMI, so there’s definitely duplication. But I’m such a sucker for box sets. Put anything in a box, throw in a deluxe booklet, stick on a “decent” price tag, and I’ll probably buy it. What’s “decent”? Well, this was S$39.95 at HMV. Good, right? The RRP on amazon.com is US$87.99! I think the biggest draw was that the set was compiled by Jurgen Kesting, an authority on Callas, and the booklet was of course annotated by him. Unfortunately, this was the German edition which meant the booklet was in German! Oh well, at least the photos are nice. And the booklet is really a BOOK, 124 pages. Of German. The sound, as advertised, is really quite good, and there is definitely stuff in there that I don’t already own, so…. S$39.95 for 27 CDs! 27 because there’s an extra disc of “Tosca” excerpts that I would otherwise have to send for( only available apparently in the German edition). Now to find a place for it.
Finally bought Dee Dee Bridgewater’s tribute album to Billie Holiday on the occasion of Lady Day’s 50th death anniversary last year. I’m not the greatest fan of DDB, finding her style a tad too abrasive. But she made some interesting choices in the songs she chose for this album, including the first song that Lady recorded in 1933, “Your Mother’s Son-In-Law” which nobody else seems to have touched( not even Carmen McRae, who did the most obscure Billie tunes!). Also, DDB’s style is far removed( and independent) enough from Billie’s to ensure that her renditions would not be slavish copies( think early Madeleine Peyroux, or the even earlier Marilyn Moore). Her premise of wanting to bring across the joyful rather than the lachrymose aspects that have all too often( and wrongly) been attributed to Billie also seems to be a step in the right direction.
I’m just listening to it now, so I won’t comment on the album as a whole just yet. But I did watch the DVD of a concert she did in Spain featuring the same repertoire as the album( be sure you get the edition that includes the DVD when you get the album), and based on that performance, it’s a worthy paen to Lady Day. For me, the highlights of the concert( and I assume, the CD) are the aforementioned “Your Mother’s Son-In-Law”, “Miss Brown To You”( another Billie rarity) and a beautiful arrangement( courtesy of musical director and pianist Edsel Gomez) of “Hush Now, Don’t Explain”. “Strange Fruit”, that harrowing account of lynching, gets an intense interpretation from Bridgewater, although I feel that Holiday’s more (barely) restrained approach packs more of a punch. Special mention goes to James Carter on saxophone who displayed incredible flexibility and feeling in the concert I saw and heard.
As tribute albums to singers go, this is a good, sincere effort. Most of its kind seem extraneous. Wouldn’t the best way to remember Billie be to go back to her original recordings? Still, DDB’s album is one to return to, even as it sends you back to the Columbia records of the 1930s, the Commodores and Deccas of the 1940s and the Verves of the 50s. In about 5 years, it will be time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Billie Holiday, an event that I, for one, and many other lovers of the essence of jazz singing in particular, and great singing in general, will forever be grateful for.
I’m going to go listen to some Billie Holiday now.
Finally bought Dee Dee Bridgewater’s tribute album to Billie Holiday on the occasion of Lady Day’s 50th death anniversary last year. I’m not the greatest fan of DDB, finding her style a tad too abrasive. But she made some interesting choices in the songs she chose for this album, including the first song that Lady recorded in 1933, “Your Mother’s Son-In-Law” which nobody else seems to have touched( not even Carmen McRae, who did the most obscure Billie tunes!). Also, DDB’s style is far removed( and independent) enough from Billie’s to ensure that her renditions would not be slavish copies( think early Madeleine Peyroux, or the even earlier Marilyn Moore). Her premise of wanting to bring across the joyful rather than the lachrymose aspects that have all too often( and wrongly) been attributed to Billie also seems to be a step in the right direction.
